BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
This season, Travis Graves spent about 10 days total ranked in the Top 15. They were the right 10 days, however, the last ones of September and he is heading back to Vegas for his 15th overall NFR after having a streak of 13 in a row snapped in 2023.
Cody Stampede, $5,377
It is not ideal to have your first noteworthy finish of the season come during Cowboy Christmas, but this is what it took for Graves and partner Luke Brown to pound the gas. They were 4.4 for third there and it was their first check of over $3,500 on the season.
To start July, Graves was No. 19 in the PRCA World Standings.
Fiesta Days Rodeo, $7,845
Without a huge July weekend in Utah, it is likely that Graves does not have enough momentum or money to crack another National Finals. Instead, he and Brown took second in Spanish Fork with runs of 4.5 and 5.2 seconds and also took second in the Average at Ogden Pioneer Days, where they won another $6,500.
Kitsap Stampede, $5,014
Brown/Graves’ lone win of the 2024 season came at PRCA Playoff Series Rodeo in August. They were 4 flat in Bremerton to beat out two teams by three tenths of a second, one of them being the top-ranked pair in the World - Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord.
Cinch Playoffs Puyallup, $8,657
It was far from a sure thing that Graves would make the NFR as he entered the final month of the season still outside the Top 15 at No. 18 in the World. Puyallup helped his case mightily when he and Luke Brown made three straight runs of 4.9 or faster to make the Finals.
Pendleton Round-Up, $10,471
It was not until after Pendleton that Graves finally found himself on the right side of the bubble at No. 14.
Brown/Graves put together three runs between 5.8 and 6.7 seconds, the slowest of which actually got them their best finish a round, third place in the Finals.
All together, it was worth a third place finish in the Average which paid $7,294.
Graves had not made the Finals in Pendleton since 2017.
Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup, $7,500
At the Governor’s Cup, the goal is simple: make it to the Finals. Brown and Graves stayed consistent, clocking three runs of 4.9 seconds or faster, even though they didn’t collect a check in the first three rounds. In the Finals, they delivered their fastest run of the rodeo, a 4.1, earning third place. That performance secured all of their Governor’s Cup winnings and clinched Graves’ qualification.
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