The 2026 ProRodeo season is entering its final stretch, and the race to Las Vegas is not the only thing worth watching.
Several of the sport’s event leaders have another piece of history in front of them.
With the regular season ending Sept. 30, the top competitors in several events have a legitimate opportunity to challenge single-season regular-season earnings records before the NFR begins.
The records are high. The time is short. But with the Puyallup Playoff Series, the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls and the final September rodeos still ahead, the possibility is real.
And the closest chase now belongs to Tyler Waguespack.
Tyler Waguespack Is Nearly There
The closest record chase in raw dollars belongs to Tyler Waguespack.
The Gonzales, Louisiana, steer wrestler currently leads the event with $188,163 in season earnings.
The PRCA regular-season record for steer wrestling is $199,263, set by Dalton Massey in 2024.
That leaves Waguespack just $11,100 short of the record.
That is a remarkably small gap considering how much money remains available during the final month of the season.
Waguespack has also built a substantial lead in the event. Jesse Brown currently sits second at $163,437, meaning Waguespack has more than $24,000 separating himself from the next man in the standings.
If Waguespack can find one or two big checks during September, the record could fall.
Riley Webb Is Closing In on His Own Record
Riley Webb has spent 2026 doing what he has become accustomed to doing: winning money.
The Denton, Texas, tie-down roper currently leads the event with $291,261 in season earnings. The PRCA regular-season record for tie-down roping is $305,132, set by Webb himself in 2025.
That leaves Webb only $13,871 short of a record he established just one year ago.
It is an unusual position for the three-time World Champion.
Rather than chasing someone else’s mark, Webb is chasing his own.
And he has already put together the kind of season that makes the possibility believable. His current total is more than $83,000 ahead of second-place Haven Meged, who sits at $208,240.
The regular season does not end until Sept. 30, giving Webb several more opportunities to erase the remaining gap.
If he does it, Webb would not simply defend his place at the top of the tie-down roping standings. He would raise the standard for what constitutes the greatest regular-season earnings year in the event.
Cole Patterson Still Has a Path
Steer roping does not get the same attention as some of the larger PRCA events, but Cole Patterson has quietly put together another outstanding season.
Patterson currently leads the event with $89,858.
His regular-season record is $125,080, set in 2025.
That leaves Patterson $35,222 away.
Unlike some of the other records, that gap would require a significant September. But steer roping’s schedule and payout structure can create opportunities for a cowboy who gets hot at the right time.
Patterson has already proven he can produce that kind of season.
Now he has one more month to do it again.
Noah Lee Has a Shot at a Bull Riding Record
Noah Lee remains in position to make a run at one of the biggest regular-season records in ProRodeo.
The Mineral Wells, Texas, bull rider currently leads the PRCA with $328,972.
The regular-season bull riding record belongs to Stetson Wright, who won $368,630 during the 2023 season.
Lee needs another $39,658 to surpass it.
That is a substantial amount of money, but bull riding can produce enormous checks in a short period of time. Lee has already established himself as one of the season’s dominant money winners, and his current total has put him more than $35,000 ahead of second-place Tristen Hutchings.
The opportunity is there.
So is the pressure.
Lee is not simply trying to win a world championship. He is trying to put together a season that would go into the record book before he ever backs into the Thomas & Mack Center.
Team Roping Could Take a Team Effort
The team roping record presents a slightly different situation.
Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira currently lead the event with $184,736 each.
The PRCA regular-season records are $227,878 for heading and $227,878 for heeling, established by Driggers and Nogueira in 2022.
The pair therefore needs another $43,142 apiece to break their own records.
That is what makes this storyline particularly interesting.
They are not chasing records held by another team.
They are chasing records they already own.
Driggers and Nogueira have spent years among the sport’s elite, and the fact that they are still in position to rewrite their own record book entries four years later says plenty about the level they are performing at.
Rusty Wright Has the Saddle Bronc Record in Sight
Rusty Wright currently sits atop a loaded saddle bronc riding field with $246,785.
The record he is chasing belongs to Ryder Wright, who earned $293,994 during the 2025 regular season.
Rusty needs $47,209 to break it.
The Wright family has already dominated the top of the standings this season. Ryder Wright sits second with $229,008, while Stetson Wright is third with $228,622.
That means Rusty’s record chase is happening in one of the deepest events in ProRodeo.
A big September could change the history book.
Bradlee Miller Has a Bigger Mountain
Bradlee Miller has been one of the biggest stories in bareback riding all year.
The Huntsville, Texas, cowboy currently leads the event with $251,230.
The regular-season record is $303,547, set by Rocker Steiner in 2025.
Miller therefore needs another $52,317.
That is a much steeper climb than Waguespack or Webb face, but Miller has already shown that he can produce the kind of season necessary to make the attempt interesting.
He leads the bareback standings by more than $43,000 over Jacob Lees and has been one of the most consistent money winners in the event.
The record is not likely to come easily.
But with September still available, it remains within mathematical reach.
Stetson Wright Has the Biggest Record Chase of All
Stetson Wright’s season has been remarkable even without the record chase.
He currently leads the PRCA all-around standings with $352,727.
The regular-season all-around earnings record is $459,621, established by Wright himself in 2023.
That means Stetson would need another $106,894 before Sept. 30 to break his own record.
That is an enormous number.
But Stetson is also competing in multiple events, which gives him more opportunities to add money than a competitor restricted to one discipline.
The all-around race also demonstrates just how strong his 2026 season has already been. His $352,727 total is more than double the current earnings of second-place Brushton Minton, who sits at $144,171.
The record may be a long shot.
But the fact that Stetson Wright is even within striking distance of a $459,621 regular-season total is remarkable.
What About Barrel Racing?
There is also a potential record storyline on the women’s side.
Carlee Otero currently leads the WPRA barrel racing standings in the latest projected results with $185,320.
The WPRA regular-season earnings record is $270,563, set by Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi in 2023.
That leaves Otero $85,243 short.
That is a much larger gap than the closest men’s event leaders face, making the record a significant long shot.
But the race is still worth watching because Otero has moved to the top of the world standings and the WPRA season continues through Sept. 30. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell remains close behind, keeping the world-title race tight even if the regular-season record remains a difficult target.
The Final Month Could Rewrite the Record Book
The important thing about these races is that none of them require the NFR.
These are regular-season records.
The money earned between now and Sept. 30 counts toward the regular-season totals, while the NFR provides a separate opportunity to add to annual earnings.
That means the next month is essentially the final chapter of one record book before another one begins.
Tyler Waguespack needs $11,100.
Riley Webb needs $13,871.
Cole Patterson needs $35,222.
Noah Lee needs $39,658.
Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira need $43,142 each.
Rusty Wright needs $47,209.
Bradlee Miller needs $52,317.
Stetson Wright needs $106,894.
Carlee Otero needs $85,243.
Those numbers are not predictions.
They are the distances between today’s leaders and the historical marks they are chasing.
And with the richest part of the season still ahead, every check could change the answer.
By the time the regular season closes on Sept. 30, the 2026 season may have produced more than new world-title races.
It may have produced a new set of records.