The 51st Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR/NFR) was filled with as much drama, injuries, excitement and nail biting action as one could get.

For ten nights, it was sold out crowds, records being broken and than shattered again.  Riders injured, and buckles awarded. Only to be repeated the following night.

Once the dust had settled and the points were tallied up, Trevor Brazile secured his seventh PRCA All-Around World Championship.  Which places Trevor in place in the rodeo history books, were others have rarely been.

Trevor’s win places him with rodeo legend Ty Murray’s, for the PRCA’s record for most all-around gold buckles, and it also etches his name in the history books as one of the greatest cowboys in the history of professional rodeo.  Ty and his wife singer Jewel were in the audience to watch the historic moment.

Speaking of rodeo legends in the audience: Roy “Super Looper” Cooper was there to watch his son Tuf Cooper as he won the Wrangler NFR average title.  Tuf rode his brother-in-law’s horse to do it.  His brother-in-law happens to be… Trevor Brazile

Five-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Billy Etbauer ended his 21st Wrangler NFR with a bang, by winning the 10th performance, with an 89-point ride on Three Hills Rodeo’s Ace’s Full. It extended Etbauer’s Wrangler NFR record of round victories to 51 and moved him to fifth place in the final world standings.

Another fan favorite for barrel racing is Canadian Lindsay Sears.  She was the 2008 World Champion who battled all week with Texan and 2007 World Champion Brittany Pozzi for the gold buckle. Sears finished fifth in the 10th round and dropped to a second-place finish in the Wrangler NFR average.  That wasn’t enough to propel her past Pozzi in the final standings.

The bull riding world title was actually decided the night before in Round 9, when J.W. Harris became the first back-to-back winner in bull riding, since Blue Stone in 2001 and 2002.

It is interesting thing to note that J.W. Harris, who suffered a broken right (riding) hand in the second round, is the first bull rider to win a world title without a qualified ride at the Wrangler NFR since Freckles Brown in 1962 and is the first titlist to earn a gold buckle without earning money at the national finals since Bill Nelson in 1971.

For all the NFR updates, check out www.thenfrlasvegas.com

The bulls are gone; the cowboys are healing their wounds.  Thus, the end of a long and wild week of events here in Las Vegas.

What was accurately billed as the tightest race in the sport’s history came down to the wire and the numbers.  The top two contenders are the best of friends, yet the very best competitors.

Kody Lostroh and JB Mauney gave the 17,000 fans in the Thomas and Mack Center every dime they paid for the tickets plus some as they entered the last round almost dead even for the top spot.  Each having to ride one of the toughest bulls in the world.

Although JB rode his bull for an amazing 93.75 ride and Kody was thrown off at 7.49 seconds; Kody took home the buckle and the title of 2009 Pro Bull Rider’s World Champion.

JB didn’t walk away empty handed.  He was the World Event Champion. He also goes home with a record that will stand the test of time.  Being the only PBR cowboy to ever ride all eight bulls at the World Finals.

Kody has been to the World Finals four times and placed in the top 5 three times.  JB has been runner up two years in a row.  So you can imagine what kind of emotions and tensions were on display.  Both men always showed the fans true professionalism and PBR bravery through all the battles.

If there is one round of this series you MUST watch again on TV, make sure it’s the final round.  It will have you on the edge of your seats.  Even knowing who won, its how it was won that will amaze you!

Our congratulations on the wins… You both earned them..

“All of the elements – from fan convenience to rider and bull logistics to production issues – just made sense,” said PBR Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Randy Bernard. “This is not only the most efficient approach, but it ensures that we can provide our fans with the best overall experience, whether they’re here in Las Vegas or watching at home.”

Day 2 at the PBR was definately Man vs Bull.  I think the bulls came out on top.  There were not many rides until later in the nite.  We saw alot of this…

It was shaping up to be a night for the bulls.  They were on top of their game, watching the action…

Chasing the cowboys…

And in general putting on a great show…

Here you can see they bull fighters were reduced to throwing their hats at the bulls in an effort to get them back in the pen.

Toward the end of the night we did see some incredible rides.

There was a grand total of 9 rides out of 44, with 4 of the 9 rides scoring 90 points or more.  JB Mauney continues to impress with a 91.25 point ride on Troubadour, but the big news from day 2 is Pete Farley.

Pete had the top ride of the night on Bones for 93.25 points winning round two.  

We are back for round three this afternoon, but I have to admit to being a little bit scared…

Anyone else think that bulls looking at me like I’m next?

There is a reason we look forward to PBR every year.  We show up at the media room about 2pm for the 6pm show.  We get to see all our old friends and just hang out and catch up for a couple of hours until the show starts.  When they finally take us down to the arena floor the excitement and energy can’t be matched by any drug other than the PBR!

This sport puts two athletes head to head.  The cowboy vs the bull.  Its no secret that I am usually rooting for the bull.  Bulls weigh in at 1700 to 2200 pounds and are worth anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000.

These majestic hunks are cared for just like any other professional athlete.  Each bull on the PBR tour receives 25-30 lbs of mixed grain a day, 20 lbs of alfalfa a day, a b-12 shot every two weeks, and they are only allowed to travel a maximum of 8 hours a day.

Last nite the bulls were on their game.  Lots of buck offs, chases, and just plain insanity.  Below Chris Shivers gets a re-ride when his bull Bad Blood decides to take a  break.

Its rare to see a bull of this caliber do this.  Unfortunately for Chris he failed at his re-ride attempt.  Another disapointment last night was Guilherme Marchi.  Guilherme is the 2008 PBR World Champion defending his title.  There is great speculation going into day 1 that he could be the first repeat world champion.  Guilherme drew the bull Monkey Blood for his first ride, and prompley hit the dirt.

Winner of day one was JB Mauney riding Chester for a 89.75 point ride.  Coming into the world finals JB is in third, but I put my money on him from day one.  This kid has his mental game really together this year and I am predicting he can take it.

We will have updates from round 2 in the morning.

The 2009 PBR World Finals is officially underway.  Tonight they had the kickoff down on the Fremont Street Experience (FSE) and the first round bulls were selected and matched to riders.

In a new format, they already drew the bulls for the first round and put them in order.  Than they had VIP’s and super fans draw a name of a rider from chips in the trophy. So the rider was matched up to the bull.

Also at tonight’s festivites was the world premiere of retired world champion Justin McBride’s new music video “Beer Drinking Songs”.  Justin’s strong suit is in bull riding that’s for sure, but he plays a mean guitar and his vocals aren’t too bad for a country boy!

The world finals also serves as a family reunion of sorts for media and supporters.  With several different challenges making up the PBR circuit, this seems to be the only time that all the riders and all the supporters are actually all gathered in one place at the same time.

So this is the calm before the storm.  Look for many more updates as the next week progresses.

We will be feeding  Twitter with frequent pictures and updates… or check out our dedicated PBR website  thepbrlasvegas.com for fresh updates and news stories.

Its almost time for the cowboys and bulls to duke it out to see who is best.   The Vegas Tourist covers the Professional Bull Riders finals every year and every year is better than the last.  PBR is our favorite event of the year.   Most people ask us why its our favorite, and its always a different answer.  Can’t go wrong with big buff cowboys in tight wranglers, you just can’t.  Then there are the bulls…

Big bulls!  They are raw, tough, and amazing to watch.  Its what makes this sport so interesting to watch.  Bull riding at this level is raw athletisism at its best.  Everybody is cowboy for these two weeks.

We will be there from the first open chute to the last.  Look for updates, photos, and stories.