Championship Bull Riding Announces World Finals Qualifiers

FORT WORTH, Texas - June 4, 2014 - PRLog -- A wild ten months of Championship Bull Riding action has finalized the twenty-four cowboys headed to Cheyenne for the CBR World Finals held in conjunction with the Daddy of ‘Em All, Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne Wyoming.

      The field of 24 is set – With a rookie at the top of the standings – can he be the first rookie bull rider in CBR history to win the title? Which veterans will prolong their careers, and which ones - like Cole Echols and JW Harris find themselves on the outside looking in? The twenty-four qualified bull riders representing nine states and two countries will have five opportunities to earn points over a two day championship event. The winner will walk out of the infamous Frontier Park arena with a check for $100,000 and a gold buckle that says he is the best bull rider in the World. So who will it be?

The veteran bull rider, Aaron Pass, Kaufman, Texas, took the lead in September and held the number one ranking until the rookie Sage Steel Kimzey, Strong City, Oklahoma, exploded on the scene in January and challenged the entire field of bull riders each week on the road to Cheyenne tour.  Watching all the action while sitting on the couch in Rock Island, Texas, was Trey Benton III. Nursing a broken leg, Benton was thought to be out of contention for a CBR World Title in 2014, but with only four regular season events left on the schedule Benton returned to the line-up and made a run at not only qualifying for the World Finals, but forged towards the top of the leaderboard with an unprecedented three “On the Road to Cheyenne” title wins and landed the number two seed in the CBR World rankings. The second rookie that has a chance to make history is #4 ranked Eli Vastbinder, Mooresville, North Carolina. Residing in the same city as bull riding great J.B. Mauny, will he have an edge as he makes his first appearance at a CBR World Finals? Vastbinder hit his stride like Benton in late March in Bossier City where he tied Benton for the win but the back judge score placed him .5 below Benton thus giving Benton the title. Vastbinder roared back two weeks later winning Tuff Hedeman’s Las Vegas Shoot Out on his birthday which placed him in position to be a legitimate contender in this year’s race

Rounding out the top five is the perennial CBR bull riding bridesmaid Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas. The 2012 PRCA World Champion was in second place after strong finishes in the first three events in 2014, including a win in Hobbs, but for the second consecutive year in March an injury at Rodeo Houston sidelined the superstar for the rest of the regular CBR season. Teel, who was riding at 67% when he was injured can never be left out of a championship title discussion.

CBR has become known for their action-packed performances that keep fans on the edge of their seats. That is largely due to the influence of four-time world champion bull rider Tuff Hedeman who coordinates every element and attends to the smallest details. From having great bulls matched up with super star riders, to upbeat music and enthusiastic fans, the CBR World Finals at Cheyenne Frontier Days will  be second to none.

CBR fans who do you expect to leave Cheyenne with the championship buckle? Are you rooting for the rookie or the veteran? Will it be the rider who loves to win or hates to lose? Join us at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 21^st and 22^nd. Tickets range from $29 to $39 and are on sale now. Log on to www.cfdrodeo.com/tickets. Get to know the top 24 qualifiers and let us know what you think by weighing in on the conversation on Championship Bull Ridings Facebook page and Twitter with #  Catch up by watching all the events leading up to the World finals every Sunday on Fox Sports Network (FSN) – check your local listings for times.

Sage Steele Kimzey (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=658)

Strong City, OK

1247.00

2

Trey Benton (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=392)

Rock Island, TX

1170.00

3

Aaron Pass (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=203)

Mesquite, TX

1080.00

4

Eli Vastbinder (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=554)

Mooresville, NC

979.00

5

Cody Teel (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=497)

Kountze, TX

895.00

6

Corey Bailey (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=547)

Paris, TN

877.50

7

Jared Long (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=499)

Ramona, OK

874.00

8

Neil Holmes (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=199)

Houston, TX

804.50

9

Ardie Maier (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=121)

Timber Lake, SD

775.00

10

Corey Maier (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=363)

Timber Lake, SD

699.00

11

Cooper Davis (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=528)

Jasper, TX

632.50

12

Cody Rostockyj (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=366)

Hillsboro, TX

616.50

13

Tyler Adrian (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=514)

Osceola, MO

601.00

14

Chandler Bownds (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=216)

Lubbock, TX

541.50

15

Cooper Kanngiesser (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=118)

Zenda, KS

530.50

15

Craig Jackson (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=223)

Houston, TX

530.50

17

Tate Harris (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=253)

Palestine, TX

522.50

18

Robson Aragao (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=531)

Brazil

520.00

19

JW Harris (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=69)

Mullin, TX

446.50

20

Michael Earl (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=434)

Pflugerville, TX

440.50

21

Cole Echols (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=108)

Frierson, LA

431.00

22

Josh Barentine (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=220)

Johnson Bayou, LA

356.50

23

Garrett Smith (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=659)

Rexburg, ID

352.00

24

Billy Quade Phillips (http://www.cbrbull.com/riderprofile.html?a_id=558)

Henryetta, OK

344.50