Mast wins PBR Challenger event in Shipshewana – Sturgis Journal
Riding in front of a home state crowd, the Kansas City Outlaws’ Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana) continued his dominant summer campaign, delivering a flawless 2-for-2 performance to win the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Challenger Series’ Bull Bash at the MEC in Shipshewana, Indiana.
In Round 1, Mast got off to a hot start when he delivered the third best score inside Michiana Event Center. Reaching the requisite 8 aboard Crazed Addiction (Cornwell Bucking Bulls), Mast was marked 87 points.
Mast then readied to go head-to-head with Ohio-raised bovine I’m A Secret (K-C Bucking Bulls/Bull Creek Bucking Bulls).
Matching the animal athlete jump-for-jump, Mast delivered the highest-marked ride of the championship round, scored 87.5 points to clinch the event victory.
For his efforts Mast netted 40 Challenger Series points.
Fresh off being signed as a free agent by the Arizona Ridge Riders, Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) was second.
Whitehorse’s silver finish included an 80-point ride on Shooting Right (K-C Bucking Bulls) in Round 1, and 84.5-point score aboard Pneu-Dart’s Coal Miner (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) for 84.5 points in the final round.
The 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year left Indiana having earned 24 Challenger Series points.
Gage Gay (Staley, North Carolina) was third, collecting 17 Challenger Series points.
Going 1-for-2, Gay was electric in Round 1, delivering the event’s top-scored ride when he conquered Builder Bob (John Brennan/B&D Rollers-The Crusher) for 88 points.
Fourth was three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil).
Alves’ 87.5-point ride on Dance Monkey (Cord McCoy/MJ Bucking Bulls) earned him 10 Challenger Series points.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Ross Freeman (Kountze, Texas).
The Arizona Ridge Riders contender earned his lone qualified ride during the Indiana event when he bested Justice Seeker (Cord McCoy) for 86.5 points.
Freeman earned 6 Challenger Series points.
In the bull pen, Mr. Excavator (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) bucked a cut above the rest, crowned the Bull of the Event.
Mr. Excavator was unrivaled in the championship round, scored 45.5 points when he bucked off Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) in 2.36 seconds.
This past weekend’s event was the fifth time the PBR had visited Shipshewana. Now a top-tier event, the Challenger Series offers the largest payout in event history.
PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR Challenger Series events. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Tune to channel 720 for the latest programming schedule, and click here for on-demand PBR programming.