Riding the bubble for the NFR is not for the faint of heart, but Lightning Aguilera and Wyatt Cox are doing everything they can to stay alive in the 2025 NFR hunt.

Aguilera and Cox are fresh off the New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo win in Albuquerque Sept. 14, for $4,635 apiece which pushed Aguilera to No. 12 and Cox to No. 16 in the PRCA world standings with $111,899.30 and $101,963.92, respectively. With less than two weeks remaining on the regular season, 2022 NFR header Aguilera is all gas, no brakes.

“I’m just trying to catch as many as I can and try to do a good job,” Aguilera,31, said. “I want to finish it out, not back off and just don’t leave nothing on the table. It is what it is; there’s nothing you can do about it other than try to keep winning.”

In the hunt for his first NFR, 2021 BFI Champion Cox is, unfortunately, in familiar territory riding the bubble. In 2024, Cox finished 18th in the world standings, and in 2022 he finished 22nd. And while the bubble is no comfortable place, the California native is finding the positive in everything.

“It’s not my first time kind of being in this spot, and this is the closest I’ve ever been,” Cox, 30, said. “But at the same time, I know that no matter which way it goes, they’re not going to take my birthday away. I used to get really worried about it. We got a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of resources spent trying to get to the Finals. But I’ve not made it every single time that I’ve been in this spot, and I feel like it hasn’t changed me. I know I’m still going to have my horses when I get home, my parents are still going to love me; it’s still going to be all good. So yes, obviously it would be incredible and life changing to make it, but I try to keep the bigger picture in mind.”

Momentum in New Mexico

This time of year, all eyes will be on the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls Sept. 26-28, where a contestant could win up to $50,000. So for teams like Aguilera and Cox who didn’t make the cut, capitalizing elsewhere is what’s keeping them alive. They kicked off the Sept. 11-14, weekend with a 3.5-second run for the Albuquerque, followed by a 4.6 in Washington to split second at the Othello PRCA Rodeo for $1,887 a man.

“It was a much needed weekend,” Aguilera said. “We drew a great steer at Albuquerque, and we used him. It was a much needed run at a much needed time.”

Bubble Breakdown

• The top four from the Cinch Playoff Series Finale in Puyallup (Sept. 4-7) and the top right in the PRCA Playoff Series standings as of Sept. 22, qualify for the Governor’s Cup where a purse of $155,556 is up for grabs on each end
• Aguilera and Cox are not in for Sioux Falls meaning they’ll hit as many regular season rodeos as possible
• Aguilera is No. 12, and four headers behind him have a chance at qualifying for Sioux Falls. Four ahead of him are in for sure, and four ahead of him have a chance.
• Cox is No. 16 with one heeler behind him locked in for Sioux Falls and two with a chance. There are three heelers ahead of him who are locked in and six ahead of him with a shot.

That 3.5 in Albuquerque is only two-tenths of a second off the world record (which Prairie kids Mason Appleton and Rance Doyal set this summer in Nampa, Idaho, with a 3.2), but that it isn’t a one-off run for Aguilera and Cox. Since the team’s inception in April, Aguilera and Cox have been under 4 seconds six times this season, four of which were 3.5 or faster. Going fast was always something Cox worked at.

“I always tried to be a fast heeler, and I think a lot of people around there from where I grew up would tell you that,” Cox said. “And now, I can’t even tell you how many times we went 3 this year. Normally I could count ’em, but [Lightning], he can throw from the box with the best of them. He’s one of the fastest headers in the world, and we get to push the world record, every day. That’s the coolest part I think about this whole deal is every chance, every time we go somewhere, we have a chance to not only win the rodeo, but we have a chance at an arena record and a possible chance at a world record. It’s not off the table.”

That aggressive style can come with a price, however. As bubble boys with six rodeos left in their 2025 season, Aguilera and Cox are sure to run at each steer with a go-for-first mentality. And that’s where the hours in the practice pen come in handy.

“We’ve practiced a lot and prepared,” Aguilera said. “I mean, we rope a lot, all the time, so it should just be another steer. Which, I get it isn’t. But our horses are working good and our run feels pretty good, so I just trusting it and keep going at ’em.”

In their own lane

Aguilera and Cox will rope in Omaha, Nebraska, Sept. 19; Mandan, North Dakota, Sept. 20; Mona, Utah, Sept. 24; Pasadena, Texas, Sept. 25; Poway, California, Sept. 27; and San Bernardino, California, Sept. 28, to round out their year. With an $8,613.85 cushion over No. 16 for Aguilera and just $573.72 separating Cox from the Top 15, it can be easy to think of the what ifs and pay too close attention to the other teams, especially those in Sioux Falls. But having some bubble practice on his side, Cox is choosing to stay excited over the opportunity at hand and not get caught up in the scenarios.

“There’s no way around it because people are going to ask you those questions every day,” Cox admits. “You do get involved a little bit. Everybody asks me how many rodeos I got left, which I got six rodeos left. And I’ve made it known to everybody because it’s not a secret. I’ve roped good this year, but I’ve missed my fair share. If would’ve, could have, should have, if I had caught more of ’em, I wouldn’t be in this predicament. But here we are–that’s just kind of how the cookie crumbles. But I try not to think too hard about what everybody else needs to do. I try to focus on my own plan. Whatever I got going on, if I do my job, it’ll give me the best chance. But I think it’s easy to get wrapped up in the rabbit hole and the ‘Well, they got to do good over here, and they’ve got this many rodeos left and Sioux Falls.’ Sioux Falls plays such a big part in it now that if you’re dreaming up all these scenarios, it can all change in one run up there. That’s what happened to me last year.”

Aguilera is keeping a similar mindset, planning to take it steer by steer.

“At the end of the day, you take it one steer at a time,” Aguilera explained. “You miss one or whatever, it’s not like you can go back and change it; you just to try to do better on the next one. And we’re both out of here trying. It’s not like someone’s trying to mess up or be silly or something. We’re doing the best we can, and that’s all we can do. If we’re blessed enough to get it done, we’re blessed enough to get it done about it.”