Unleash The Beast Bucks Into Johnstown, Pennsylvania for First Time Dec. 8-10

By: Andrew Hatfield

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – For the first time in premier series history, the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast bucks into Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for PBR Johnstown December 8-10 at 1st SUMMIT ARENA at Cambria County War Memorial.

For three days only, the Top 40 bull riders in the world will go head-to-head against the sport’s most powerful bovine competitors in one of the world’s most thrilling live sporting events.

PBR Johnstown marks the third stop of the 23-event Unleash The Beast regular season as riders battle to be crowned the 2024 PBR World Champion in May.

The PBR’s top tour returns to the Keystone State for the first time since it bucked into Allentown in the last weekend of September in 2015, and the seventh time in premier series history. In 2015, J.W. Harris (Mullin, Texas) rode supreme, going a perfect 3-for-3 to win the Allentown Invitational, his third event win of the season.

Harris burst out of the chutes atop Big Dan (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) in Round 1 for 85.25 points and remained perfect in Round 2 by covering Preacher (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls) for 86.25 points.

In the championship round, the Texan was paired with Redbone (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). The veteran cowboy catapulted out of the gate and moved in perfect time with his animal athlete opponent, scoring an event-high 89.75 points to overtake first place and claim the event buckle.

Harris beat out two PBR World Champions that weekend, as two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina) came in second, while 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) finished third.

Bolstered by his runner-up finish in Allentown, Mauney secured his second PBR World Championship Buckle by winning in Tucson, Arizona, the following weekend and again finishing second at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada, later that October.

2015 was the second consecutive year the premier series stopped in Allentown, as Brazil’s Fabiano Vieira (Perola, Brazil) won in October 2014.

The previous four event winners in the Quaker State are Austin Meier (Kinta, Oklahoma – Philadelphia, 2012), two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Oklahoma – Reading, 2006), Cory Melton (Keithville, Louisiana – Philadelphia, 2004) and Mike White (De Kalb, Texas – Philadelphia, 2003).

The bull riding action for PBR Johnstown begins with Round 1 at 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, December 8, followed by Round 2 on Saturday, December 9, at 6:45 p.m. ET, and concluding with Round 3 and the championship round on Sunday, December 10, at 1:45 p.m. ET. All competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Rounds 1-3. Following Round 3 on Sunday afternoon, the riders’ individual three-round scores will be totaled with the Top 12 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.

Tickets for the three-day event go on sale Monday, October 16, at 10 a.m. ET, and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the 1ST SUMMIT ARENA at Cambria Country War Memorial box office or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.

PBR Elite Seats are available for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets, available in three tiers, offer premium seats, personal on-site concierge at the PBR fan loyalty booth, and more. For more on elite seats, visit https://pbr.com/elite-seats-unleash-the-beast, or call (800) 732-1727

For more information about the PBR and to see the full 2024 PBR Unleash The Beast schedule, visit PBR.com.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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