ProRodeo Sports News - 2021 Year End Edition

TOP GUN AWARD Top Money Winner

BY TRACY RENCK T he 2021Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is one bareback rider Kaycee Feild will not soon forget. The Utah cowboy, won his PRCA bareback record-setting sixth world championship, and captured the Top Gun Award for the second time in his decorated career after earning $231,564 at theThomas &Mack Center. Feild won the Top Gun Award the first time in 2011, when he snared his inaugural world championship. “It’s really cool to win the Top Gun Award again,” said Feild, 34. “I don’t know if I’m old for bareback riding. I was the oldest one here, but it didn’t feel like it. To come down here, I wanted to make it a point that I’m the best. I wanted to put a stamp on it. I didn’t want the Facebook key jammers talking crap. They don’t know, they have never been here. I didn’t want anybody to second- guess what I’m doing from the judges to the announcers to my competitors to the people on the internet. “There was no question that I wanted to come down here and be the best by winning the world title and being the Top Gun winner is something pretty powerful. I’m proud of winning that a second time.” Kaycee Feild nabs second Top Gun

Bareback rider Kaycee Feild has a big smile after winning the RAM Top Gun Award for the second time in his career. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phillip Kitts

Scarlet. That ride earned him $21,336 and allowed him to finish second in the NFR average – behind Pope – and earn $56,171. As the 2021 Top Gun winner, Feid received a voucher for a RAM vehicle, a one-of-a-kind RAMTop Gun-branded revolver fromCommemorative Firearms and a custom Top Gun buckle fromMontana Silversmiths. This is the fourth time

The Top Gun Award was created in 2010 and is given to the contestant who wins the most money at the Wrangler NFR in one event. Hailey Kinsel set the record for most money earned by a Top Gun earner at the 2020 Wrangler NFR at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, taking home $270,615. Feild just missed setting the

a bareback rider has won the Top Gun Award. Feild has accomplished the feat twice (2011, 2021) and he joined by Steven Peebles (2015) and Biglow (2019). “There’s a (RAM) TRX out there that has 700 horsepower that I will for sure use my voucher for,” Feild said. “I opened the door for the Dodge men (on the arena floor at theThomas &Mack Center), and they came a running they thought I was going to take it for a hot lap. It was fun to mess with them and that would be fun to have in the garage.”

PAST RECIPIENTS 2010: Trevor Brazile, tie-down roping & team roping, $211,509

record for most money won by a bareback rider at the Wrangler NFR, a mark of $243,891 established by Clayton Biglow in 2019 when he won a world championship and the Top Gun Award. Feild just edged out fellow bareback rider Jess Pope for the Top Gun honor. Pope finished with $230,475 in NFR earnings. Feild clinched the Top Gun honor by placing second in Round 10 with an 89.5-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s New

2011: Kaycee Feild, bareback riding, $179,327 2012: Mary Walker, barrel racing, $146,941, 2013: Sherry Cervi, barrel racing, $155,899 2014: Sage Kimzey, bull riding, $175,466 2015: Steven Peebles, bareback riding, $234,054 2016: Tyler Waguespack, steer wrestling, $213,218 2017: Marcos Costa, tie-down roping, $195,519

2018: Chase Dougherty, bull riding, $209,058 2019: Clayton Biglow, bareback riding, $243,891 2020: Hailey Kinsel, barrel racer, $270,615 * 2010 was the only year that money earned in multiple events counted toward the RAM Top Gun.

ProRodeo Sports News 12/17/2021

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