LAS VEGAS (October 23, 2010) - Looking for revenge after being bucked off three weeks ago in Uncasville, Conn., Renato Nunes selected SoulJa Boy (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) with the first pick in the draft for Round 4 of the 2010 Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough World Finals at 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Buritama, Brazil native rode SoulJa Boy for 90.5 points in the third round at Pueblo, Colo., going on to win the event and temporarily regain the No. 1 spot in the Built Ford Tough Series standings. Nunes is a perfect three-for-three at the Finals, including winning Round 3, and has the overall lead with 267.25 points.
He has moved into second place in the Built Ford Tough Series standings, 119 points behind Austin Meier of Kinta, Okla. The 2010 PBR World Champion will be the rider with the most Built Ford Tough Series points accumulated during the regular season and the World Finals. There are a potential 4,000 points remaining at the World Finals, so any of the Top 7 riders in the world are still in contention.
Tickets for Round 4 are still available at the Thomas & Mack Center box office, online at www.unlvtickets.com and by telephone at 866-PBR-SHOW. The Finals are televised on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, and on NBC at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Four points behind Nunes in the event standings is Rookie of the Year Candidate Wesley Lourenco of Santo Antônio da Barra, Brazil, who chose Kabookie (Boyd/Floyd Bull Company) with the second pick on Saturday morning at the Enterprise Stage in the PBR Fan Zone at the Hard Rock Café. Making his first appearance in the United States, the 20-year-old has also ridden all three of his bulls.
2004 PBR World Champion Mike Lee of Decatur, Texas selected Moon (Jackson, Holmes & Baker), who is tied for third in the American Bucking Bull Classic, and who has not been ridden in eight outs in 2010, and only once in 11 career outs.
Jody Newberry of Ada, Okla. chose Bushwacker (Julio Moreno/Richard Oliveira), who is one of the eight contenders for World Champion Bull and is also the leader after the first round of the ABBI Classic. Bushwacker is a perfect 10-for-10 in 2010, and 1-for-14 in his career.
Ned Cross of Midland, Ore., who is in third place overall with 178.75 points, received Stubby with the last pick in the draft, while Dustin Elliott of North Platte, Neb., chose Paleface with the third-to-last pick on Saturday.
Two-time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers of Jonesville, La., is in fifth place in the Finals, having ridden his last two bulls with a sprained left shoulder and bruised left elbow and knee. Shivers selected Cat Man Do (#10 Bucking Bulls) with the eighth pick overall. He is a perfect two-for-two on the bull, scoring 90.5 points at Reading, Pa., in 2006 and 90.75 points at New York in 2008. It will be the last out for Cat Man Do, who is owned by Chad Pennington of the Miami Dolphins and PBR Ring of Honor member J.W. Hart. Cat Man Do bucked on the BFTS the last six years, earning his way to the Finals every year, and was ridden only 31 times in 72 outs, including 15 scores of 90 points or more.
Saturday will be the second and final round for the American Bucking Bull World Champion Classic, which awards the winner $250,000.
For more information on the 2010 World Finals, please visit www.pbr.com.
The Finals consist of six rounds of competition. The first five rounds feature all of the riders matched against the toughest bulls. The scores from the five rides will be combined, and the Top 15 riders will advance for an additional round of competition, following the completion of Round 5 on Sunday, Oct. 24.
2010 Built Ford Tough World Finals at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas
PBR World Finals Event Leaders
1. Renato Nunes, Buritama, Brazil, 267.25 points.
2. Wesley Lourenco, Santo Antônio da Barra, Brazil, 263.25 points.
3. Ned Cross, Midland, Ore., 178.75 points.
4. Dustin Elliott, North Platte, Neb., 176.25 points.
5. Chris Shivers, Jonesville, La., 175.25 points.
2010 World Standings
1. Austin Meier, Kinta, Okla., 10,977.25 points.
2. Renato Nunes, Buritama, Brazil, 10,858.25 points.
3. J.B. Mauney, Mooresville, N.C., 10,650.5 points.
4. Valdiron de Oliveira, Aparecida de Goiania, 9,966 points.
5. Ryan McConnel, Coalgate, Okla., 8,480 points.
2010 World Champion Bull Contenders
1. Major Payne (Robinson/Katich/Pinnacle Bull Group), 45.5 points.
2/3. Bones (Teague Bucking Bulls, LLC), 45.25 points.
2/3. Bushwacker (Julio Moreno/Richard Oliveira), 45.25 points.
4. Uncle Buck (Jeff Robinson/Cappello/Teague), 45 points.
5/6. Highway 12 (Robinson/Mesa), 44 points.
5/6.Chicken on a Chain (Robinson/Tedesco/Larry the Cable Guy), 44 points.
7. Big Tex (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve), 43.8 points.
8. Voodoo Child (Robinson/Beutler/McNeely), 43.5 points.
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 20 riders have earned over $1 million including Justin McBride with $5.5 million, the most of any western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly two million fans attend elite Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR.
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