TULSA, Okla. (July 17, 2010) - Jody Newberry is a self-described goal-oriented guy.
The 29-year-old from Ada, Okla., readily admits that he doesn’t merely like having goals, he thrives on having goals to work toward.
“The idea of winning a World Championship this year is sure getting away from me,” he said after selecting Chance at the bull draft for the second round of the Express Classic, “but I’m not giving up on the idea of being in the Top 5 and finishing strong this year.
“I said when I first came on tour that I left here as a Top-10 guy, and I have every expectation of being the same, so that goal is still relevant and real to me. That’s my goal right now. I want to have a strong finish and make a hard run at it.”
If ever there was an opportunity for Newberry to make a big move in the world standings, it’s this weekend in Tulsa, Okla.
Newberry is one of only two riders in the Top 15 with a qualified score on the leader board after the first round. He scored 85.75 points to finish seventh – just ahead of Valdiron de Oliveira, who scored 81.5 points in Round 1.
“I can make a move, but I have about 10 moves to make to catch up with those guys,” Newberry said. “That’s kind of the position I’m in. I can make a move here this weekend, but, like I said, I’m about 8-to-10 moves behind them.
“I don’t know about a World Championship, but I’ll give it my best. A realistic goal for me right now is I want to be in the Top 5 when it’s all said and done.”
He came into the weekend 3,669.25 points off the lead, which is currently held by Renato Nunes.
Nunes, Austin Meier and Travis Briscoe all bucked off Friday, and Briscoe remains questionable for the remainder of the event with a sprained neck. Guilherme Marchi and Ryan McConnel were both late scratches because of injuries, as was Robson Palermo, who is out until mid-August.
J.B. Mauney, Mike Lee and McKennon Wimberly all bucked off their first-round bulls, as well. Of the three riders directly in front of him in the standings, two of them – Skeeter Kingsolver, No. 11, and Josh Koschel, No. 13 – are out of competition for the foreseeable future.
“The key is you’ve got to stay on your bulls,” said Newberry, who could gain ground on five – if not six – of the 13 riders ahead of him.
Couple the current injury report with the upcoming Final Five Chase, which gives the Top 10 riders a bonus bull at the final five Built Ford Tough Series events, and Newberry quickly began to reevaluate his goals for the remainder of 2010.
“That’s one thing I don’t fully understand, and a lot of people probably don’t,” he admitted. “And that’s going to be the story that’s going to be told because we’ve never done it before and it’s going to be real interesting to see how that plays out – getting those extra points at the last five events.
“I may be selling myself short here. I may have a realistic shot at a World Championship and just don’t know it yet because it’s a new concept.
“I hope to get a lot of those bonus points,” he added, “but I fully expect those Top 5 guys right now to get their fair share of those bonus points, too.”
His first goal is to find away to reclaim a spot in the Top 10.
Coming into this weekend, he was 786.75 points behind Wimberly, and he made up a total of 125.75 points in Round 1.
In the draft, he selected Chance. Newberry has wanted this opportunity ever since passing him up in the short round of his first event back on tour – earlier this year in Tampa, Fla., when he went with RMEF Bugle instead.
That night, after seeing Chance and RFD-TV buck in-person, he realized he had made a mistake.
“I picked RFD-TV, and it paid off big,” he said in reference to his BFTS-event win in St. Louis, Mo., “and tonight I expect the same from Chance.”
WATCH LIVE ONLINE
All three days of action from the Express Classic will be available live at www.pbr.tv and www.versus.com. Online coverage will feature the live in-arena feed from the event, including every ride as called by announcers Brandon Bates and Clint Adkins, along with comedy stylings of Flint Rasmussen and other live event activities as they happen.
