Kaleb Driggers Enters NFR No. 1 With Third Consecutive Gold Buckle in Sight

Meet the NFR Athletes is presented by Montana Silversmiths

1280 Driggers_Nogueira.jpg

jackie jensen

Kaleb Driggers and his partner Junior Nogueira are looking to make it three in a row this December at the Thomas & Mack after back-to-back seasons in which they dominated the team roping from start to finish.

Driggers is the No. 1 Header in the world with a lead of $6,000 over Tyler Wade.

Driggers earned over $160,000 on the season. Here is a look back at some of the top moments from his 2023 campaign.

BIGGEST PAYDAYS

Reno Rodeo, $18,282

Reno was a great week for Driggers and Nogueira as they earned over $18,000 apiece to kickoff 100 Rodeos in 100 Days. The two opened with a second-place finish in Round 1 after a 4.9-second run. In Round 2, the pair finished fifth, and in the Finals, they placed second. The big payday of more than $9,000 came thanks to an Average win in which the team was 18.4 seconds in total.

Ellensburg Rodeo (Washington), $9,478

Driggers/Noguiera opened the rodeo with a Round 1 win after a 4.6-second run. They failed to place in the Second Round, but would advance to the Finals, where he placed third with a 6.7-second run to win the Average. They were more than a second clear of the rest of the field.

Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, $8,260

It was a great showing at the Fort Worth Stock Show and rodeo for Kaleb Driggers and his partner Junior Nogueira. The pair made a total of five qualified runs on their way to first place finish in both Bracket 6, Round 2 and the Wild Card Round. Ultimately, they finished fourth in the Finals.

FASTEST RUNS

West Texas State Fair Pro Rodeo, 3.9 Seconds

Driggers and Nogueira posted one of two 3.9-second runs this season at the West Texas State Fair Pro Rodeo in September. The run came in Round 1 and won it round by one tenth of a second. The run earned the pair just under $1,800 and they would go on to win fourth in the Average.

Snake River Stampede (Idaho), 3.9 Seconds

The other 3.9-second run of the year came at the Snake River Stampede for Driggers and Nogueira. It was an impressive day of roping as the run would be good for second place in Finals with Clay Smith and Coleby Payne taking the round with a 3.7-second run. Driggers/Nogueira also placed in Round 1 at the rodeo and finished third in the Average to win more than $6,000.

NOTABLE WINS

Farm-City Pro Rodeo (Oregon), 10.0 Seconds on Two

Driggers/Nogueira won the opening round with a 4.3-second run and added a 5.7-second time in Round 2. They would win the average by four tenths by going 10.0 seconds on two.

Meet the NFR Athletes is presented by Montana Silversmiths #EveryBuckleHasAStory #BrandOfChampions #FromGreatToGold