As calendars officially flipped to 2026, the 2025 PRCA Circuit season came to a close with the California Circuit Finals in Red Bluff, Calif., held just before the New Year’s Eve ball dropped.
The PRCA Circuit system, established in 1975, was designed to provide athletes with more opportunities to compete while staying closer to home. Thirteen geographic regions make up the system, with each PRCA member designating one as their home circuit. While athletes may compete at rodeos both inside and outside their circuit, only money earned within their home circuit counts toward circuit standings.
Each circuit hosts its own finals, with the top two athletes in each event advancing to the NFR Open in July. Formerly known as the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo and previously held in Kissimmee, Fla., the event is now titled the NFR Open and takes place in Colorado Springs, Colo., where top circuit athletes compete for national titles.
West Coast cowboys and cowgirls were some of the final competitors of the 2025 circuit season to punch their tickets to the NFR Open, writing their names into California Circuit history. With a total payout of $216,236, the Golden State’s Circuit Finals also ranked among the most lucrative circuits of the year.
Headlining the prestigious finals was two-time NFR qualifier and all-around cowboy Brushton Minton. The Witter Springs, Calif., native struck gold in Red Bluff, earning $12,386 across the tie-down roping and team roping to claim the All-Around Cowboy and Tie-Down Roping California Circuit champion titles.
Minton won two of the three tie-down roping rounds and also placed in team roping alongside fellow Northern California native Chase Helton– marking a prosperous conclusion to 2025. His success inside the Pauline Davis Pavilion continued with two 2025 California Circuit titles, the tie-down roping average championship and two go-round wins, marking another standout circuit finals performance and kickstarting his 2026 NFR campaign.
Coming off a strong 2025 NFR showing, saddle bronc rider Lefty Holman captured both the average and year-end California Circuit Finals titles. The Visalia, Calif., native and five-time NFR qualifier marked 246.5 points on three head, pocketing $7,855 to open his 2026 season with momentum.
Fellow NFR qualifier R.C. Landingham led the bareback riding average race, posting a combined score of 250.5 points on three head. Sweeping the competition by winning all three go-rounds, the million-dollar cowboy looks to carry that momentum into 2026 as he eyes his sixth NFR qualification, after narrowly missing the 2025 Finals.
In the steer wrestling, Casey Harmon earned the average title paycheck of $3,625 while winning two go-rounds with times of 5.3 seconds in Round 1 and 4.7 seconds in Round 2.
Team ropers Blake Hirdes and Jake Edwards claimed the average title by roping three steers in a combined 17.0 seconds. The California and New York natives continued their successful season in Red Bluff, earning one of the circuit system’s top honors.
Barrel racer Ann McGilchrist posted the fastest time of the rodeo in Round 3, stopping the clock at 13.32 seconds. She also secured the aggregate title with a combined time of 40.91 seconds on three runs, earning $3,625.
Fresh off her first National Finals Breakaway Roping appearance, Lassen Community College rodeo coach Suzanne Williams captured the breakaway roping aggregate title, roping three calves in 6.8 seconds.
With the 2025 California Circuit Finals officially in the books, athletes from the Golden State and beyond now turn their focus to the new year, setting the stage for another exciting season of rodeo.