Clayton Sellars gets big win in Omaha 2023
Sometimes, a steady, uneventful effort is the needed outcome. That’s exactly what Clayton Sellars got in Omaha, Neb., and it worked out perfectly.
The Wildwood, Fla., bull rider gathered minimal intel on Vitalix Hard Knox from Cervi Championship Rodeo before jumping on, going for an 87.5-point ride to win the Omaha River City Rodeo. He finished two points ahead of competitors Trey Benton III and Luke Mast (85.5 each).
“It was a pretty routine bull ride really – up and down and ran around. He was a good bull and luckily it was enough,” Sellars said. “I thought we had a good trip, but I wasn’t sure if we were going to win the whole thing. But it worked out, so that was good.”
For Sellars, the win continued a positive trend to close out the 2023 rodeo season.
Last week, he picked up a third-place finish in the average at the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up and took seventh in the average at the Pendleton Whisky Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale on Sept. 12. Sellars also placed second in the finals at the Washington State Fair Pro Rodeo, Sept. 10 in Puyallup, Wash.
In total, September has been worth more than $24,000 in earnings for Sellars, including $4,112 from his success in Omaha.
The most recent results are exactly what Sellars has been looking for since his return to PRCA action. In February, the three-time Wrangler Nationals Finals Rodeo qualifier suffered a leg injury that sidelined him until July.
Slowly, he’s worked his way back into competition form and inched himself up the standings. He’s currently just outside the top 25 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings.
At the upcoming Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup presented by Community Coffee, Sept. 28-30 in Sioux Falls, S.D., he could win as much as $45,000, and that’s his focus.
While he hasn’t fully crunched the numbers, Sellars believes that, with a little luck, there’s an outside shot he could sneak into an NFR qualifying spot.
But ultimately, it’s about building momentum for the future. And Sellars is certainly happy with where his comeback stands right now.
“That’s just kind of what it’s been about all summer is just trying to get my feet back under me and get back to how good I can be,” Sellars said. “It’s just been a matter of finding that groove again and getting back into the swing of riding bulls every day and staying on. The last couple weeks I have felt almost like myself. Almost as good as I usually am and that’s just been cool.”
Other winners in Omaha were all-around cowboy Dallen McIntire ($1,701, tie-down roping and team roping); bareback rider Cole Franks (85.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Chicken Blood); steer wrestler Cody Devers (3.5 seconds); team ropers Cooper White/Tucker White (5.6 seconds); saddle bronc riders Chase Brooks (84 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Panther) and Brody Cress (84 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Wyatt Earp); tie-down roper Tom Crouse (8.6 seconds); and barrel racer Wenda Johnson (14.07 seconds).
-courtesy of the PRCA –
