WITH TWO WINS IN OKLAHOMA CITY, CAROLINA COWBOYS MOVE UP TO NO. 5 IN PBR TEAMS STANDINGS
Defending Champion Carolina Cowboys Hand Last Undefeated Team, Texas Rattlers, First Loss of Season on Opening Night of Wildcatter Days
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Carolina Cowboys earned a pair of wins in Oklahoma City, Okla. during Wildcatter Days presented by zone Premium Nicotine Pouches, rising four spots in the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Teams standings to the No. 5 slot.
Thiago Salgado (Naviraí, Brazil) enjoyed a perfect 3-for-3 performance over the weekend, rising to No. 4 in the PBR Teams MVP race with 266.45 points, only three points behind the top spot. Salgado joined Carolina from the Florida Freedom over the offseason and is now riding alongside his brother Adriano Salgado (Batatais, São Paulo, Brazil) who helped the squad win the 2025 PBR Teams Championship.
Carolina went 5-for-15 in qualified rides in Oklahoma City.
The defending Teams Champion Cowboys only needed one ride to shut out the Texas Rattlers (4-1) Friday night, taking down the league’s last undefeated team. Thiago Salgado was bucked off Purple Rain in the first out of the game, but took advantage of his re-ride opportunity, besting Dirty Honey for 89.05 points, ultimately sealing the victory for Carolina.
On Saturday night, the Austin Gamblers (2-3) outrode the Cowboys by one ride in a 178.75-89 victory as Carolina was unable to convert on three re-ride attempts. After Salgado put Carolina ahead on the game’s first out with 89 points atop Humdinger, three-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) knocked down a monster 91.15-point ride on Oyster Creek Brawler for Austin. On a late re-ride attempt, Austin’s Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) extended the advantage by 89.75 points with an 87.6-point ride on Smooth Violation.
On Sunday, powered by big scores from brothers Thiago and Adriano Salgado and a clutch ride from Jake Lockwood (Volborg, Mont.) replacing his brother in the lineup, the Cowboys rode three bulls, shutting out the New York Mavericks (0-5) 267.45-0. Thiago Salgado bested Rhino USA Mouse Trap for 88.4 points in the first to give Carolina the lead before his brother Adriano backed him up with 88.65 points against Show Me The Money. Heading into the bottom of the fourth knowing the game was already sealed, Carolina’s Lockwood, called in to Oklahoma City to complete the team’s starting lineup, rode Holy Shift for 90.4 points to record his first ride score in a PBR out since 2020.
“(Head coach) Jerome [Davis] gave him the late call last night and needed him to come in and that’s what we need him to do. Come in and be 90, like we know he’s capable of,” said Jake’s brother and two-time PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood. “He showed right there why he’s on this team and why he’s one of the best riders on the team.”
The Cowboys return to action at Freedom Days presented by Breedlove Wound Care at Amerant Bank Arena Aug. 7-9 in Sunrise, Fla., where they will face the Arizona Ridge Riders (2-3, Aug. 7), Oklahoma Wildcatters (2-3, Aug. 8) and home team Florida Freedom (3-2, Aug. 9).
The Cowboys will host their annual homestand, PBR Cowboy Days, on Sept. 18-20 at First Horizon Coliseum.
The bull riding action for the 2026 PBR Team Series’ Cowboy Days at First Horizon Coliseum begins at 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 18, 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 19, and 1:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 20.
For more information on Carolina Cowboys, and for updates on the upcoming PBR Cowboy Days, visit https://pbr.com/teams/carolina-cowboys, Carolina Cowboys on Facebook, @carolinacowboyspbr on Instagram, or @CARCowboysPBR on Twitter. Go behind the scenes for the Carolina Cowboys’ championship season with exclusive long form video content on the Carolina Cowboys’ YouTube channel @CarolinaCowboys.
About the Carolina Cowboys:
The Carolina Cowboys, 2025 PBR Teams Champions, are based at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., where the team will hold its fifth Cowboy Days homestand Sept. 18-20, 2026. The Cowboys are coached by PBR co-founder Jerome Davis and assistant coach Robson Palermo, a three-time PBR Teams Series World Champion. Under the leadership of General Manager Austin Dillon, the 2018 Daytona 500 Champion, the team is owned by 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Richard Childress and prominent entrepreneurs and agriculturalists Jeff and Tammie Broin. From a one-man team in 1969, Richard Childress grew Richard Childress Racing (RCR) into one of the most-respected organizations in NASCAR, with nearly 400 team members supporting full-time operations in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. As a car owner, Childress has earned more than 200 victories in NASCAR’s top three national series, 17 championships, three Daytona 500 championships and three Brickyard 400 championships. Away from the track, Childress is a businessman, philanthropist and conservationist – he loves wine, the outdoors, supporting the military, and investing in America’s youth. Childress’ properties include the award-winning Childress Vineyards. He sits on the board of directors of Growth Energy and holds an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Northwestern Ohio. Entrepreneur and agriculturalist Broin is the founder and CEO of bioprocessing giant POET, the world’s largest biofuel producer. Broin and RCR have a longstanding partnership through NASCAR and worked together to upgrade the league to 15% bioethanol.
About PBR Teams:
PBR Teams is an elite league featuring the world’s top bull riders competing on teams in five-on-five games leading to a Team Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. During the 2026 season, the league’s fifth, each of the 10 teams – Arizona Ridge Riders of Glendale, AZ; Austin Gamblers of Austin, TX; Carolina Cowboys of Greensboro, NC; Florida Freedom of Sunrise, FL; Kansas City Outlaws of Kansas City, MO; Nashville Stampede of Nashville, TN; New York Mavericks of Belmont Park, NY; Oklahoma Wildcatters of Oklahoma City, OK; Missouri Thunder of Ridgedale, MO; and Texas Rattlers of Fort Worth, TX – will host a three-day homestand. Neutral-site games in Anaheim, CA and Fort Collins, CO are part of the 2026 season as well.
PBR Teams, launched in July 2022, builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. In events staged in a tournament-style format, all teams compete in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent each day. Each game features five riders per team squaring off against another team. Full team rosters are comprised of seven riders on the Protected Roster and three Reserve Roster riders. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders is declared the winner of each game.
PBR is part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
Courtesy of Taylor Riemersma
Manager, Public Relations, PBR
ARIZONA RIDGE RIDERS TAKE TOP SPOT IN PBR TEAMS STANDINGS AFTER DOMINANT WIN OVER AUSTIN GAMBLERS
Defending Champion Carolina Cowboys Hand Last Undefeated Team, Texas Rattlers, First Loss of Season, While the Florida Freedom and Nashville Stampede Each Record Dramatic Walk Off Wins
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The first night of Wildcatter Days presented by zone Premium Nicotine Pouches was electric as the 2026 PBR Teams standings shook up once again with the Arizona Ridge Riders (2-1) prevailing on top at Paycom Center Friday night.
Arizona stole the show as they dominated the 2024 PBR Teams Champion Austin Gamblers (1-2) three rides to one in a 261.7-87.35 victory Friday night. Three-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) put Austin ahead in the second frame – ultimately the squad’s lone score. Arizona’s Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) bested Sagebrush in the second frame as well for 85.65 points before Everton Natan da Silva (Viradouro, Brazil) lasted the full eight on Side Hustle for 87.55 points in the team’s next ride. In the Ridge Riders’ fourth frame, Murilo Henrique de Oliveira (Pereira Barreto, Brazil) clinched the victory with 88.5 points on Lever Action.
Defending Teams Champion Carolina Cowboys (2-1) only needed one ride to shut out the Texas Rattlers (2-1), taking down the league’s last undefeated team. Thiago Salgado (Naviraí, Brazil), new to Carolina from the Florida Freedom, was bucked off Purple Rain in the first out of the game, but took advantage of his re-ride opportunity, besting Dirty Honey for 89.05 points. The Cowboys moved to No. 6 in the standings through three games.
The Nashville Stampede (2-1) spoiled the opening night of the Oklahoma Wildcatters’ (1-2) homestand and Head Coach Greg Rhodes’ home debut with a 176.9-91.2 walk-off performance. Rogério Venâncio (Paranaita, Brazil) put Nashville on the board with an 88.85-point ride on CID’s Kid. The Wildcatters bounced back as Kaiden Loud (Kaufman, Texas) went for 91.2 points on Cookie – the second-best score of his premier series career and best within Teams action. On a re-ride attempt, Riquelmi Silva (Bom Jesus do Araguaia, Brazil) delivered the final blow with an 88.05-point ride on Smooth Violation to lift Nashville on top.
After the Kansas City Outlaws went ahead of the Florida Freedom in the bottom of the fifth when Eric Henrique Domingos (Pérola, Brazil) recorded a big 89.15-point ride on Milestone, Ethan Winckler (Winnie, Texas) knocked down a career-best 90.45-point ride on Lights Out on a re-ride opportunity on the game’s last out to lift the Freedom (2-1) over the Outlaws (1-2) 179.4-89.15. Winckler’s clutch ride added to the 88.95-point outing by Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) on Show Me The Money in the second.
In the closest game of the night, the Missouri Thunder (2-1) opened Wildcatter Days by edging the New York Mavericks (0-3) 180.95-178.15. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (Colorado, Brazil) posted 91 points against Tigger in the very first ride of the night to electrify the crowd. Later, in the third frame, the Thunder’s Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveira, Brazil) added 89.95 additional points on Getcha Some. João Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil) earned an 88.85-point ride on Woody for New York while his teammate Mauricio Gulla Moreira (Gavião Peixoto, Brazil) tallied 89.3 points on Desert Wind.
The second day of Wildcatter Days presented by zone Premium Nicotine Pouches at Paycom Center resumes Saturday, Aug. 1 at 6:45 p.m. CT. Saturday’s first three games can be caught LIVE on The CW while the latter two, the “Games of the Week,” will air at 11 a.m. CT on CBS Sunday morning.
PBR Teams Season Standings:
Here are the current Teams standings for the regular season after the first day of competition in Oklahoma City, Okla.:
Rank
Team
Record
Points
1.
Arizona Ridge Riders
2-1
787.65
2.
Florida Freedom
2-1
713.80
3.
Missouri Thunder
2-1
533.20
4.
Texas Rattlers
2-1
531.00
5.
Nashville Stampede
2-1
529.05
6.
Carolina Cowboys
2-1
265.60
7.
Austin Gamblers
1-2
608.40
8.
Kansas City Outlaws
1-2
441.65
9.
Oklahoma Wildcatters
1-2
440.80
10.
New York Mavericks
0-3
526.0
Taylor Riemersma
Manager, Public Relations, PBR