Carolina Cowboys Advance as Clay Guiton Survives Frightening Wreck in Las Vegas

The defending champion Carolina Cowboys advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 PBR Teams Championship on Friday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, overcoming both a tough opening-round matchup against the New York Mavericks and a frightening injury scare involving star rider Clay Guiton.

Carolina secured a 178.65 to 89.25 victory to punch their ticket to the next round. Thiago Salgado opened the scoring for the Cowboys with an 89.75-point ride on Humdinger, answering an early 89.25-point performance by New York's Bob Mitchell. After several tense frames, Adriano Salgado sealed the victory in the final frame by riding Time Traveler for 88.90 points.

The night took a distressing turn during the middle frames when Guiton, the 2025 PBR Teams Championship MVP, was violently thrown from his bull, The Paint. The young rider lay motionless on the arena dirt, evoking painful memories of his severe wreck in Salt Lake City earlier this year that had sidelined him for months. Medical personnel and bullfighters rushed to his side as the arena fell silent.

Fortunately, Guiton regained consciousness, moved his extremities, and walked off the arena floor under his own power. When asked about his condition after the wreck, Guiton said, 'I feel great. Gonna see how I feel the rest of the day and go from there.' His status for the remainder of the championship remains day-to-day, pending medical clearance.

Meanwhile, the No. 8 Arizona Ridge Riders staged a dramatic comeback on opening night, surviving both the three-team Ride-In Game and the Last Chance Game. Veteran rider Eduardo Aparecido delivered a clutch 91.45-point ride on Freedom Fighter during the final elimination round, narrowly defeating the Kansas City Outlaws and the New York Mavericks by less than a point to advance.

Reflecting on his team's gritty performance, Arizona head coach Colby Yates said on the broadcast, 'This was a very bad win. We have to get better here if we're going to beat a team like Missouri. We know we have to ride three or four bulls, so we have some work to do, but we're super excited to move on.'

In other opening-night action, the Texas Rattlers defeated the Kansas City Outlaws 358.05 to 269.50 in a high-scoring showdown featuring four 90-point rides. The championship continues Saturday with quarterfinal matchups, including the Carolina Cowboys facing the No. 3 Nashville Stampede and the Arizona Ridge Riders taking on the No. 1 Missouri Thunder.