As the 2025 National Finals Rodeo (NFR) reached its midway point on Monday night, the competition intensified within the World Championship races, highlighted by the significant NFR Average payouts. Round 5 brought unexpected developments that have altered the standings in several events.
In the Steer Wrestling category, eight cowboys remain in contention for a pay check, with seven achieving times on all five steers. NFR rookie Gavin Soileau is in the No. 7 position, but unfortunately incurred two broken barriers. Ty Erickson faced a setback in Round 5 when a steer escaped his grasp, leading to a no time; nevertheless, he ranks No. 8 overall. After entering the NFR in the No. 14 spot, Erickson has climbed to No. 3 in the World standings, still firmly in the fight for the championship.
A surprising development this year is the performance of Will Lummus, who is currently down by two steers in the Average race. Despite this, he maintains the lead in the World Standings by a margin of approximately $45,000. Tucker Allen is putting pressure on him, sitting in the No. 2 spot both in the World and the Average, holding a significant six-second lead over his nearest competitor. J.D. Struxness, who previously came from behind to claim a gold buckle in 2024, currently sits at No. 5 in the World and No. 3 in the Average, with potential earnings of about $60,000.
In Tie-Down Roping, nine competitors have recorded times on all five calves. Shad Mayfield is in No. 10, narrowly missing a pay check after a calf kicked free during his Round 5 attempt, costing him valuable time. This setback came while he competes against back-to-back World Champion Riley Webb for the top spot. Brushton Minton has emerged ahead as the Average leader after five rounds, clocking in just ahead of John Douch. Despite being No. 4 in the World standings, Douch trails Mayfield by around $130,000. Meanwhile, Webb remains a formidable contender, sitting just $7,000 behind Mayfield in World standings and No. 3 in the Average race as he aims for a third consecutive championship.
Team Roping has proven to be one of the most unpredictable events at this year’s NFR. Following Round 5, three teams have successfully roped all five of their steers: Andrew Ward with Jake Long, Clint Summers with Jade Corkill, and Derrick Begay with Colter Todd. The top two teams are presently separated by a mere tenth of a second. The next grouping of competitors has caught four of their five steers, including Kolton Schmidt with Jonathan Torres and Tanner Tomlinson with Travis Graves. The standings in the heading race see Ward and Summers ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, while Tomlinson leads by $4,000. In the heeling division, Long is out in front, closely followed by Corkill and Junior Nogueira, both of whom are challenging for position.
As the competition continues, the excitement builds, and the standings could shift dramatically in the upcoming rounds, making the rest of the NFR an event to watch closely.