T.J. Gray wins Pendleton Whisky Xtreme Bulls Finale; Noah Lee claims 2026 Rank 45 Xtreme Bulls Series title

T.J. Gray arrived in Pendleton with one Xtreme Bulls title still missing from his résumé. By Tuesday night, the Oregon cowboy had it.

Gray covered three bulls across two nights at Happy Canyon Arena to capture the Pendleton Whisky Xtreme Bulls Finale, adding one of the biggest wins of his 2026 season at an event he had wanted to claim since the Finale moved to his home state.

“This is one I’ve been wanting to win,” Gray said. “It’s been pretty high on the bucket list. Being an Oregon cowboy coming to Pendleton (Ore.), I was very excited a couple years ago when they moved the Xtreme Finale down here.”

The two-day finale brought 24 of the tour’s top bull riders to Pendleton with $150,000 in added money on the line as the Xtreme Bulls season reached its conclusion.

Gray, a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, set the pace Monday, Sept. 14, matching Western Rodeo’s Funky Cold Medina for 88.5 points to win Round 1 and put himself in position for the aggregate title.

When competition resumed Tuesday, Gray had to fight to stay there.

Matched with Five Star Rodeo’s Buck Nasty in Round 2, Gray was tested as the bull went right before reversing direction and pulling him out of position. Gray fought through the matchup to reach the eight-second whistle and keep himself in contention.

“I wasn’t riding him as easy as I should have,” Gray said. “So, it was a lot of work to get through that first one. I laid back, and I was just excited when the whistle came because I was not expecting it because he had me laid back about four seconds.”

Gray followed in Round 3 with an 89.5-point ride aboard Brookman Rodeo’s Stetson, splitting fourth in the round with Qynn Andersen, who sits No. 10 in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings. The ride brought Gray’s three-head total to 261.5 points, enough to share the aggregate title with Andersen.

Gray was declared Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale champion by winning the tiebreaker of most earned at the event.

Gray earned $22,701 at the Finale while Andersen earned $16,503.

“He’s a little tricky,” Gray said about Stetson. “He’s got quite a hole in him. He’s pretty welly, so I had to stay out of there. But I just kept pushing to the front, and it worked out.”

It was another addition to a productive season for Gray, as he entered the week sitting No. 5 in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings and left the Finale in fourth place.

In Pendleton, Gray wasn’t only competing for another check or another move in the world standings. He was competing in Oregon at an event he had wanted to win for years.

“Coming here, I just wanted to do good, and it means a whole bunch,” Gray said. “Not only for, you know, the money that’s counted for the world standings, but also because being an Oregon cowboy coming to Pendleton, it’s one you always want to win.”

Noah Lee earns Rank 45 Xtreme Bulls Series title

While Gray left Pendleton with the Finale title, Noah Lee capped his season as the Xtreme Bulls Tour champion after earning $124,187 on the Tour, which is most money earned during an Xtreme Bulls Tour season. The previous record was $123,876 earned by Ky Hamilton in 2025.

Lee opened Sept. 14, aboard Silver Creek Pro Rodeo’s Original Sin, covering the bull for 84 points. Although his Finale didn’t begin exactly as he wanted, Lee responded during Tuesday evening’s performance with the ride he needed to close his Xtreme Bulls season.

“I was bucked off my first one, didn’t feel too good, and then got on my second one, where I was 90 and a half,” Lee said.

Lee’s final ride required him to adjust as the Silver Creek Pro Rodeo bull continued working on his front end. Lee gritted his way through the matchup to split second in the round with four-time Wrangler NFR qualifier Tristen Hutchings.

“He went out there, and he’s just all kicking and hop-skipping on his front end,” Lee said. “I sat up and really gritted it out, and he was a good bull.”

For Lee, the season ended with the Xtreme Bulls Tour championship, while he continues to lead the world standings.

“I didn’t really think about it too much going on through the year, but I mean, it’s pretty cool,” Lee said. “I love Pendleton, and I’ve been waiting for this bull riding (event) all year.”

-PRCA