Wells adds another round check at NFR

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – There are a lot of rodeos throughout the year where an 84-point saddle bronc ride will win the title.

That’s rarely the case at the National Finals Rodeo.

Brody Wells of Powell, Wyoming, has ridden strong at his first championship. He matched moves with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Uptuck for 84 points to finish sixth in Thursday’s eighth go-round. That was worth $5,433 and helped him increase his NFR earnings to $93,403.

It also marked the fourth time in eight nights that he’s earned a payday in Las Vegas. He won the second round and shared the Round 5 victory with two-time world champion Ryder Wright.

Wells – who was part of two intercollegiate men’s team titles at Clarendon College in 2021 and Tarleton State University in 2022 – is 10^th in the saddle bronc riding world standings with just shy of $230,000. He has moved up two spots to 10^th in the world standings.

Oh, and he still has two nights remaining on his 2024 campaign.

Wells had some big victories through the regular season, which helped him earn a spot in this exclusive field. Only the top 15 contestants in each event earn the right to compete at the NFR, which features the biggest purse of any rodeo in a given year.

This has also been a big learning experience for Wells. He spent more time on the rodeo trail this year, and it paid off. He’d finished the previous two seasons 35^th on the money list. Where he will wind up this campaign will be decided when the curtain draw to a close Saturday night.