Missouri Thunder brings PBR action home to Thunder Ridge
From dancing and singing to bucking bulls, flying dirt and eight seconds of heart-pounding action, Thunder Ridge Nature Arena came alive Labor Day weekend as crowds filled the venue for Bass Pro Shops PBR Thunder Days presented by DoorDash.
The Sept. 4-6 event brought all 10 PBR Teams to the Ozarks for three days of head-to-head competition, country music and entertainment. Chris Janson kicked off the weekend’s music Friday, while Miranda Lambert took the stage following Saturday night’s bull riding.
Photos by Joelene Powell
For the hometown Missouri Thunder, the weekend ended with a 2-1 record. The Thunder left their home event ranked No. 2 in the PBR Teams standings at 11-6, just 0.55 points behind the first-place Nashville Stampede.
Missouri Thunder rider Kade Madsen was back on his team’s home dirt after returning to professional bull riding following a two-year absence while serving a church mission. Madsen, who joined the Thunder as an 18-year-old in 2023, said this is his third year riding professionally.
“It’s awesome to be back here in Missouri,” Madsen said. “It’s our home event.”
Missouri Thunder General Manager Luke Snyder said the hometown support was felt throughout the weekend.
“We appreciate Missouri, the surrounding communities and all of the fans from far and wide that showed up in a big way to support their home team Thunder,” Snyder said.
“It was a beautiful setting at Johnny Morris’ Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, where we pulled through on a 2-1 weekend advancing our bid for a championship at the half way point in the season. We head to Anaheim, California this week in second place by less than one point. We look forward to seeing everyone back in Ridgedale for the 2027 event!” Snyder said.
With the hometown dirt behind them and the Missouri Thunder sitting No. 2 in the standings, the road to a championship continues. The 2026 PBR Teams Championship is less than two months away, Nov. 6-8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Comments