Kashton Ford is trying to qualify for his first NFR in 2026, and a big win in Preston, Idaho, is helping the cause.
Bareback rider Kashton Ford has been collecting checks all summer and putting together big-time rides. Now, the 20-year-old bareback rider is putting himself in position to make his first trip to Las Vegas this December.
Ford added another big win to his 2026 season at That Famous Preston Night Rodeo in Preston, Idaho, riding Legacy Pro Rodeo's No Flakin Excuse for 86.5 points. The ride was good enough to win the rodeo and nearly $5,000, giving the Sturgis, South Dakota, cowboy another boost in his push toward possibly his Wrangler National Finals Rodeo debut.
Right behind Ford in Preston was NFR qualifer Jacek Frost with 85.5 points. A tie at third and fourth was Cooper Cooke and Donny Proffit with 85 points. There was another tie for the fifth and sixth place spots with 83 points by Roedy Farrell and Keenan Hayes. Darien Johnson and Blayn Hughston both picked up checks too to round out the top eight.
Kashton Ford is currently sitting No. 15 in the PRCA World Standings and has already crossed the $100,000 mark in season earnings. With the regular season running through September 30, there is still plenty of money left to be won and plenty of opportunity for the standings to change.
Ford is making sure he is on the right side of those changes.
The Preston win was just one part of a strong week. He followed it with a third-place finish in Logan, Utah, and a fourth-place finish in Afton, Wyoming. Three checks in a matter of days can make a difference this time of year, especially for a cowboy sitting right around the NFR bubble.
Ford has been building toward this position all season. Earlier this year, he finished second at Rodeo Salinas and added another second place finish in Sheridan, Wyoming. He finished third in Reno, took second at the Dutton Ranch Darby Xtreme Bareback and added another runner up finish in Logandale, Nevada. He also won a round at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo during the winter.
His biggest win of the year came at the CINCH World's Toughest Rodeo in Laughlin, Nevada, where he took the win.
Those are only some of the biggest checks Ford has collected. There have been plenty of other smaller paydays along the way, all adding up to a season that has pushed him over six figures and into the middle of the NFR race.
For a young bareback rider trying to make his first trip to Las Vegas, that consistency is what is most important. The race is far from over. Sitting No. 15 is not comfortable because this means Ford still has plenty of work to do, but he has given himself a chance with the kind of summer that can change a career.
Through it all, Ford has continued to point back to the same foundation, and that is his faith. God comes first for Kashton, and that belief has been a major part of the way he approaches his career and the opportunity in front of him.
Now the goal is to keep spurring, keep collecting checks, and be ready to climb in the famous yellow chutes this December. Las Vegas is still a long way from Preston, but with every big win like that, Ford is getting closer to the goal.
