With less than a week remaining before Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo this Friday, May 16, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the 16-athlete roster for the Free Riders was announced today.
Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo is team-formatted rodeo infused with contemporary music. The reimagined rodeo features a team format with six teams competing in bracket-style competition featuring Kid Rock live in concert.
The Free Riders, under the leadership of four-time PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) world champion bareback rider Bobby Mote and Women’s Rodeo World Championship Commissioner Linsay Rosser-Sumpter, was the lone team formed independent of the Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo Draft held this past November. The Free Riders were fielded based on the WCRA’s (World Champion Rodeo Alliance) rodeo in Corpus Christi, Texas, Rodeo Corpus Christi, which concluded on May 10. The Top 2 athletes in each discipline not already drafted to one of the other five teams earned a chance to ride for the Free Riders.
At the first-ever Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo last May, the Free Riders rode lights out, winning three gold medals in Round 1 before cementing their title as champions by winning four of the disciplines in the championship round.
The talent-packed 16-athlete roster holds two National Finals Rodeo (NFR) aggregate wins, and 17 NFR qualifications, and has amassed more than $4.5 million in career earnings:
- Bareback Riding: Quintonn Lunsford (McCune, Kansas) and Roedy Farrell (Thermopolis, Wyoming)
- Barrel Racing: Jordan Driver (Garden City, Texas) and Kappie Bryant (Stephenville, Texas)
- Breakaway Roping: Kieley Walz (Ainsworth, Nebraska) and Taylor Raupe (Douglas, Kansas)
- Saddle Bronc Riding: Bailey Small (Fall River Mills, California) and Cole Elshere (Faith, South Dakota)
- Steer Wrestling: Chase Crane (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) and Levi Rudd (Chelsea, Oklahoma)
- Team Roping: Andrew Ward (Header | Edmond, Oklahoma)/Trey Johnson (Heeler | Weatherford, Texas) and Jeff Flenniken (Header | Caldwell, Idaho)/Buddy Hawkins (Stephenville, Texas)
- Tie Down Roping: Dalton Porch (Kadoka, South Dakota) and Jarvis Demery (Beggs, Oklahoma)
Driver (barrel racing), Elshere (saddle bronc), Crane (steer wrestling) and Ward (team roping header) are all ready to compete on May 16 inside the home of Dallas Cowboys in an exciting head-to-head “drag race”-style format fresh off being crowned Rodeo Corpus Christi event winners.
Walz (breakaway roping), Elshere (saddle bronc riding), Rudd (steer wrestling) and Demery (tie down roping) all return from the 2024 title winning Free Riders team. Walz notably won a gold medal for the Free Riders during their championship round showdown against Misty Mountain Hop.
Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo begins at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, May 16. Following the revolutionary team-based rodeo, the PBR World Finals concludes with the Championship when the 2025 PBR World Champion will be crowned and presented the coveted gold buckle and $1 million bonus. The 2025 PBR World Finals – Championship begins on Saturday, May 17 at 7:45 p.m. CT and concludes on Sunday, May 18 at 1:45 p.m. CT.
Cole Hauser’s Ultimate Tailgate will take over AT&T Stadium’s East Plaza from May 16-18, kicking off the festivities prior to Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, presented by $VET, at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, May 16 and the PBR World Finals – Championship at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 17 and 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, May 18. Yellowstone’s Hauser will make daily appearances at his Ultimate Tailgate, including hosting the fan-favorite Rider Arrival Show on May 17 at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Tickets for Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo and the PBR World Finals – Championship are still available and can be purchased online at ATTStadium.com, SeatGeek.com and PBRWorldFinals.com, or by phone at 1-800-732-1727.
For more information about the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast and Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, and to see the complete event schedule, visit PBRWorldFinals.com.
Stay tuned to PBR.com for the latest news and results and be sure to follow the sport on all social media platforms at @PBR.
