NFR Insider Insights and Random Thoughts

I’ve been working on bios of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Contestants. I learn new things and rehash old information and the research I put into it usually results in relevant information. I’ve also been blessed with a curious mind and am not afraid to ask questions. On that note, here is some information about the upcoming NFR that is a product of that research and asking questions. I hope you enjoy. 

There are 120 contestants at the 2024 NFR. This is the first time since 2020 that we haven’t had a contestant – namely Stetson Wright – qualify in two events resulting in 119. 

The 2023 world champions returning to defend their titles are bareback rider Keenan Hayes; steer wrestler, Tyler Waguespack; team ropers, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp; saddle bronc rider, Zeke Thurston; and tie-down roper, Riley Webb. We will be missing Stetson Wright who was the all-around champion, Ky Hamilton who won the bull riding and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi who won the barrel racing. 

The tightest race before the competition starts in the Thomas & Mack Center is in the team roping on the heeling end. Levi Lord is at the top of the list with $201,008. Paul Eaves came in at 15 with $108,912. They are separated by $92,096, less than three round wins or one round and the average. 

The biggest gap in the regular season world standings is in the tie-down roping. Shad Mayfield has 286,347. Quade Hiatt qualified in 15^th with $101,980 and is $184,367 behind Shad. 

Qualifying for the NFR the first time only happens once and there are a bunch of great rookies this year. The barrel racing and bull riding each have five newcomers. Tie-down roping has four and all of the other events have three. 

We will have a first-time world champion bull rider this year. None of the qualifiers have earned a gold buckle yet. Josh Frost has come the closest, finishing as the reserve champion for the last three years. 

There are more gold buckles represented in the team roping heeling category than any other event at eight. Wesley Thorp (reigning), Junior Nogueira, Kollin VonAhn, and Paul Eaves each have won it twice. 

There are three world champions competing in steer wrestling, Ty Erickson, Tyler Pearson and Tyler Waguespack (reigning). Ty got his gold buckle in 2019 and Pearson won it in 2017. Tyler Waguespack came back from injury to qualify in 14^th this year. He is working towards his sixth gold buckle. 

Shad Mayfield, who leads the tie-down roping, is one of five world champions. Shad got his buckle in 2020. The list also includes Riley Webb (reigning), Haven Meged, Shane Hanchey and Tuf Cooper who won it three times.

In the heading, there are four men representing six world titles. Tyler Wade (reigning), Kaleb Driggers, Clay Smith and Erich Rogers all have gold buckles. Driggers and Smith have won two. 

Zeke Thurston has dominated the saddle bronc riding the past two years and left Las Vegas with his third and fourth gold buckles. Ryder Wright has two world titles and wants to be the first of his family to earn a third in their signature event. 

The bareback riding has reigning world champion Keenan Hayes in second place. Jess Pope who got his gold buckle in 2022 starts in sixth. 

Stock contractors are constantly watching their animals to see who might be showcased in the bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding at the NFR. They nominate their animals by September 5 and then those animals go through a selection process. There are 105 bareback and saddle bronc horses along with 100 bulls for the 10 nights of action. 

Those animals, as well as timed-event stock spend their days in pens on the intramural field, adjacent to the Thomas & Mack Center. That field is the first place that starts transforming on November 8.

To change the Thomas & Mack Center into NFR central, it takes a lot of manpower, dirt and panels. Setting up the pens on the field and for the alleyways and arena requires 13 semi loads of Priefert Livestock panels and gates. It takes about 1,350 of those and if they were stretched end to end, it would be more than three miles. 

Temporary stalls are provided for the many saddle horses required for the event, including those belonging to the contestants. Those 240 stalls are placed on dirt that is hauled in and are under tents protecting horses from the elements. 

It takes more than 2,000 tons of dirt for the arena, the stalls, the warm-up pen and alley. That’s about 140 large dump truck loads. 

The contestant with the most experience in the Thomas & Mack Center at this year’s NFR is barrel racer Lisa Lockhart. She is making her 18^th appearance. When she runs down the alley on December 5 this year, it will be her 171^st run in the Thomas & Mack. Add in 10 from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas in 2020 and after her 10 runs this year, she is closing in on 200 runs and 20 NFR qualifications. Sherry Cervi has 19 qualifications. 

Imagine being 21 years old and about to head to Las Vegas for your 22^nd NFR. That’s what Statler Wright is doing. He was born in September of 2003. That December, his father Cody Wright qualified for his first of 13 NFRs. When Cody wasn’t there, some of Statler’s uncles and his brothers were. This year, he’s moving from spectator to competitor for the very first time joining his older brother, Ryder. 

There are former National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) titlists in all of the events except the heading. Last June, bareback rider Weston Timberman won his second title for Clarendon (Texas) College. Heeler Kaden Profili won for Texas A&M – Commerce and Wacey Shalla got titles for Clarendon College. They have each qualified for their first NFR.

Other former college champions competing are – 

Bareback: R.C. Landingham, Blue Mountain Community College, 2009; Cole Franks, Clarendon College, 2021. 

Steer Wrestling: J.D. Struxness, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 2016

Heeling: Kollin VonAhn, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2005; Logan Medlin, Eastern New Mexico University, 2013 & 2014; Wesley Thorp, Ranger College, 2016 & 2017. 

Saddle Bronc Riding: Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, 2016; Damian Brennan, Western Texas College, tied in 2023.

Tie-Down Roping: Ty Harris, Cisco College, 2018; Haven Meged, Tarleton State University, 2019; Kincade Henry, Texas A&M University – Commerce, 2022 & 2023. Quade Hiatt won the all-around in 2023. 

Tristan Hutchings is the bull rider with the most success in college rodeo, possibly in history. He won the title in 2021, was the reserve champ in 2022 and came back to win it again in 2023, all for Sul Ross State University at Alpine, Texas.

In 2023, Wacey Shalla won the National High School Finals Rodeo bull riding and all-around championships. He did the same last June at the College National Finals Rodeo and now has qualified for his first NFR in bull riding. 

Other former high school rodeo champions competing in the Thomas & Mack are bareback riders Keenan Hayes and Jess Pope; steer wrestlers Cash Robb and Tucker Allen; Ryder and Statler Wright as well as Sage Newman in saddle bronc; Shad Mayfield, Riley Webb, and Cole Clemens in the tie-down roping. Kassie Mowry won the high school title in 2003 and is the only NFR barrel racer to also have that title. 

Once again the family connections have trees with roots that run deep at the NFR. Along with brothers Ryder and Statler Wright, there is Jake and Clay Smith. Clay is making his 10^th consecutive appearance in the heading while Jake, who is two years younger, will be there for the first time. Saddle bronc rider Lefty Holman will be joined by his brother-in-law and bull rider Clayton Sellars who is married to Lefty’s sister. Steer wrestler Dakota Eldridge is an uncle by marriage and Dawson Hay also married into the family. 

It’s been exactly 10 years since Carlee Otero made a barrel racing run in Las Vegas. And, things have changed for her in those 10 years, including her name. She married tie-down roper Michael Otero who competed in Las Vegas in 2019. They have expanded their family, adding boys in 2017 and 2019. She also became a grandmother and has been selling real estate in Texas. She never quit barrel racing and when she got another horse that she felt could get her to the NFR, she never looked back. She is starting the competition in 14^th place and has made the biggest return at this year’s NFR. 

Richmond Champion is the bareback rider with the most qualifications at nine. In the tie-down roping, Tuf Cooper has 16 and Shane Hanchey is next at 15. Not only is Zeke Thurston at the top of the gold buckle list, he also tops the saddle bronc qualification at 10. In the team roping, header Luke Brown and heeler Travis Graves each have 15. These two veterans will be fun to watch. Dakota Eldridge will run his 111^th steer on December 5^th. He has qualified 11 times and of his previous 110 runs, he has only had two no-times. Tyler Waguespack has 10 consecutive qualifications, and his consistency has paid off in gold. The five-time world champion has only had three no-times in his NFR competition.