On Friday evening, under the bright lights of First Interstate Arena at MetraPark in Billings, Queensland’s Brady Fielder made a statement in his quest to reclaim the top spot in the PBR standings. Riding Lieutenant Dan, Fielder delivered an electric 89-point ride, clinching the Round 1 victory at the 30th edition of the Cooper Tires PBR Unleash The Beast event.
Currently competing for the Texas Rattlers in the PBR Teams league, Fielder’s standout performance earned him 28 valuable UTB points, keeping him firmly in second place in the overall standings and placing him in the top spot heading into Saturday’s Championship rounds.
With just two events left before the 2025 PBR World Finals in Texas (May 8-18), Fielder continues to close the gap on world No. 1 Dalton Kasel of Muleshoe, Texas. Kasel delivered an 88.25-point ride on Whiplash but had to settle for a tie for third. The Austin Gamblers star took home 16.5 UTB points, but Fielder trimmed Kasel’s lead to only 37 points.
Kasel shared the third-place spot with John Crimber of Decatur, Texas, who also put up 88.25 points aboard Karizma. Riding for the Florida Freedom, Crimber kept pace in the title race, though he remains 292.5 points behind Fielder and 329.5 behind Kasel. His consistency was part of a night that saw 14 qualified rides.
Sage Kimzey of Strong City, Oklahoma, stayed at No. 4 in the standings, though his night ended abruptly when Shank brought him down after just 2.68 seconds. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto of Colorado, Brazil, riding for Missouri Thunder, suffered a similar fate, bucked off at 6.85 seconds by Greasy Bend. Still, Rossetto remains No. 5 in the standings.
Meanwhile, two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme, riding for the Austin Gamblers, returned to the arena last week in Sioux Falls after missing nine events due to injury. On Friday, he delivered an 88-point ride on Rank Hank, collecting 15 UTB points and maintaining his spot at No. 30 in the standings.
Veteran Luciano De Castro of Guzolandia, Brazil, had a strong showing, finishing second in the round after an 88.5-point effort on Night Agent. The Arizona Ridge Riders’ standout collected 18 UTB points, climbing from No. 8 to No. 7 in the world rankings.
The action resumes Saturday night with Round 2 immediately followed by the championship round, starting at 6:45 p.m.
