Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Round 2 Brings Repeat Champions Three Times Over

Round two of the 2024 NFR was a wild one. Let's unpack some of that drama!

PRCA Photo by Hailey Rae

After a great round one of the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Thomas and Mack Center, round two brought the excitement again. The rookies are hot in Vegas this week and in round two we saw some great runs, as expected, and some events we could have never predicted.

Bareback Riding

Bradlee Miller of Huntsville, Texas, an NFR rookie, exclaimed, "I love it here!" in a very enthusiastic interview after his round win aboard True Grit from Wayne Vold Pro Rodeo. His 86.5 point ride left him a little over $33,000 richer tonight. "Your A game doesn't work here, you have to bring your A+ game," Miller said of the NFR.

The bareback riding has been one of the tightest races all year. Rocker Steiner of Weatherford, Texas jumped to the lead in the World Standings after a big check at the Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D. Tonight, it sounds like an equipment malfunction was the cause of his untimely buck-off. When Right On Q from Rosser Rodeo turned the corner, we did not expect to see Steiner shook loose and ultimately looking a bit stunned when he landed. According to the post show on the Cowboy Channel, the metal buckle on the flank strap caught him in the back of the head.

World Championship contender, Keenan Hayes, pulled a check tonight and that was very important to his position in the current standings.

Steer Wrestling

It was a fast night in the steer wrestling. "Crush" owned by Ty and Cierra Erickson showed why he earned Horse of the Year honors in 2024. Crush brought three cowboys to the finals - Ty, J.D. Struxness, and Rowdy Parrott. All three cowboys pulled checks tonight in the round. Another great horse, "Banker" took both of his riders to the pay window, Tucker Allen and Justin Shaffer.

Parrott of Mamou, La. quoted in his interview, "I've been wanting to do that (make the victory lap) since I was a little kid. I'm blessed Ty lets me ride Crush, he is so good in the corner and makes the same run every time."

Team Roping

The story of the team roping was of course, Texas cowboys, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp. The 2023 World Champions have claimed back to back round wins with 3.7 second runs. They picked up right where they left off last year, with the World title.

The "ruh-rohs" of the night were another painful no time for Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord, the season leaders. Kaleb Driggers dropped his rope in the back of his swing for another costly no time of the night, for he and partner Junior Noguiera.

Saddle Bronc Riding

It has been an electric finals for the rookies and tonight in the saddle bronc riding was no exception. First-timer, Brody Wells of Powell, Wyo. earned his first round win with a 90 point ride aboard Resistol's Pretty Woman of Pete Carr Pro Rodeo. "I've been preparing for this as long as I can remember. I'm so excited. It felt great," Wells said of the night.

Some of the horses in this pen tested their riders and were not the easiest to get around. An unfortunate missed mark-out got the best of Ryder Wright, leaving him with a no score. Sage Newman also came down without a score.

Tie Down Roping

Riley Webb of Denton, Tex., is not letting off the pressure, with back-to-back round wins in the first two rounds. With Shad Mayfield still in the lead in the World, Webb is pushing hard for the World Championship. Mayfield slipped in for a fourth place check tonight, good for a little over $14,000. It looks like it will be a battle to the end for that world title.

Webb quoted in his interview, "I knew I had a chance on that calf if I did my job. My horse worked great. It happens fast and I just tried to stick to the basics."

I noticed both Harris brothers, Ty and Joel, were aboard Logan Bird's great horse, Peso, tonight. Peso has been a choice of the best tie down ropers in the world for the past several years in this setup.

Barrel Racing

Another competitor not letting off the gas, Hailey Kinsel of Cotulla, Tex. and Sister were back for another round win. Running second to last tonight, the duo nailed their first barrel again. Kinsel reminisced about the turn in her interview, "I was way too close to that thing! She is trying her tail off." As we all know, when these two are spot on at the first, they are hard to outrun.

They bested Kassie Mowry by just .03 of a second tonight. I knew Mowry was going to come out swinging tonight after a tipped barrel last night. The heartbreaker of the night was season leader Leslie Smalygo, when a bit of a hiccup going into the second barrel left them with a no time.

I love the rookies showing up in every event this year - Ashley Castleberry, Andrea Busby, and Abby Phillips have placed in both rounds so far.

Bull Riding

Speaking of rookies, Jeter Lawrence of Council Hill, Okla. rode a formerly unridden bull tonight for an 87.5 point round win aboard Buck Nasty of Power River Rodeo. Five guys covered their bulls tonight, in what Don Gay warned was going to be a tough pen.

"I watched some videos and knew if I could get by the roll (that Buck Nasty does), I would be fine. It is unreal, I'm just living my dream," Lawrence said of the experience.