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Unleash The Beast Makes First-Ever Stop in Pecos, Texas, February 20-21

By: Kacie Albert

PECOS, Texas – For the first time in league history, the elite PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast will travel to Pecos, Texas, home of the world’s first rodeo, bucking into Buck Jackson Arena with the PBR Pecos Invitational on February 20-21.

Featuring the Top 30 bull riders in the world taking on the rankest bulls, the PBR Pecos Invitational will mark the fifth event of 2021, part of the Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition, early-season events at outdoor rodeo arenas across the south.

As one of the most historic stops on the league’s American Roots Edition, Pecos held the world’s first rodeo on July 4, 1883, and is now home to the Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame, honoring a select group of western sports’ most accomplished athletes, including 2019 Honorees and PBR Co-Founders Gilbert and Adam Carrillo.

Prior to traveling to Pecos, the American Roots Edition will have held events in three Florida cities, Ocala (Jan. 16-17), Arcadia (Jan. 23-24) and Okeechobee (Jan. 30-31), before bucking into Texas for a tour stop in Del Rio (Feb. 13-14). Following the PBR Pecos Invitational, the American Roots Edition will make an additional stop in the Lone Star State, traveling to Longview on Feb. 27-28.

The PBR Pecos Invitational will follow all local and state health protocols. PBR, along with Buck Jackson Arena, is instituting a series of fan safety protocols, including:

• In addition to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-informed screening, all PBR personnel will undergo medical testing for COVID-19 and be required to wear masks.
• PBR will only sell up to 50% of venue capacity to separate fans. To further promote social distancing, fans will only be able to sit in every other row, with seating limited in each open row.
• Social distancing will be encouraged at the concession stands, restrooms and merchandise stands.

PBR’s 2021 debut in Pecos comes on the heels of a trailblazing season in which PBR was the first major professional sport in North America to return to competition in late April following the COVID-19 (coronavirus) related shutdown, and the first to host fans in-arena in mid-July with new safety protocols in place.

With the new season already underway, the race for the 2021 PBR World Championship, gold buckle and accompanying $1 million bonus has gotten off to a feverish start.

At the season-launch Unleash The Beast event in Ocala, rising Brazilians Mauricio Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) and Junior Patrik Souza (Sonora, Brazil), delivered career-best finishes to surge to the top of the world standings for the first time in their careers.

After both riders earned points at the most recent tour stop in Arcadia, Florida, Souza is now ranked No. 1 in the world, 20 points ahead of No. 2 Moreira.

Three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil), 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) and 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Springs, Utah) also delivered breakthrough performances at the season-launch Unleash The Beast event.

Davis led the contingent, going a near-perfect 3-for-4 to catapult to No. 4 in the world, now within 33.5 points of Souza as he seeks his second World Championship. Alves and Whitehorse are tied for the world No. 7 rank, 70 points removed from the top spot. Whitehorse notably delivered the first 90-point ride of the new season, scored 90 points on Preachers Kid (K-C Bucking Bulls/RD Cattle).

In addition to Davis, several additional Texans are anticipated to compete at the PBR Pecos Invitational. Those athletes include Cole Melancon (Paris, Texas); 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas); Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas); Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas), Cody Teel (College Station, Texas); Taylor Toves (Stephenville, Texas); and Tye Chandler (Celina, Texas).

Among the contingent, Melancon is no stranger to victory in Pecos, winning the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association)-sanctioned Pecos Rodeo in both 2018 and 2019.

The bull riding action for the PBR Pecos Invitational begins at 2:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, February 20, and Sunday, February 21.

Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now.

General admission tickets start at $50, with kids tickets (ages 5-12) available for $15, taxes and fees not included. Children under the age of 5 will gain entry to the event for free. Fans who wish to attend both nights of competition can also purchase the Pecos Combo, including a General Admission ticket for both Saturday and Sunday, for $90.

Eventgoers are encouraged to purchase their tickets early, with the cost of all admission levels increasing by $5-$10 on event day. They can be purchased online through PBRTIX.com or by calling (800) 732-1727.

Fans can also purchase VIP Box Seats positioned closest to the action, immediately adjacent to the arena fence line, giving event-goers a PBR experience like never before as the league’s top riders and rankest bulls go head-to-head just feet from their seats.

A VIP Box of four seats can be purchased for $260, and a VIP Box of six seats can be purchased for $390, taxes and fees not included. VIP Box Seats can be purchased by calling (800) 732-1727.

For an enhanced PBR experience in a socially-distanced environment, fans can now purchase add-on PBR Premium Experiences which will include the Elite Experience and Bull Housing Tour on both Saturday, February 20 and Sunday, February 21 in Pecos for $60.

The Elite Experience will include a Q&A session with a select group of the league’s top riders, bullfighters and stock contractors, merchandise voucher, limited edition poster and commemorative lanyard, while the Bull Housing Tour will feature a stock contractor guided tour of the PBR’s bull housing in the Sunshine State where fans will get an up-close look at the world-renowned bovine athletes.

For more information on PBR Premium Experiences and to purchase the Elite Experience and/or Bull Housing Tour for the PBR Pecos Invitational in Pecos visit https://pbr.com/tickets/premium-experiences/.

© 2021 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

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