Posted by NAMPA, Idaho – A rare Thursday night start to an action-packed PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast (UTB) weekend in Nampa, Idaho, saw Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) and Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) set the pace early, sharing the Round 1 win with matching 88-point scores.
First up in the round, Whitehorse, who went 2-for-4 and finished sixth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last weekend, was paired with Burning Man (Nixon Bucking Bulls). The Arizona Ridge Riders veteran is now 15-for-26 across all tours since finishing fifth in Salt Lake City, Utah, including five Top 10 finishes on the elite tour.
Kasel, the 25-year-old Austin Gambler, was one of the last handful of rides at the end of the night. With Idaho fans buzzing in anticipation, he fired from the chutes aboard Bo Man (D&H Cattle/ Craig Moore). After going 3-for-4 last weekend at The Pit to finish third, the 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year flashed a giant smile as his ride score tied him atop the leaderboard and clinched his third round win of the 2024 season.
Both cowboys earned 23 Unleash The Beast Points for the opening night win.
The shared round win pushed Whitehorse up two spots in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings from No. 15 to No. 13.
Kasel, who arrived in Nampa the No. 3-ranked man in the world standings, crept ever so slightly upward to No. 2. He now sits 462.83 points behind world leader Cassio Dias (Sao F. De Sales, Brazil) as the clock ticks down with just five regular-season events remaining before all eyes turn toward Texas for the 2024 PBR World Finals.
Dias’s night ended abruptly when his re-ride bull, Flatliner (Blake Sharp/ Henry Wilson), tossed him to the ground after 6.11 seconds.
The three-day event at Ford Idaho Center marks the 27th time the elite tour has visited Nampa and the first time since 2010 that Gem State fans have been treated to three full nights of action versus two.
Following Kasel’s advancement in the standings, rookie phenomenon John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) moved slightly back from No. 2 to No. 3 after his third-place finish in Round 1.
Crimber, who is second only to Dias with four 90-point rides this season, has been shut out at four events this season. Despite some setbacks with crucial world points on the line, he has made the most of his 19 rides before Nampa. The legacy bull rider used this strategy to great success in Albuquerque last weekend, going 2-for-4 but recording two 90-point rides to finish fifth.
Climbing aboard Wishful Thinking (Wentz Bucking Bulls/ King Rodeo) on Thursday night, the 18-year-old athlete had his father, 10-time PBR World Finals qualifier and Florida Freedom head coach Paulo Crimber (Decatur, Texas), steadying him.
After launching from the chutes as fans reached a deafening level of cheers, his 87.75-point ride earned him 17 Unleash The Beast points.
The Nashville Stampede’s Alan De Souza (Taubate, Brazil) ended his Friday night as the No. 4 man on Nampa’s leaderboard.
Paired with Sweet Train (D7H Cattle Co/ Gordon/ OK Corralis) on the opening night at Ford Idaho Center, he clung to the muscular animal as the clock wound down to record a satisfying 87.25-point score.
The 16 Unleash The Beast points Souza collected held him at No. 9 in the world standings.
Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), who made his return in Albuquerque after missing multiple events at a pivotal time in the race toward the 2024 world title, rounded out the Top 5 on Nampa’s opening night.
After going 2-for-3 to finish in 10th place last week in Duke City, the Austin Gamblers’ cowboy hit the gas in Idaho. Paired with Buck Nation (Wentz Bucking Bulls/ King Rodeo), he showcased perfect form after flying from the chutes. His 87-point score earned 15 Unleash The Beast Points.
Leme holds tight to the No. 25 spot in the standings.
Home-state cowboy Trace Redd’s (Malad, Idaho) night didn’t go as planned. Competing in Idaho for the second time in his PBR career, the first time on the premier series, the Missouri Thunder rider was dispatched by Regulator (Humpz and Hornz/ Frances Dandy) after a mere 2.89 seconds.
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