With just a handful of points separating the Top 3 guys and nine regular season events remaining, the 20-year-old phenom sits No. 1 in the world. Health and consistency could decide the 2026 gold buckle race.
The 2026 PBR Unleash The Beast season is officially at a turning point and at the top of the standings is 20 year old Decatur, Texas man, John Crimber.
As the tour heads to Jacksonville for Stop No. 10, the World Championship race is very thin. Crimber sits No. 1 in the standings, but the margin is anything but comfortable for the young talent.
Crimber, Dalton Kasel and Clay Guiton are separated by just 34.5 points. The Top 11 riders are within 250 points of John in the lead. Every rider ranked inside the Top 10 is converting at 50% or better this season. That really goes to show, there is no room for error.
Crimber claimed the No. 1 ranking for the first time this season following a runner-up finish in Salt Lake City. He missed his second straight win by just 2.65 points. He has ridden seven of his last eight bulls dating back to the Tampa event. This includes a perfect 4 for 4 showing in Sacramento.
The numbers say he is riding as well as anyone on tour. The only question is his health.
Crimber exited Pittsburgh looking pretty banged up and sore after going 0 for 2 that weekend. According to PBR’s James Phillips, the concern isn’t talent and ability at all, but how he’s feeling and moving.
“Margin of Error takes on the No. 1 bull rider in the world, John Crimber,” Phillips reported ahead of Jacksonville.
“A healthy John Crimber — or even a semi-healthy John Crimber — gets the job done here. We don’t know the full extent of what he’s dealing with, but if he’s in the draw, it’s something he believes he can ride through. That alone speaks to where his confidence level is."
Margin of Error is a great bull and will give Crimber the opportunity he needs in Jacksonville as long as John is feeling up for the task.
That is the reality of where the season stands. In a sport where injury is a "when" not a "if," the guys have to be smart on when to ride through pain, and when to sit the sidelines and heal up for the next one. Crimber knows this reality, and is planning to climb in the chutes.
Crimber is just 20 years old, but this isn’t new territory for him. He has been chasing buckles for a long time. John is the son of 10-time PBR World Finals qualifier Paulo Crimber. Before he turned 19 years old, he was already breaking records and winning titles.
When he was 18, he stole the show winning nine Challenger Series events and finished No. 2 in the world stanindgs. He became the No. 1 overall draft pick and the youngest rider in PBR history to earn $1 million. Then in 2024, Crimber went on to win the PBR Teams MVP and Teams Championship MVP. He repeated in 2025 as the youngest ever two time Regular-Season Live Legendary MVP.
He has proven he belongs at the top. Now the question is whether he can stay there.
With nine regular season Unleash The Beast events remaining after Jacksonville, the race is getting tighter. Every 8 seconds really matters.
Crimber holds the lead, but in a race this tight, nothing is secure just yet.