Askey Rides Three to Claim Second Buckle On the Road to Cheyenne

JACKSON, Tenn. - Jan. 16, 2017 - PRLog -- University of Tennessee - Martin graduate Jeff Askey battled 23 bull riders and seven 90 point plus rides through three rounds of competition for the chance to thank the standing room only crowd for their hometown support as he accepted the $11,125 check and prize package for his second event win on the CBR's 2017 Road to Cheyenne pro bull riding tour.

Askey packed away 271.5 total points in Jackson and with his three ride win he wakes up today in fourth place in the CBR World Standings. During the course of three rounds and seventeen qualified rides, Askey challenged the roster that included two World Champions, eight red hot rookies and a seasoned bunch of CBR veterans in front of the annual sold out Jackson, Tennessee event. Askey finished the night with two 91 point scores in round one and an 89.5 in the semifinal round.

"The fast pace is challenging of the three round format, you don't get much time and as soon as you ride you have to get your rope and your mind ready for the next bull…I like it and I had three great bulls tonight and glad to get the second win on tour," said Askey who acknowledged the loud sellout crowd was inspirational.

 A Pennsylvania native, Askey, a National Finals Rodeo qualifier and former College National Finals champion, now a Texas resident, spent eight years living just 30 miles from Jackson while representing UT Martin rodeo team in the bull riding category.

Saturday night's performance featured the CBR three round tournament style action competition worth over $30,000 to the 24 bull riders competing and $45,000 to the bulls performing alongside in the CBR's Bull Team competition

Round One

Nine qualified rides and three draw backs on time would advance from round one to two with U.S. Army Veteran Juan Alonzo winning the first round on a rematch with 3728 Yellow Hair, a National Finals Rodeo bull representing Sanders, Hurt, and Baker.  Alonzo scored 91.5 as he outlasted the lead bull on Hurst's team who turned in a 90 point bull score for his 8 second effort.

Askey drew favorite 059 Boomer of Jerilyn Harmon's Elite Bucking Bulls and with Mike White on the flank rope the pair turned in a 91 point effort.

2016 Horizon Series Champion Koby Radley, Montpelier, La., would light the fans on fire with a 90 point ride on Brown Ranch's 3112 Dirty Blonde.  By the end of round one Dustin Boguet, Jeffery Ramagos, Bayle Worden, Joe Frost, Eli Vastbinder and Lane Toon had turned in qualified rides.

Reigning CBR and PRCA World Champion Sage Kimzey bucked off Terry Williams 816 Drunken Chicken at 7.70 seconds which eventually earned him one of the three draw back positions on time behind Wyatt Rogers who was 7.76 on Houdini Martini.

Semifinal Round

With the bull power increased, only five bull riders heard the whistle in the semifinal with Eli Vastbinder topping the scoreboard with 92.5 on the reigning CBR Bucking Bull of the Year, Cowtown Cartel.  Kimzey did not waste an opportunity to try and get back to the four man. He was back on top of his game with 91.5 on 210 Chaos Ghost who earned the rankest bull score of the night with Kimzey aboard.

Louisiana cowboy Jeffrey Ramagos was exceptional on Jeff Harris's 27 EL Toro for 90 points followed by Jeff Askey and Wyatt Rogers who posted the only other two qualified rides in round two.

Shoot Out Round

With three riders, Askey, Ramagos, and Vastbinder, riding two Sage Kimzey earned the fourth spot in the four man shoot out with his 91.5 score in the semifinal round.  Juan Alonzo was also 91.5 on one, but the tiebreaker score was in Kimzey's column.

Askey earned the right to select the first pick for the four man and in his tried and true fashion he let Tuff Hedeman make the call for him to ride 3415 Bad JuJu owned by Bob Whisnant and B-J Ranch.

"I let Tuff pick my bull in Conroe and won there so after a short discussion it was ultimately his opinion on which bull would win it for me that I went with," said Askey after the competition.

Kimzey was out first on No Dry County and had no problem posting 89 points on Hurst's bucker.

Vastbinder was out next and was the first rider to cover three with 88.5 points on 1001 Crazy 8 from JQH Bucking Bulls. Ramagos was over powered by 222 Yellow Wolf to end his bid for the title.

Drawing inspiration from the adopted Tennessee crowd on their feet, Askey put on a show riding 3415 Bad JuJu for 91 points and the win on stop seven of the Road to Cheyenn tour.

In addition to the lucrative prize money, bull riders accumulate points which qualify them for the World Finals, part of the legendary Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration held in Wyoming next July. At the end of the World Finals the contestant who has the most points will be crowned the CBR World Champion and receive a $100,000 bonus.

World Standings Race

The number one bull rider in the World, Sage Kimzey rode two to remain at the top of the CBR's 2017 Road to Cheyenne tour with 1156 points. But the next three names shuffled positions after all the scores were confirmed in Jackson. Eli Vastbinder moved into second place, 443 points behind the champ with 713.50. But the 18 year old Rookie sensation Boudreaux Campbell who dropped from second to third is just 9 points behind Vastbinder. Askey gained the most in Jackson and with 540 points he moved inside the top 5 with a fourth place seat.

Bud Light Classic Results

1, Jeff Aksey, 91 points on Bad JuJu (Rd 3), 271.5 pts on three, total earnings $11,125. 2, Sage Kimzey, 89 on No Dry County (rd 3) 180.5, $7,075. 3, Eli Vasbinder, 88.5 on Crazy 8 (rd 3) 267, $5,800. 4, J. Ramagos, no score in rd 3, 179 points on two, $2,250

Visit http://www.cbrbull.com/ for detailed scoring results and more information