Every Run Matters In the Race to the National Finals Rodeo Team Roping

With just over 45 days left in the regular season, winning as much as possible is necessary to try to earn a title. The standings are changing almost daily.

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The race to the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) held in Las Vegas, Nev. this December, is winding down in the team roping. This will be a race to watch right down to the last run made on Sept. 30, when the regular season ends.

On the heading side just over $64,000 separates the No. 1 position from the No. 15 spot.

The familiar name of Kaleb Driggers currently tops the heading leaderboard with $140,313 in earnings. Driggers and his partner, Junior Nogueira, have had an outstanding season winning rodeos like, the Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede, the Los Fresnos (Texas) Rodeo, the Walker County Fair & Pro Rodeo (Huntsville, Texas), and split the win at the PPCLA PRCA Rodeo (Mineral Wells, Texas).

Driggers has 11 WNFR qualifications and two world titles to his name already. He and Nogueira have positioned themselves nicely for another world title.

Following Driggers, headers Dustin Egusquiza, J.C. Yeahquo, Tyler Wade, and Coleman Proctor round out the top five in the standings. All are veterans in the Thomas and Mack Center, making it a tough top five. The road to a world title will be a battle and certainly a good one for fans to watch.

The bubble is where the battle will rage from here through the end of the season. With about $5,400 between No. 10 and 15, anything can happen. The interesting part comes in that Tanner Tomlinson who is currently number 21 in the standings is just $4,000 behind number 15. There are at least 10 men fighting on the heading side to make the finals.

In the heeling side of the arena approximately $57,000 separates the No. 1 position, Levi Lord, and the 15th position held by Ross Ashford. Lord picked up a check for $3,224 in Bozeman, Mont. to bump him ahead of Nogueira. The Sturgis, S.D. man is looking to make his fourth trip to the WNFR and win his first world title.

Nogueira holds three world titles and 10 WNFR qualifications. The 33-year-old cowboy from Spain has a long list of accolades and accomplishments in the arena that just continue to grow.

Finishing the top five in the heeling standings are more decorated veteran cowboys, Buddy Hawkins, Wesley Thorp, and Logan Medlin.

Jake Smith, of Broken Bow, OK. currently in the 6th position is the only header currently in the top 15 that if qualified will be a NFR rookie this season.

Coleby Payne at No. 10, JC Flake ranked at No. 12, and Kaden Profili currently in the 11th position are all heelers currently in the top 15 looking to make their first trip to the WNFR. It will be a tough field of National Finals rookies should all three make the cut.

The same scenerio is happening in the heeling near the cutoff for the WNFR. Ashford is sitting at the number 15 spot with $78,391. If you look down to number 20, Dillon Graham from Canada, he has earnings of $73,529 just a mere $4,862 difference. That's just one good check at the end of the season.

Just under two months of rodeo remain in the regular 2024 rodeo season and the leaderboards are starting to take shape. With plenty of opportunity for shifts in the standings, every rodeo and run will be significant. Full Team roping standings here.