The PBR UTB Tour’s regular season comes to a close this weekend at stop No. 18 in Tacoma, Washington.

It’s the last chance for a handful of riders to avoid the cut line and make the World Finals. Simultaneously, the rest of the Tour will be fighting tooth and nail for positioning heading into the two-weekend Finals in May.

Friday Night will also feature the Team Challenge Championship between the Austin Gamblers and the Missouri Thunder.

Top 5 Report

1. John Crimber, 964.5 Points

After extending his lead on the tour to over 220 points in Sioux Falls, Crimber came back in Billings and extended his lead even more.

He was 2-for-3 and covered Fire Zone for a 2026 Tour-best 93.95-point ride round win in Billings’ Short Round.

Crimber has won five of the last seven rounds of UTB action and has passed Sage Kimzey for the most round wins on Tour this season.

Crimber has shown he is all in for that World Title, and isn’t expected to take it easy this week, where he starts off facing Level Up, a bull that has been ridden just once in its 13 outs, averaging a 43.73 Bull Score.

2. Brady Fielder, 717 Points

Fielder won his third event of the season last week in Billings, tying Sage Kimzey for most event wins this season.

He won sealed it with his best ride of the season, covering Nobody for 92.4 points in the Championship Round.

He enters Tacoma having ridden three in a row will have a chance to extend that streak atop the unridden 19-0 Sucker Punch Friday night.

Sucker Punch was 44.5 in his only UTB out of 2026 last week in Billings, bucking off Callum Miller.

3. Sage Kimzey, 687 Points

Kimzey is taking the weekend off as he prepares for the World Finals.

He had his fifth consecutive weekend without riding multiple bulls in Billings, only covering Slim Pickens for 87.1. He’s ridden just three of his last 12 bulls.

A break might be just what Kimzey needs to reset before preparing his World Final push for a Golden Buckle.

4. Leandro Zampollo, 608.5 Points

Like Kimzey, Zampollo is taking this weekend off to rehab his groin injury and prepare for the World Finals.

Zampollo will end his regular season without an event win, but has put together an exceptional 2026 effort. Most impressively, Zampollo rode 7-of-8 Short Round bulls this season. No one else on tour has more than four qualified rides.

5. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 512 Points

Rossetto has ridden just one of his last six bulls, that ride coming in last week’s First Round when he was 89.15 on Dirty Honey, and that lone score got him into his 10th Short Round of the season.

He hung on to his fifth place spot, currently leading No. 6 Dalton Kasel by just 5.5 points. Kasel is taking the weekend off. No. 7 Alex Cerqueira isn’t, and he is just 9.5 points behind Rossetto.

In addition to trying to hold his place in the World Standings, Rossetto will also be representing his Missouri Thunder in the Team Challenge Championship. Rosseto is responsible for three of the Thunder’s five qualified rides this season, and will be taking on Real Deal, who’s been ridden in 10 of its 25 outs.

Team Challenge Championship

The 2026 Team Challenge season comes to a close on Friday, with the Team Challenge Championship between the Austin Gamblers and Missouri Thunder.

This matchup is a tale of two very different teams. The Austin Gmablers scored a league-high 691.75 in the regular season while the Thunder scored a third-worst 349.9 points.

The Missouri Thunder were undefeated, however, winning all of their games with just a single qualified ride. It’ll be tough to bank on that happening again, though, as the Gamblers produced a league-high 12 qualified rides through their five games.

Notably, the Gamblers will be without stars Sage Kimzey and Dalton Kasel as they prepare for their World Championship campaigns. The Thunder will be without Maverick Smith and Felipe Furlan.

Paulo Eduardo Rossetto is the veteran in a Thunder lineup that also includes Macaulie Leather, Mason Taylor and Julio Cesar Marques. The Gamblers, on the other hand, will look for a spark from Callum Miller, Dener Barbosa, and Lucas Divino.

On The Rise

Claudio Montanha Jr.

The 36-year-old Brazilian has completely turned his season around since PBR Albuquerque. He’s covered eight of his last 10 bulls, including two 90+ rides, one being for a career-high 91.15 in Billings last week. He’s worked his way up the standings into 10th, where he’s tied with Marco Rizzo and Keyshawn Whitehorse at 405 points each.

Bob Mitchell

Bob Mitchell had his best event of the season in Billings last week, covering all three of his bulls and finishing second.

In the Short Round, Mitchell covered Tigger for 91.15 points. It’s his best ride of the season.

This Friday, he takes on 18-7 Sunrise, a rideable bull, but Mitchell will have to earn it, as he averages a 42.46 Bull Score. However, Mitchell has covered eight of his last 10 bulls and has charged up the rankings to 14th. He has 396 UTB Points, just nine points away from 10th place.

Cut Line

Veteran João Ricardo Vieira currently sits on the World Finals cut line in 40th place with 92.5 UTB Points. Ricardo Vieira has been to every World Finals since 2013.

He’s 19.5 points behind 36th-place Manoelito de Souza Junior and 14.5 points ahead of 43rd-place Andy Guzman.

Others fighting to secure qualification are No. 41 Mauricio Gulla Moreira, No. 39 Trace Redd, and No. 37 Dener Barbosa.

Matchups to Watch

Julio Cesar Marques v Kinky Brahmer: The final matchup in the Team Challenge championship could be an exceptional one, as Julio Cesar Marques takes on undefeated Kinky Brahmer.

Riding for the Thunder, Cesar Marques will bring some much-needed experience. But, he’ll have a tough go against a bull that just had a career-high Bull Score of 44.15 points a week ago.

In what could be a make-or-break ride for the Thunder, Cesar Marques needs to come in clutch.

Jess Lockwood v Apple Juicing

Two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood had an incredible weekend in Billings, totaling 180.35 Aggregate Points on two rides, with a season-best 91.9 winning the Second Round. It was his fourth-round winning ride in just nine total qualified season rides.

He could get his fifth atop Apple Juicing, a bull that has been ridden just once in 13 UTB outs.