Rookie nabs Xtreme Bulls crown

Rookie Cimarron Rucker rides Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s E.T.O. for 92.5 points to win Tuesday’s Lea County Xtreme Bulls. He earned his first X Bulls buckle and $15,299.
(PHOTO BY PEGGY GANDER)

 

LOVINGTON, N.M. – If it’s a dream, Cimarron Rucker doesn’t want to be awakened.

Rucker rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s E.T.O. for 92.5 points Tuesday night to win the Lea County Xtreme Bulls, hauling in a cherished prize and $15,299.

“This is kind of a dream come true,” said Rucker, 27, of Liberty Hill, Texas. “Earlier today, I said, ‘I need that buckle.’”

He also needed the cash that came with the wearable trophy.

“I just had to move some money from my savings into my checking earlier,” he said with a laugh. “Now, I can move it back.

He led the charge of high-scoring rides, which is fairly typical with the annual stand-alone bull riding that takes place during the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. He was one of five to score 90 points or better. The bull power was strong, with bucking animals provided by six stock contractors.

“I had heard a lot about my bull,” he said of E.T.O. “I thought he was a black bull, but he was a brindle. When I draw a brindle bull, I always say, ‘It’s a bad day to be a brindle today.’

“I’m just blessed to be here and be healthy. Traveling with Luke Mackey has really got my head straight, so I’ve been riding them. I haven’t been drawing that great, but it’s starting to come around now.”

Rucker is 10^th in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race, but this will help move him up the money list. He will also be in the Rank 45 Xtreme Bulls standings, so everything is looking up.

“It’s by far the most money I’ve ever won,” Rucker said. “I’ve been drawing like crap and other rodeos, but I’ve got some good people behind me that are pushing me. We might drive all night to get here, but it’s worth it. Luke is one of the best guys going down the road right now, and I’m just glad he let me get in with him.”

His ride in Lovington marked his 13^th appearance at Xtreme Bulls events this season. It’s regularly one of the toughest to win, but he took advantage of his biggest situation to date.

“I thought all the bulls were good,” he said. “After the first three sections, I thought, ‘Oh, man, it’s wide open. Then we started seeing a 90, and it just kept going up. I had to be 92.5 to win it. That right there will get under your skin. You don’t know how you’re about to do that, but if you keep your mind in the middle and your had shut, good things happen.”

Lea County Xtreme Bulls
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 4, 2026
1. Cimarron Rucker, 92.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s E.T.O., $15,299; 2. (tie) Robby Taylor and T.J. Gray, 91, $10,199 each; 4. Clayton Sellars, 90.5, $5,609; 5. Brady Turgeon, 90, $3,570; 6. Luke Mackey, 89.5, $2,550; 7. Cooper James, 86.5, $2,040; 8. Josh Frost, 86, $1,530.