As rodeo fans have come to expect, the 64th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo showcased the world's best legendary cowboys and cowgirls with world-class performances over the weekend at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The 10 performances drew 173,350 visitors, up from 169,539 in 2021, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. NFR reaches its 350th streak of consecutive sales.

The crowd for Saturday's final round was 17,788 – the highest one-day attendance since 2014 when the Thomas & Mack Center was renovated, reducing seating capacity.

At the local level, Riley and Brady returned to the Minor tandem after Riley failed to qualify last year due to injury in his NFR run in Pendleton.

Team ropers Caleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira won their second straight gold buckles, with the Minor brothers reaching the pay window in round two.

They finished sixth in Round 5 with a time of 5.4 seconds to win $4,664. They were sixth in Round 10 on 4.9 for $4,664 in the bank.

“This year has been tough. We have had our ups and downs. We're just trying to stay focused and finish strong,” Riley said Wednesday after winning the Weststar Best of the Best in September with Logan Medlin.

“I just have to go out and rope my steers. We haven't had a big win in a while, so maybe this jackpot win (the best of the best) will put some momentum on our way.”

They are no strangers to Thomas Mack's big stage. They were just out of the money, finishing eighth in the opening round of the 10-go week with a time of 9.5. They made the catch again in Round 2 at 5.1 but it wasn't fast enough to earn the paycheck.

The Ellensburg team clocked 10.0 in Round 4 before heading into the salary window in Round 5. They caught rounds 6 (14.4), round 7 (13.7) eight (5.5), nine (5.0) before finishing strong. 10 Earn $4,664 with a 4.9.

Driggers/Nogueira each finished above their respective world positions with $340,708. According to the PRCA website, they earned $112,830 each at the NFR and averaged second place with a 71.4-second time over nine heads.

Laramie, Wyo. And the Summit Pro Rodeo stock outside of Ellensburg had an excellent showing at the Thomas Mack Arena.

Jess Pope scored an 88 on the game trail to finish second in Round 5 of the Bearback competition, earning a sweet $22,851 in the process.

The Summit Pro Rodeo saddle bronc stock was not so kind to rider Wright, who was bucked at both Dry Creek and Cat Walk. Kangaroo Lou was good for a 91-point ride last year when Brody Cress put up the number.

But not so much this year. A world-class saddle bronc like Pro Summit Rodeo Company's Bull Gray Denim takes a solid night's work out of the top round.

Stetson Wright continues to put a stamp on a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Wright, who finally earned a buckle at the Ellensburg Rodeo in September, winning the Ellensburg Rodeo All-Around Cowboy in saddle bronc riding and bull riding, topped the world again this year at the 2022 NFR.

The Milford, Utah Cowboys set the single-season PRCA earnings record. The four-time world champion all-around cowboy also established single-season standards for winning money in the all-around ($758,829) and bull riding ($592,144) and set an NFR bull riding earnings record with $271,545.

Wright was one of 15 riders to score one during the 2022 NFR 90-point ride — Kaycee Feild (bareback riding), Dawson Hay (saddle bronc riding) and Stetson Wright (bull riding) all had top scores with 92s.

The leader of the Wright clan had his Wrangler NFR season capped on Saturday night.

The 23-year-old told PRCA News about the year, “This year has been the best and toughest year for me. “It started off really hot, going to No. 1 in the world between the Bronx and the bulls. And it didn't slow down from that point. But I had some injuries where I had to have surgery, sit out and miss some rodeos.

"When you miss things like that, you don't feel like you're doing your best. I had to learn a lot of patience. I had to trust what my mom and dad said when I needed to sit out. I learned that if you You will do much better if you wait and heal.

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