3 things to watch at this year’s NFR in Las Vegas

The year coming to an end means the return of a longtime Las Vegas sports staple.

The National Finals Rodeo returns to the Thomas & Mack Center this week, with the first day of events Friday night.

There are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on, with tight title races and top riders looking to add to their legacies.

Here are three things to watch as the NFR gets underway:

1. All hail the king

If anyone is entering Las Vegas with no pressure, it’s Stetson Wright.

The four-time defending all-around world champion has a lead of more than $300,000 over second place and would become the fifth person to win five consecutive or more all-around titles since the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association was founded in 1929.

The 24-year-old cowboy is ranked No. 1 in saddle bronc riding and bull riding.

Wright has a lead of more than $110,000 over Ky Hamilton in the bull riding standings, but the title race is far from over. Wright took home $271,545 over 10 days of bull riding at last year’s NFR to finish the season with $592,144 and the title.

In saddle broncs, Wright has just a $4,000 lead over Sage Newman. Wright, the 2021 champ, finished fourth last year but has 15 solo saddle bronc wins this season and was co-champion at four other rodeos.

Wright has an opportunity to finish the season with more than $1.2 million in earnings.

2. Fresh faces

A pair of new faces are atop their respective title standings and can win their first world titles this month.

Twenty-year-old rookie Keenan Hayes is leading bareback riding, and 30-yard-old Dalton Massey is leading steer wrestling in his first NFR trip.

Hayes has a lead of more than $100,000 in the bareback riding standings. He has won 16 rodeos and was a co-champion in a 17th. With all the money on the line in Las Vegas, second-place Clayton Biglow, who finished 11th last year, fellow rookie Kade Sonnier in third and three-time world champion Tim O’Connell in fourth are not out of it.

Massey is in a tighter race, with a lead of more than $30,000 over Jesse Brown. Massey has racked up seven wins after finishing 17th in the world standings last year and just missing out on a trip to last year’s NFR. Two-time defending world champ Tyler Waguespack is lurking in third.

3. Looking for more

Several competitors are seeking to add to their legacies with another world title. In team roping, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira are going for their third straight title, and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi is looking for her third barrel racing title, but first since 2009.

Driggers leads the headers by more than $5,000. In last year’s NFR, he doubled and then some the earnings he entered with to finish with $340,708.23 and his second straight title. Nogueira is second in the heeler standings, trailing Wesley Thorp by more than $12,000.

In her 16th NFR, Tonozzi has a strong lead of more than $100,000 in barrel racing. Jordon Briggs, the 2021 champion, is in second.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.