BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Clay Smith has made every National Finals Rodeo since 2015, racking up two Gold Buckles along the way. This year, he enters the NFR ranked No. 11 in the world—the same spot he ended last season. While a third Gold Buckle may be out of reach, he’s within striking distance of another milestone: just $150,000 short of $2 million in career earnings.
Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, $25,000
Smith and partner Coleby Payne got off to an ideal start in Bracket 6 by winning the First Round with a 5.3-second run. Despite a no time in Round 2, they advanced on money and improved from there, putting together runs of 4.8 in the Semifinals and 4.5 in the Finals, which got them the win by one tenth over Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili.
Fort Worth was Smith’s lone Playoff Series win of the season.
Reno Rodeo, $6,677
One run got Smith and Payne all of their money in Reno. They were 4.6 seconds to win Round 2. It was Smith’s first career round win in Reno.
Farm-City Pro Rodeo, $6,922
Smith and Payne pulled checks in both rounds and ultimately finished the rodeo with an aggregate time of 9.9 seconds on two, seven tenths off the pace set by Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith.
Clay Smith and Coleby Payne also finished second at another Playoff Rodeo that same weekend when they were 10.3 seconds on two at the Lea County PRCA Rodeo. That event paid them both $5,600 and it jumped Smith from No. 20 to No. 14 in the middle of August.
Canby Rodeo, $5,446
Smith and Payne budged their way into a loaded leaderboard in Oregon the weekend after their success in Hermiston and Lovington.
They made runs of 4.7 and 4.4 seconds which tied them with Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves for second in the Average.
Reigning World Champions Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp were first with 8.9 on two while Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray and Andrew Ward/Kollin VonAhn rounded out the Top 5.
North Dakota Roughrider Cup, $8,213
A 4.3 was good enough for a tie for fourth at the lucrative September one-header in Mandan. All of the Top 8 pairs were between 3.6 and 4.7 seconds.
Young Living’s Last Chance Rodeo, $2,197
While the payday at the Roughrider Cup almost certainly solidify his spot in the NFR, Smith left no doubt by winning in Mona, Utah over the season’s final weekend.
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