The PBR came back into Las Vegas this past weekend for their “Spring break”. Â A three-day festival that was built around the annual Last Cowboy Standing competition. Â And if this was any indication of what is to come for the PBR World Finals in October, It’s Going To be Awesome!!
Last Cowboy Standing format is as follows: take the top 50 bull riders in the world – match them to the rankest (toughest) bucking bulls in the industry.  The goal to move on to the next round is to ride your bull until the 8-second buzzer sounds. If a rider stays on his bull for the required 8 seconds, he will move on to the next round of competition. If he gets bucked off, he is finished, goes home.  No win, no points, no money.  The cowboys will continue to ride, in up to five rounds of competition over two days until the “Last Cowboy Standing†will be declared the winner.  That’s all!
We started Friday night with 50 riders. Â Ended the night with 25. Â On Saturday, we quickly went from those 25 riders down to 8 then 2. The last two battled it out for two more rounds. Â Neither one could stay on their bulls, so the winner was decided by points for the weekend. (the bull and the rider get scored for each ride)
You have to be at the top of the game to be invited to an event like this. Â Last Cowboy Standing is part of the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS). Â These are the riders and bulls wanting to make it back to Las vegas in October for the PBR World Finals. Â This event marked the mid-way point for that journey. The winner would walk away with $180,000 and a bunch of points to help them make it back here in October.
So Who Won??Â
After a full five rounds of competition, No. 1 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) bull rider in the world Joao Ricardo Vieira won Last Cowboy Standing. Stetson Lawrence finished second in the event
Joao Ricardo Vieira posted the top ride of the event with 90.75 points atop Percolator (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls) during Round 3. Stetson Lawrence, who finished second in the event, also covered his bull in Round 3, putting up 86.5 points on I’m Gangster Too (Jeff Robinson/TNT Bucking Bulls). As such, the men then advanced to Round 4, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to make the 8-second mark. Seeing as neither rider made a qualified ride, Vieira and Lawrence advanced to the final round per Last Cowboy Standing rules.
Neither Vieira nor Lawrence were able to cover their bulls in Round 5 either, and per event rules, Vieira’s higher combined round points after five rounds of competition earned him the win. Vieira received a check for $180,000, including the $100,000 Bad Boy Mowers Bonus. It was the second such check he has accepted this year of this amount, having won the Iron Cowboy of the same format in Arlington, Texas, earlier this season.
Bonus!
How can you have a Spring Break event in las Vegas without having live music? You can’t! Â So the PBR brought along Montgomery Gentry, Gary Alan and The Band Perry to keep the fun going long after the last bull was safely tucked away in his pen.
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Photos: Debbie D Anthony Photography