With one round left in the 2022 NFR, there are still plenty of questions to be answered. Here are your Round 9 News and Notes as we head into the final performance of the NFR.
- Stetson Wright has all but locked up the Bull Riding Gold Buckle, but there is still something to ride for. Wright, who has gone 8 of 9 bulls has a chance to break Jim Sharp’s aggregate record on one less bull. If Wright is 87 points or higher tonight he will break the 771-on-10 record that Jim Sharp has held since the 1980s. Wright would do so in nine bulls compared to Sharp’s 10.
- Dawson Hay and Killer Bee team up for a memorable sendoff. Hay was matched up with Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Mud’s Killer Bee in what was Killer Bee’s final ride before being retired. Killer Bee went out with a bang as the two matched up for a round-winning 92-point ride. Killer Bee was named the 2020 NFR Bareback Horse of the Year and has earned many other awards in its legendary career.
- Jess Pope closing in on a third straight Average Title and first World Title. Pope has been dominant at the NFR again and is on his way to his first-career World Title. Pope currently holds around a $75,000 lead in season earnings and a massive 14.5-point lead in the average at the NFR.
- Zeke Thurston is closing in on his third World Title after having a dominant 2022 NFR. Thurston is just $6,000 behind Sage Newman in season earnings and is the current projected World Champion because of his likely average title. Thurston holds a 10-point lead over Logan Hay in the average which would push him to the top spot.