Velocity Tour Finals features top riders from PRCA, PBR

Bull riding fans long have been waiting to see the best from the PRCA against the best from the PBR.

This weekend, they will finally have their chance.

The Velocity Tour Finals, scheduled for Saturday through Monday at South Point Arena, will feature both, as well as younger riders hoping to work their way into the World Finals. Competition begins at 7 p.m. each day.

“It’s not a specific or staged matchup between them, but it just so happens that we have three of the recent PRCA champions competing against PBR’s best,” PBR CEO Sean Gleason said. “The fans of rodeo and bull riding have consistently asked for an opportunity to see the PRCA’s best that compete at the National Finals Rodeo compete against PBR’s best that compete at the World Finals, and just by happenstance, it’s happening.”

The Velocity Tour is PBR’s developmental league, but many of the PBR’s top riders will compete at South Point before the Finals, which begin Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.

PBR standings leader Derek Kolbaba will compete in the Velocity Tour Finals, as will Jess Lockwood, who is fifth.

They will face off against Sage Kimzey, the defending three-time NFR World Champion, Cody Teel, who won an NFR title in 2012 and is 11th in the PBR World Standings, and J.W. Harris, the 2013 NFR winner.

Five competitors from the Velocity Tour will be eligible to compete in the World Finals. The competition could have a major influence on the standings entering the World Finals.

Six riders from eighth to 15th place in the world standings will compete, and with a strong showing at the Velocity Tour Finals, they could put themselves in contention for the PBR World Champion title.

“I think there are eight of the top 16 riders in the PBR World Standings that are competing in this event, and they compete all season long in a points race, and there’s up to 520 points available at this event, so those eight riders that have chosen to compete at this event have the opportunity to go into the World Finals in a much improved position from where they currently are,” Gleason said.

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.