Tucker Allen may have the lead in the National Finals Rodeo average race, but he plans to make a run at 10th-round victory anyway. He posted a 4.0-second run to finish sixth during Friday’s ninth round in Las Vegas and owns a 12.4-second lead in the aggregate.
(PHOTO BY GREG WESTFALL)

 

LAS VEGAS – It’s time for steer wrestler Tucker Allen to nitpick his runs.

That’s what happens after a week and a half of success in Las Vegas. Allen placed for the sixth time at this year’s National Finals Rodeo, stopping the clock in 4.0 seconds to finish sixth during Friday’s ninth round. That $5,914 check pushed his finale earnings to $154,101.

“I should have been quicker,” said Allen, a two-time NFR qualifier from Ventura, California. “I got a decent start, but that steer kind of fell flat, but I think if I reached earlier, I could have made him hit. I think if I were to rerun him again, I’d change some stuff, but I’ll take it.”

He has wrestled nine steers to the ground in a cumulative time of 40.6 seconds. He is No. 1 in the average race and owns a 12.4-second advantage over the No. 2 man in the aggregate, Rowdy Parrott. Allen’s run and placing, combined with Mississippian Will Lummus’ finish in a three-way tie for second, flip-flopped the leaderboard. Lummus is the top dog in the world standings but is only $8,073 ahead of Allen, the No. 2 man with $304,878.

The tale of the night for Allen, though, was his traveling partner, Justin Shaffer, who won the round, his first in the two years he’s played on rodeo’s biggest stage. The $36,668 the Texan earned was his biggest pay of this year’s championship, and he placed for just the fourth time in nine days. Shaffer is Allen’s hazer when Allen runs, and the roles switch when it’s Shaffer’s turn.

“I’m very pumped for him,” Allen said, a grin spreading across his cheeks. “That’s a long time coming.”

Allen will roll into Saturday’s 10th round with a world championship on the line. He has the advantages, namely because of his place in the average race. The aggregate winner will pocket $94,036, which will go a long way toward deciding who will be awarded the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle.

Don’t look for Allen to do anything different. He hopes to have the kind of steer that will give him an opportunity to win on the final night of the ProRodeo campaign. He’s just following the advice of another California bulldogger, five-time titlist Luke Branquinho.

“He always says to never back off, ever,” Allen said. “Just keep going at them. If it don’t work, then it don’t work. If it works, then it works great.

“Being aggressive just makes everything a little bit easier. It simplifies it so much.”

A year’s worth of travel, time and effort have led to this moment, and whether he walks away from Las Vegas with gold in his hands will come down to one final run.

“This is just one of the deals where hard work pays off, and it’s fun to get to do this with your friends,” he said.