Pendleton Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale Intensifies Battle for NFR Qualifications

The clock is ticking for rodeo athletes looking to secure their spot in the top 15 and earn a qualification to the 2026 National Finals Rodeo (NFR). With two weeks to go in the regular season, every ride counts, and those who faced off at the Pendleton Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale this week have shown what it takes to earn a trip to the Thomas & Mack Arena.

Round One Set The Tone

While only one cowboy could come out on top, every elite bull rider who stepped into the arena in Pendleton, Ore., proved they are the cream of this season’s crop. No. 4 in the world, TJ Gray, set the standard in Round 1 with a massive 88.5 points on Western Rodeos' Funky Cold Medina for $8,648.

That amount of money is huge for any athlete, but especially for Gray, as he is closing the gap between himself and Stetson Wright in the No. 3 spot, with only $6,000 separating them now.

Round Two Turnout

The Round 2 winner is a cowboy who is fighting to get off the bubble this season and earn his first trip to the NFR. At No. 22, Dakota Hill came from behind to beat some top-10 cowboys for the Round 2 win. He bested Gray’s Round 1 score with an 89-point ride on Silver Creek Pro Rodeo's Hang 'em High, earning $8,648.

Three-time bull riding world champion Wright pulled in a second-place finish in Oregon in Round 2. He tied with No. 27 Jeter Lawrence, which just goes to show that even as an underdog, any bull rider can come out on top.

The Finals Finish

The final round held the biggest scores of the rodeo as No. 6 rookie Hayden Welsh set the bar with a 91-point ride on Sutton Rodeos' Mr. Demon, pocketing $8,648. The final round held some top-of-the-line competitors, and Welsh bested them all. The No. 1 bull rider in the world, Noah Lee, and No. 2 Tristen Hutchings tied for second place behind Welsh, each scoring 90.5 points.

Even with these massive scores in the final round, two cowboys tied with their overall average scores. Gray and Qynn Andersen each earned 261.5 points on three head, pocketing another $11,459 each. After his Round 1 win, Gray went on to place fourth in Round 3 with an 89.5-point ride.

All the while, Andersen stayed consistent during his rides, despite not pulling in a round win. Andersen finished in a tie for sixth in Round 1 with an 86-point ride. Another 86-point ride earned him another sixth-place finish of the weekend, and he rounded things out as he and Gray tied for fourth place in the finals.

It’s clear these athletes are hungry to secure their spots at the NFR. As the scores get higher and the finish line becomes clear, every cowboy in the running will have to earn as much cash as they can in the last two weeks of the season.

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