Grayson Cole Makes PBR History with Second Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Championship

Corpus Christi, Texas – SPORTS – Grayson Cole of New Ringgold, Penn., made Professional Bull Riders history Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Texas, becoming the first rider to win multiple Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour championships.

The 2024 and 2026 tour champion secured the season title at the Hilliard Center despite being bucked off in both of his rides at the finals.

Daniel Keeping Wins Corpus Christi Event with Perfect Weekend

Daniel Keeping of Montague, Texas, won the Corpus Christi event buckle with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, including two rides of more than 90 points.

Keeping opened with a 90.75-point ride on Doze You Down on Friday night, then followed with a round-winning 90.95 points aboard Long Gone in Round 2. He completed the sweep in the championship round with 88.10 points on Flapjack.

“It’s a blessing God gives me the opportunity to do what I love,” Keeping said on the RidePass broadcast. “I was tickled to get on Flapjack, who I have a love-hate relationship with. Guess he loves me tonight.”

Cole Clinches Season Title by 44 Points

Cole finished the Velocity Tour season with 655 points, holding off Macaulie Leather of Calliope, Queensland, Australia, who placed second in the standings with 611 points.

Cole’s season included two event wins and five top-10 finishes. His championship marks a rebound from 2025, when he finished seventh after winning the tour title in 2024.

“I didn’t ride any bulls this week, so we’re gonna go out next week and try to take some of that big money,” Cole said. “It’s all in God’s hands, and maybe we’ll get some round wins at World Finals.”

Five Riders Advance to PBR World Finals

Following the Velocity Tour Finals, five riders qualified for the PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast Rounds 1-4 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The qualifiers are:
Grayson Cole, Velocity Tour champion; Gustavo Luiz da Silva of Inocencia, Brazil, international invitee; Macaulie Leather, through the PWVT standings; Romario Leite of Brotas, Brazil, through the PWVT standings; and Wyatt Rogers of Hulbert, Okla., through the PWVT standings.

The first four rounds of the World Finals are scheduled for May 7-10 at Cowtown Coliseum. The championship will then move to Dickies Arena from May 14-17, where the 2026 PBR world champion will be crowned.

Luiz da Silva Takes Second in Corpus Christi

Gustavo Luiz da Silva finished second in the Corpus Christi event with an aggregate score of 261.35 points.

After riding Stardust for 85.90 points in Round 2, Luiz da Silva added 87 points on It’s Cherry to close out his weekend.

Dener Barbosa of Paulo de Faria, Brazil, placed third with 230.85 points. Barbosa recorded 56.50 points on Big Lunch in Round 2 and chose to keep the score rather than take a re-ride. He then rode Strapper for 86.20 points in the championship round.

Vastbinder and Leather Round Out Top Five

Eli Vastbinder of Statesville, N.C., finished fourth with 176 points over the weekend. He posted 89.60 points on UTZ BesTex Legend on Friday and added 86.40 points on Ah Hell in Round 2.

Leather finished fifth in Corpus Christi after riding Toad for 87.35 points in the second round. His 174.75-point weekend earned him 82 points in the standings and moved him into second overall for the season.

International Field Reflects Bull Riding’s Global Growth

The Corpus Christi finals again showed the global depth of PBR competition, with riders from the United States, Brazil and Australia all playing major roles in the standings.

For Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, the international roster is part of a broader trend in modern sports: regional fan bases are increasingly connected to global competition through streaming, specialized tours and cross-border events.

Bull riding’s reach into Canada, the United States, Australia and Brazil has helped transform the sport from a primarily regional rodeo discipline into a year-round international circuit.
Riders combined for 21 qualified rides Saturday night after recording 23 in the opening round, bringing the finals total to 44 qualified rides.

Velocity Tour replays are available on RidePass and through the PBR App.