What Are PRCA Circuit Finals? Pozzi Tonozzi Wins Mountain States

PRCA circuit finals season is in full swing. Since early October, champions have been crowned in Minot, N.D., Waco, Texas, Loveland, Colo., and the little San Joaquin County town of Clements, Calif. Seven more finals arrive in November, so there's a good chance one comes to an arena near you.

What are PRCA circuit finals?

PRCA circuit finals are the regional championship rodeos of professional rodeo, one for each of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's 13 circuits. The top contestants in each circuit compete over three or four rounds for a circuit title, prize money and a ticket to the national NFR Open the following July.

Think of a circuit as pro rodeo's version of a regional conference. The system started in 1975, when the continental U.S. was split into 14 districts. After mergers and renames there are 12 U.S. circuits today, and Canada's Maple Leaf Circuit joined in 2018 to make 13.

• Home circuit: every member is assigned one at the start of the season, usually where they live.
• What counts: contestants can rodeo anywhere, but only money won at rodeos in their home circuit counts toward circuit standings.
• Who makes the finals: generally the top 12 in each event in the circuit standings.
• Barrel racing: it's run by the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) alongside the PRCA events, using the same circuits.

That's why circuit rodeo matters to so many contestants. A rancher, nurse or college student who can't chase 100 rodeos across the country can still win a title by rodeoing close to home.

This season's results so far

Barrel racing gives a clean picture of how the finals are going. These are WPRA results reported by BarrelRacing.com on Oct. 25, 2026.

Mountain States (Loveland, Colo., Oct. 23-24)

Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, one of the most decorated barrel racers in the sport, won the average in 49.21 seconds on three runs. Kim Schulze was second in 49.91.

Schulze won Round 1 in 16.45. Pozzi Tonozzi answered by winning Round 2 (16.48) and Round 3 (16.06), the fastest run of the weekend.

Badlands and Texas

• Badlands (Minot, N.D., Oct. 9-11): Summer Kosel won the average in 40.60 on three runs and also won the year-end title. Heidi Gunderson was second in the average.
• Texas (Waco, Oct. 13-16): Morgan Addison won the average in 62.84 on four runs and also took the year-end title. Kristi Cole was second in the average.

Don't compare those times across circuits. Every arena's pattern is a different size, which is why three runs in Minot add up to far less than three in Loveland. For a refresher, see our guide to the barrel racing pattern.

California (Clements, Oct. 23-25)

The California Circuit Finals were a milestone for the Clements Stampede. CBS Sacramento reports it was the first time Clements hosted the finals, just a year after the rodeo came back in 2025 following more than a decade off. Hometown world champion Clayton Biglow was part of the weekend.

In barrel racing, Lindsey Muggli won Round 1 (17.40) and led the average after two rounds in 34.70, ahead of Mylee Modlin (35.14). Amie Grohl won Round 2. The final barrel racing result had not been posted when we checked, so check ProRodeo.com for the official champion.

How the year-end title and the average work

Every circuit crowns two kinds of champion in each event. They can be the same person, and when that happens it changes who goes to the NFR Open.

For a timed event like barrel racing, the average is simply the lowest combined time. In roughstock events like bronc riding, it's the highest combined score.

The finals pay money in each round as well as in the average, so a strong weekend can make a contestant both a round winner and the average champion, as Pozzi Tonozzi showed in Loveland.

Circuit finals vs the NFR

Fans often mix these up. Here is the short version.

• The NFR (Wrangler National Finals Rodeo) is the world championship. Only the top 15 money earners in the world standings in each event qualify, and it runs ten rounds in ten nights at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Dec. 3-12, 2026. See our NFR 2026 guide.
• Circuit finals are regional. You qualify by doing well in your own circuit, not by chasing money nationwide.
• Big stars ride both. An NFR-bound contestant can still win a circuit title, which is why names like Pozzi Tonozzi show up at circuit finals.

The practical difference for a contestant is travel. The circuit system was built so people could compete at a high level part time, closer to home, with a finals that's easier to reach than Vegas.

The road to the NFR Open

The big prize at the circuit finals is a spot at the NFR Open, held during the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs, Colo. The next one is in July 2027.

The NFR Open used to be called the National Circuit Finals Rodeo, and it got its current name in 2022. In July 2026 it paid out more than $700,000.

NFR Open qualification in 3 steps

1. Win your circuit's year-end title. That's one spot per event.
2. Win the circuit finals average. That's the second spot.
3. If one person wins both, the second spot goes to the year-end runner-up. That's how Heidi Gunderson (Badlands) and Kristi Cole (Texas) earned their 2027 trips.

So each circuit sends two contestants per event to Colorado Springs, where circuit champions from across North America go head to head.

Finals schedule: find PRCA circuit finals near you

These are the remaining 2026-27 finals on the WPRA's published schedule. Dates can change, so confirm with the rodeo before you buy tickets.

What to watch next and how to go

Circuit finals are some of the best-value rodeos you can attend. The fields are full of qualified contestants, and the venues are often smaller and closer to the action than the big national shows.

What to watch

• California's final results: watch for the official barrel racing champion and the NFR Open qualifiers from Clements.
• A busy first weekend of November: Columbia River and Turquoise run Nov. 5-7 and Wilderness Nov. 6-7, so three more circuits will crown champions within days.
• NFR crossover: some contestants headed to Vegas will ride at their circuit finals first, so you can see world-class runs before December.

First-timer checklist

• Check the event list: most finals include bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding, plus roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing and often breakaway.
• Buy tickets early for the final performance, when the average champions are crowned.
• Dress for a cold barn or open stands; our guide on what to wear to a rodeo helps.
• Learn the roping basics first with our team roping explainer and the rodeo terms in the glossary.
• Bring kids? Sit back from the chutes and remind them never to reach toward a fence where horses or cattle are moving.

Want to know more about western events in general? Our disciplines page is a good place to start.