Pro bull riders return to Kennewick in September
Bull riders from around the region will gather in the Tri-Cities in September for competition.
COURTESY PHOTO/BECERRA GOVEA
KENNEWICK – The Professional Bull Riders will come back to Kennewick this fall for the Challenger Series’ PBR Tri-Cities Classic on Sept. 8-9.
The event, hosted at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, is returning to the Tri-Cities for its third time. Part of the more than 60-event Challenger Series, which ends with its championship in Las Vegas on October 19, bull riders who are both affiliated and unaffiliated with a PBR Series team will compete for a chance to take home an event title.
Thirty-five bull riders open the competition on Friday and Saturday night, with the top 10 advancing to the championship round. There, riders get one more ride to attempt to win the event title.
The first PBR Tri-Cities Classic ended with Cody Casper, native of Newport, claiming a win after a three-for-three performance in the event. Casper scored 80 points on his first ride, then a 58.5 and 87.5-point ride in the final round.
Bill Henry won last year’s event, opening the competition with an 83.5-point ride then scored 85 points in the final round.
As Kennewick prepares to host the PBR for the third-straight year, other cities around eastern Washington have hosted other PBR events in the past. Pasco hosted the developmental Touring Pro Division in 2009 and 2010 and Yakima hosted the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour events from 2015-2017.
The 2023 PBR Tri-Cities Classic begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.