When the dust settled in Bismarck, North Dakota, for the inaugural preseason event for the groundbreaking PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series – a new league of eight bull riding teams from across the country competing for a national championship – the Nashville Stampede (1-1) finished sixth. After being beat by the Kansas City Outlaws in their opening game (177-0), Nashville’s first-ever professional bull riding team returned with a vengeance on the second day of competition shutting out the Austin Gamblers 80-0. With Aaron Williams tapped torepresent the Nashville Stampede in the bonus round, he was unable to find success, bested by Sky Harbor (Wilks Ranch/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) in 1.84 seconds, positioning him seventh amongst the eight competing riders.
When the PBR Team Series preseason continues June 24-25 in Tryon, North Carolina, the Nashville Stampede will go head-to-head against the Arizona Ridge Riders and Carolina Cowboys.
The Nashville Stampede are based at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, where they will host their inaugural homestand, Stampede Days, on Aug. 19-21. For more information about Nashville Stampede, visit pbr.com/teams/stampede/, Nashville Stampede on Facebook, @NashvilleStampede on Instagram, or @Nash_Stampede on Twitter.
1. Kansas City Outlaws, 2-0-0-350.75 points
2. Carolina Cowboys, 2-0-0-606.75 points
3. Missouri Thunder, 1-1-0-522.50 points
4. Oklahoma Freedom, 1-1-0-347.75 points
5. Texas Rattlers, 1-1-0-257.50 points
6. Nashville Stampede, 1-1-0-80 points
7. Arizona Ridge Riders, 0-2-0-83.75 points
8. Austin Gamblers, 0-2-0-172 points
Fernando Henrique Novais during the second round of the Bismarck PBR. Photo by Andy Watson / Bull Stock Media