Round 8 of The National Finals Rodeo

The eliminators were out tonight for the bareback riding and this was a tough pen of horses. Jess Pope had a beauty of an 88.25 point bronc ride on Deep Springs (Four Star Rodeo) to take first. Great ride by Sam Petersen on a powerful, droppy horse called Wild N Out (Dakota Pro Rodeo). He who took second with 87.25 points. Dean Thompson had great handling with his aggressive ride on a Winning Rose (C5 Rodeo). That horse had a lot of back and forth and directions changes but Thompson was able to stay in control and take third with his 86.25 points. Jayco Roper was not in the lineup again due to a left groin strain.

Well if the Vegas PD are not able to locate his truck, Tucker Allen is trying his best to earn the money to get himself a new one and picked up his third win tonight with his 4.0 second run in the steer wrestling. (His truck was stolen from the contestant overflow parking lot after his Round Two win.) He is currently leading in the average with 36.6 seconds on eight head. Allen's foot footwork and head catches have been solid round after round no matter what steer he draws. Jesse Brown took second with his 4.0 second run. Brown is riding the same horse, Banker, as Allen. Banker is owned by Justin Shaffer and it's clear to see why this horse won the 2025 Nutrena Horse of the Year Award. Chance Howard also made a good run, placing third with 4.1 seconds.

It was a tough night for the team ropers with Lightning Aguilera & Kaden Profili, Riley Minor & Brady Minor, Clay Smith & Coleby Payne, Clint Summers & Jade Corkill, and Tanner Tomlinson & Travis Graves all receiving a no time. There were only two times in the 3's tonight. Kolton Schmidt & Jonathan Torres took first with their quick 3.8 second run and Kaleb Driggers & Junior Nogueira took second with their 3.9 second run. This was a much needed run for Driggers & Nogueria who have been having some uncharacteristic bad luck last this week.

No eliminators in the saddle bronc riding tonight but there were some very nice bronc rides. Weston Patterson took first with his 89 point ride on Cowboy Fool (Summit Pro Rodeo). Patterson had great control of his horse throughout the ride. Brody Wells beat out Statler Wright and Brody Cress by .25 points to place second with his 87.5 point ride on I'm a Dandy (Burch Rodeo). We are really starting to see the new point system come into play with the scoring of these rides. Wright and Cress tied for third with their 87.25 point rides. Wright was matched with South Point (Sutton Rodeos) and Cress with Miss Valley (Powder River Rodeo). Ryder Wright's horse got a bit hung up coming out of the gate but he was patient and still made a good ride. He was offered a re-ride on Vain Reflection (Legacy Pro Rodeo LC) but unfortunately 85 points put him out of the money.

Kincade Henry had great flank with fast hands to take first in the tie-down roping. Joel Harris is continuing his hot streak and placed second with his 7.5 second run. It was another tough night for his brother, Ty Harris, who had another no time for the third night in a row. Shane Hanchey was able to shake off the bad luck of the past few round to tie with Joel Harris for second. The veteran has not had The WNFR he's wanted so this was another crucial run for him.

Tricia Aldridge is staying hot with Adios and took first tonight in the barrel racing with her 13.64 second run. Wenda Johnson made a horse switch from Mo to Quince and took second tonight with her 13.68 second run. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell had another great run on Piper to take third with 13.76. There were several other horse changes with Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi switching to Sir, Emily Beisel switching to Liza, and Katelyn Scott riding Twiz instead of Peanut Seed who fell going around the first barrel the night before.

The bull riding got off to a bit of an anxiety provoking start with Hudson Bolton getting hung up after getting bucked off by Vitalix Smokin Hott (Cervi Championship Rodeo). The bullfighters immediately jumped in and took a shot protecting Bolton who was offered a re-ride on Guess Who (Championship Pro Rodeo), but was unable to capitalize on it to put him in the money. Rawley Johnson was next to ride and was knocked out mid-ride by Bad News (Smith Pro Rodeo) and was unconscious when he hit the ground. The Thomas and Mack went quiet for a few minutes while he was attended to by Justin Sports Med and the crowd signed relief once he was able to get to his feet and walk assisted out of the arena. He has a concussion, sore neck and right shoulder but Justin Sports Med did not send him to the hospital last night. He will be re-evaluated this morning.

TJ Gray took first again last night with an absolutely incredible 90.75 point ride on Doze You Down (Rafter Rodeo). This kid has been very impressive the last two rounds. Mason Moody took second on a nasty spinner of a bull with his 89.5 point ride on Peanut (Powder River Rodeo). Ky Hamilton beat out Stetson for third with great 88.5 point ride on Puckered Up (Dakota Rodeo). Wright had a solid 88 point ride on Jim Dandy (New Frontier Rodeo) and although he says he isn't injured, he could be seen limping a bit out of the arena after his ride.