2020 PBR World Finals Preview

The pandemic has certainly resulted in a major change for the PBR World Finals. Originally slated to once again be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, ultimately had to be moved because of Covid-19 restrictions. The venue that would work the best ended up being the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, so that is where those finalists will take their gear.

But one thing that has not changed is the exciting race itself, and this year finds many men vying for the opportunity to be crowned the 2020 World Champion. As of this writing, and with two events left before the Finals, Jose Vitor Leme is leading the world standings by 563.09 points over Joao Ricardo Vieira.

Jose Vitor Leme rides Chiseled for 94 points in Salt Lake City.

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

When he first set foot on U.S. soil in 2017, Leme was PBR’s Rookie of the Year. He followed that up by finishing second in the world in both 2018 and 2019. He holds the top score this season of 94.25 after riding the Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/ Clay Struve/Chad Berger charge Smooth Operator in the 15/15 Bucking Battle in Billings, MT. Earlier in the year and paired with Chiseled, owned by Flynn/D&H Cattle Co., he posted a 94-point score. Make no mistake, Leme does not want to be a bridesmaid three years in a row!

Joao Ricardo Vieira starts 2020 off with a win in New York City

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

As previously mentioned, in that second place is fellow Brazilian Vieira. The veteran bull rider has been on a streak of his own, with three wins this season, along with other top placings. He has also been particularly strong in the 15/15 Battles this season. It is no secret that JRV has worked hard to get and stay in riding shape, and his efforts have paid off. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he is finally pretty healthy as well.

Kaique Pacheco rides Jack Shot to win his third Last Cowboy Standing title in Las Vegas .

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

JR. is ahead of third place Kaique Pacheco by 150.41 points. Pacheco moved up a slot with a solid performance in Tulsa, and despite winning his first Unleash The Beast event for 2020 back in mid-August at Bullnanza in Guthrie, OK, he has been very consistent all season. He has notched three second-place finishes as well as a third, and is ready to let loose in AT&T Stadium.

But hot on his heels are Daylon Swearingen, Jess Lockwood, and Lucas Divino. The numbers are so very close, with third place Pacheco 713.50 from that top spot, with sixth place Divino 783.50 behind the leader. Can you say tight race?

Daylon Swearingen rides Rising Sun for 88.5 points in Tulsa, OK.

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

The 2019 PBR Rookie of the Year, Swearingen has shown his consistency by winning two events this year, which includes a 15/15 Bucking Battle, and has several other good finishes.

Jess Lockwood

Photo by Andy Watson / BullStock Media.

Two-time World Champ Lockwood sits in fifth, despite being out from early March to the middle of September with a severely torn hamstring, an injury that could have been career-ending. But Jess would not take that for an answer, and is firing back on all cylinders. He was in a great position at the time of his injury, and with the Covid situation, that probably helped a bit as well. Make no mistake however, this young man knows how to win, and has every intention of doing just that. However, Lockwood recently suffered another setback when he injured his shoulder and will be sidelined through the remainder of the regular season. At this time, he is set to return in time for the PBR World Finals.

Divino might be a surprise to some people not in the know, but if you follow bull riding, this is not a shock. Lucas has been Steady Eddy all year with many top three placings, and is a very good bull rider. He is certainly capable of tipping the scales in his direction, so do not overlook him.

Rounding out the top 10 are the 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis, Colten Jesse (who is nursing a very sore hip injury but planning on the Finals), Dener Barbosa, and Ezekiel Mitchell.

You might be wondering about a few of our favorites. Threetime World Champion Silvano Alves has been in a huge slump and was outside of qualifying, but broke through in Tulsa, winning that event – his first victory since 2016! He now looks to be in a good spot, sitting in 25th place with two events to go before those Finals.

As you know, J.B. missed the first half of the 2020 season, and is competing on an injury exemption. He has hit the board in his last two events, and won Round 2 in Tulsa with a big score of 90.50. He finished fourth overall, and moved up into the 30th spot. If he gets on a roll, look out.

Finally, Ryan Dirteater is hoping to make it to the Finals, and his many fans are eager for that to happen as well, since he is retiring after this season. Ryan has qualified for the World Finals 11 times. He has given us a lot in his years on the tour, and we all would love to see this personable and likeable man riding in them this year and making it an even dozen.

If you can’t get to Texas, plan on watching this event. The PBR Finals never disappoint, and we are sure that this will be no exception. Great bulls, great bull riders – what more can any bull riding fan ask for?