As the 2018 Professional Bull Riders 25th Anniversary begins its final two weekends of action here in Las Vegas the focus is on what would happen off the famous strip at the beautiful South Point Hotel and Casino. Before we could finalize the entire roster for the main event beginning later this week at the T-Mobile Arena there was still a ton of unfinished business to attend to at the Velocity Tour Finals. Many of the cowboys that are dangerously close to the bubble spots along with several others making a last-ditch effort to head across town looked to make these last two days something memorable that you would not want to miss.
As the fans began making their way towards Sin City many would settle into their hotels quickly and make their way across town to watch the action for themselves as one of the best seasons we have seen in recent memory begins to take shape. There have been many fan-favorite bull riders that have not had the best year and had to come to Las Vegas early to try and secure their spot at the 2018 PBR World Finals which made the Velocity Tour Finals have the feeling of the big show that has yet to happen on the Las Vegas Strip!
Chase Outlaw Continues His Historic Season Comeback
Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media
Once the action started last night, you could tell that everyone came into the South Point Hotel and Casino with guns blazing trying to do what they needed to be able to head across town later this week. In round one there were twelve qualified rides that would give top honors to the one and only Chase Outlaw after a solid 88.50 point ride that left the fans wondering what they would see on night number two. That being said, in round two, there were another ten rides that would make it to the eight-second buzzer that would be topped off by a stellar 88.50 point ride put up by Travis Maguire that would send him to the championship round. In the championship round, there would be two of the ten riders that would earn another score which would ultimately give Chase Outlaw the overall Velocity Tour Finals event title!
Overall here this weekend, there were a few that made the most out of the final two-day event that would close out the season other than the World Finals event later this week which each and every one of these guys here were trying to make on a last minute basis. One man that has come back from a severe injury just this last July has been on a terror since joining the tour once again back in Milwaukee just over a month ago. Arkansas’ Chase Outlaw has been on a terror and came into this weekend’s Velocity Tour Finals and continued that trend here securing his spot at the T-Mobile Arena after ending the weekend here two-for-three earning another 320 world title race points that would move him to the number 31 spot in the world standings.
Alisson De Souza Takes Home The Velocity World Title
Photo Credit: Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media
Even though the main focus of this weekend’s event was that of who would make it to the World Finals and how the world standings race would look there was still another huge title that was up for grabs which was one of the closest races that we have seen in recent memory. Everyone would forget about the Velocity Tour World Title and the underlying race that was playing out all the way to the bitter end and the very last ride of the night here on a Saturday night live. As the weekend began, the race was absolutely wide open in which any one of the top ten could have a legitimate chance to leave Las Vegas with that very title and walk out with the swagger of a World Champion. When the action began this race was down to the current tour leader Michael Lane and all the young guns chasing him who all put out outstanding efforts here this weekend. We would have to wait until the bitter end to find out the answer to the burning question of who would be holding a Velocity Tour season champion Montana Silversmith belt buckle in their hands.
No matter what, when or where things happen, no one can come into an event feeling safe and think they have anything locked up and that they are safe which we proved here just a few short minutes ago. Coming into the championship round at the 2018 Velocity Tour Finals the young Michael Lane looked unstoppable and looked to secure his first ever Professional Bull Riders tour championship but there were many other guys within striking distance that had something to say about that outcome. Once things were all said and done, there was a lot of juggling and the talented Brazilian Alisson De Souza ending up on top while the hard charging Chase Outlaw took home the number two spot in the final Velocity Tour standings after an outstanding effort here at the South Point Hotel and Casino Equestrian Arena!
From the very first moment that the bulls were let out in the arena in round one to the final bull ride of the 2018 Velocity Tour Finals Championship Round, we were all left erasing everything that we had written down as we continued to determine who would be making the trek over to the T-Mobile Arena and who would have to pay for an early plane ticket home to reignite the fire for the upcoming 2019 season. After all the calculations were completed and double and triple checked, we could finally determine what everyone was waiting for inside of the South Point Hotel and Casino Equestrian Arena. As everyone was watching the video board in anticipation, the names of the big movers throughout the weekend began to be displayed which, in turn, made those fans that waited for this moment cheer in excitement and cry in despair all at the same time.
Coming into this weekend’s Velocity Tour Finals there were still many unanswered questions as to who would leave the South Point Hotel and Casino with an invitation to the 2018 PBR World Finals and who would come up just short. It took until the last ride was completed to finally figure out how everything would play out and what the final roster would look like as we pack up and head down to the Las Vegas Strip beginning on Wednesday night. That being said, there were way too many position changes and jockeying around that we would be here all night explaining things so I have included the direct link to the world standings HERE so that you can take a look for yourself. Keep up with all the latest information and breaking news by following our Rodeo Round Up coverage from Sin City over the next eight days!
Now that the action has concluded and all the anticipation has come to an end, there would be some cowboys that would leave the South Point Hotel and Casino feeling like they were on top of the world while others would leave with their heads hanging low and walking out looking like they had just gone ten rounds in a heavyweight boxing match. This weekend was the absolute last chance to make the top thirty-five in the world standings that would give them an invite into the 2018 PBR World Finals that begin Wednesday night. The Rodeo Round Up team will bring you nightly coverage from Las Vegas to keep you up to speed on all the races, late-breaking news and any other happenings that require our attention so stay tuned throughout the week for your full 2018 PBR World Finals coverage!
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