What started as a last-minute decision at the goat roping pen turned into a $61,900 win for Rainen Virden, of San Angelo, Texas, and Chase Massengill, of Tonopah Basin, Arizona, at the 2026 Cinch USTRC National Finals.
The pair roped four steers in 29.74 seconds to win the YETI #10.5 Shootout.
After celebrating with his crew, 15-year-old Virden struggled to find the words.
“I don’t know how to feel,” Virden said. “This is kind of unreal.”
The win came after a week that didn’t start their way.
Riding “Ferguson,” his 8-year-old gelding he’s had for about six months, Virden trusted his horse through runs of 8.05, 6.89 and 6.04 to take the high-call position into the short round.
“That was three days ago,” Virden said of earlier misses. “There’s a lot that’s happened since then. All you’ve got to do is shake it off and go get the next one.”
Massengill, 36, leaned on the same mindset—and a borrowed heel horse.
“You’ve got to be a goldfish—you’ve got to have a short memory,” Massengill said. “I quit making excuses and just decided to go find the feet.”
Riding “Sunny,” a 5-year-old owned by Mason Johnson and one he’s had success on earlier this year, Massengill stayed aggressive through the first three rounds.
In the short round, things got western.
After Virden stuck the head, Sunny stumbled and the steer got heavy, turning what became an 8.76 into a scramble.
“I just told myself don’t panic—and then full panic set in,” Massengill said with a laugh. “I just made sure I put it on the ground as hard as I could.”
When the flag dropped, it all set in.
“It’s like getting a monkey off your back,” Massengill said.
For Virden, the timing couldn’t have been better.
“I told him I’d rope if I won,” he said with a grin. “I hadn’t won yet, but I’m sure glad I went ahead and entered.”
Turns out, that was a pretty good plan.