The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge, kicked off with an action-packed Round 2 of team roping.
Clint Summers and Jake Long claimed go-round wins for the second night in a row, making it a point to be at the South Point Hotel & Casino at the end of each night for the buckle ceremony.
Summers, 32, of Lake City, Fla., climbed to the No. 3 spot among the headers, still chasing two-time and defending world champion Kaleb Driggers in the No. 1 spot and two-time NFR qualifier Nelson Wyatt in No. 2. Summers is behind Driggers by $16,000.
Long, 34, of Coffeyville, Kans., made his way into the No. 2 spot among the heelers, less than $3,000 behind two-time and defending world champ Junior Nogueira in the No. 1 spot. The race is on for the heelers, with 2019 world champ Wesley Thorp only $3,000 behind in No. 3.
With more than $60,000 in earnings per man in two days for Summer and Long, the team is taking advantage of the bigger purse this year.
Partners Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler, who are making their third-straight NFR appearances together, were also among the cowboys making moves in the standings. The duo made their way into the top 5 of their respective standings.
With the amount of money on the line, the standings will continuously change throughout the next seven days. The world champions will not be clear until the final run on Saturday night.
