PBR Teams Champions Austin Gamblers Bolster Firepower by Re-signing Superstar

Four-Year deal prepares “Big Green Machine” for shot at League’s first repeat title.

PBR

In signing Dalton Kasel to a four-year deal, four months after nabbing 7-time PRCA World Champion Sage Kimzey, the reigning PBR World Champion Austin Gamblers have signaled their intent to become the PBR Teams league’s first back-to-back champs.

Add in PBR World Champions Jose Vito Leme (2020, 2021) and Kaique Pacheco (2018) and the Big Green Machine has a collective 10 world championships among the starting five.

Kasel, yet to claim his individual Gold Buckle, is now World No. 2 in the Unleash The Beast season that precedes the 2025 PBR Teams campaign starting in July. Kasel will be in action Friday and Saturday in Louisville.  

Known as a home run hitter, he has 37 total 90-point rides in an elite-level career that began in 2019, when he was named PBR Rookie of the Year.

Last fall, two of those monster rides were instrumental in bringing a PBR Teams Championship to the Austin Gamblers, who won the regular season in the league’s first two seasons, but faltered in the survive-and-advance playoffs in Las Vegas.

Kasel’s two-90 point rides on Championship Sunday in Las Vegas helped seal the Gamblers 2024 Teams Title | Bull Stock Media

At the 2024 PBR Teams Championship, Kasel covered his final three bulls to go 3-for-5, punctuated by riding Baldy for 90.25 points in the Gamblers’ 432.75-357.5 upset of the No. 1 ranked Kansas City Outlaws in the Semifinals and then topping Always Been Crazy for an event-high 92 points in the championship game to help defeat the Carolina Cowboys, 357.5-252.5.

On the Gamblers, Kasel is known as a cowboy’s cowboy, especially when riding hurt after getting hung up on the first night of the 2024 Teams Championship tournament, according to Team CEO JJ Gottsch.

“The grit and courage he showed to keep putting his hand in the bull rope and help us win a championship was awe-inspiring,” Gottsch said. “We’re extremely happy to know that Dalton will be a Gambler for the next four years.”

Gottsch masterminded the trade bringing Kasel to the Gamblers in the team’s inaugural season.

Three years after being named the 2019 Rookie of the Year, Kasel was initially drafted by the Kansas City Outlaws with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the inaugural PBR Teams Draft. Gottsch engineered a late-season trade, sending to Kansas City 2017 Velocity Tour Champion Alex Marcilio, a 2024 first round pick, a 2025 second round draft pick and cash considerations.

Kasel went 4-for-7 (57.14%) to help the Gamblers take the 2022 regular season title.

Since then, the Muleshoe, Texas, native has slammed home runs while also hitting for average – to use the baseball analogy – covering 19 of 41 bulls (46.34%) during the 2023 and 2024 regular seasons.  

Kasel being interviewed in Wichita | PBR

Fans watching Kasel’s pre and post-ride interviews and listening to the 26-year-old graciously accept his winner’s checks in Wichita and Little Rock show a more grounded and grateful athlete.

“We’ve always known Dalton was a great rider; what we’re getting to witness is his transition into become a great young man,” said Craig Hummer, play-by-play voice of PBR on CBS. “That is in no small part due to his wife and growing family – as his perspective widens, he’s finding more ways to tap into an appreciation and gratitude for what he gets to do and can do as a rider.”

What Dalton is set on doing is catching Brady Fielder – the rival rider for the Texas Rattlers who has a current nine-ride streak and a lead of 149 points for the 2025 individual buckle. Then he wants to pursue a second title for the Gamblers.

“I’m here to stay, and I’m very blessed to have this team and everyone that is involved with the Gamblers,” Kasel said.

Gottsch likes to reference a saying the Gamblers’ minority owner Michael Dell uses at his company, Dell Technologies: “Be pleased but not satisfied.”

The Gamblers are pleased but by no means are they content, nor will Mr. 90 Point be until another Teams Championship banner or two hangs in the Moody Center.