Luke Brown and Jade Corkill were on a mission to qualify for Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, and they accomplished their goal Saturday, May 11, 2024, winning the WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi.

Brown and Corkill stopped the clock in the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round—comprised of the three fastest teams from the Showdown Round—in 6.0 seconds to take home the $15,000 win, solidify their seats on the Free Riders team at Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo and take home the coveted Rodeo Corpus Christi surfboards. Brown, who has 14 NFR qualifications to his name, was determined to get the opportunity to rope at AT&T Stadium.

“When I got the (Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo) draft, I didn’t get drafted—which I wasn’t expecting to, but I was really wanting to go,” Brown, 49, explained. “So that day I decided I was going to do everything I had to do to get there. I got to rope with Jade here, so It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it.”

Three-time World Champion Corkill also had a fire lit under him, and he’s excited for the opportunity.

“When I got the draft back, it made me want to go even worse,” Corkill, 36, said. “So, I called Luke and said, ‘Who you got at Corpus Christi? Because I want in the Kid Rock rodeo.’ It’s always fun when the plan comes together. It could have went either way, but I like our chances anyway.”

From Wild Card to $15,000

Brown and Corkill started their trek to the Rodeo Corpus Christi title Wednesday, May 8, in the Wild Card Round. They finished third with a 5.71 to advance to the Progressive Round and pocket $611.11.

“It was pretty good,” Brown said. “We started out in the Wild Card, drew a good steer, made a good run and just kept progressing as it went. Just kept catching.”

They kicked off the Progressive Round with a 4.77-second run Thursday, May 9, to win third for $1,000. In Progressive Round 2 they slipped a leg to be out of the round money, but their 16.23 on two steers was good enough to win second in the average for $3,500 and secure them a spot in the Showdown Round May 11. Drawing up toward the bottom of majority of the performances allowed them to know what needed to be done in order to win, including in the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round.

“We kind of knew what we needed to do most of the time,” Corkill said. “So that’s why I wasn’t worried about getting a leg, because it didn’t affect us in any way. It was pretty simple, really. Just getting to go at the end was probably the biggest thing; you know what you have to do, and you either do it or you don’t.”

READ: Luke Brown’s Breakout Pendleton Round-Up Win in 2008

Brown and Corkill topped the Showdown Round, featuring seven teams, with a 4.75 to move on to the final round. They were the last team to rope in the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round, and as they watched a leg and a barrier hit the scoreboard, they knew what they needed to do.

“It could have been fast it could have gone either way,” Brown said. “Steers were really good in the last round. I honestly thought we’d probably have to make a pretty decent run, but we’d already ran the cow one time, and I knew what he was and I was excited to get to run him because I kind of had a plan in mind.”

Brown rode Buda, the 15-year-old gray gelding he recently won The American Rodeo on. On the heel side, Corkill rode Bodak Yellow, the same gelding that helped him win Progressive Round 3 of Rodeo Corpus Christi in 2023.

Ready to rock

During their trip inside the American Bank Center, Brown and Corkill raked in $20,111.11. Brown and Corkill will be joined at Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo May 17, by Jake Smith and Douglas Rich. As for the pair of roping veterans, they believe the setup inside AT&T Stadium will feel familiar—and they’re looking forward to it.

“I think it’ll be super fun,” Brown said. “It’s going to be a short barrier; it can’t be a long setup or anything. So it’ll be an NFR feel, and that’s my favorite feel ever. So, I’m so pumped. I can’t wait.”

Showdown Round results

Triple Crown of Rodeo Round results