The Missouri bull rider topped the field aboard Crazy Socks while continuing a strong early-season run toward a fifth National Finals Rodeo qualification.
The Lufkin Xtreme Bull Bash was an exciting night of bull riding in East Texas, and it was Creek Young who rose to the top.
The 25 year old Missouri cowboy scored 88 points aboard Crazy Socks to claim the win and a paycheck of $10,840.
The win adds another highlight to what is shaping up to be a strong start to the 2026 season, as Young continues his push toward a return to the National Finals Rodeo. Currently he is sitting No. 14 in the PRCA world standings. Young is chasing what would be his fifth NFR qualification.
A Comeback Year
The start of a new year is some encouragement for Young. He was on a roll for four straight years qualifying for the NFR. He was pursuing it dreams, and doing it well. He had a gold buckle in sight. But all of his goals got put on pause at the end of the 2024 season.
After a strong regular season that year, Young finished with just over $131,000 won. This was enough to qualify for his fourth straight NFR. However, a season ending injury suffered in September forced him to sit out in Las Vegas despite earning his spot for the 4th year in a rough.
This was a hard pill to swallow and a tough setback for a rider who had built impressive career very early on.
Creek first made headlines in 2021, when he won the Resistol Rookie of the Year title and made the NFR the same year finishing fifth in the world standings. He followed that with finishes of 11th in 2022 and sixth in 2023.
Now Young is healthy and back in the arena and the Missouri cowboy is once again climbing the PRCA standings.
The win in Lufkin isn’t the only highlight of Young’s season so far. In February, he claimed victory at the Cinch World's Toughest Rodeo stop in St. Paul, Minnesota, and followed it with a second place finish in Raleigh during another stop on the tour.
Those results, combined with his Lufkin victory, have helped position him inside the Top 15 early in the year. Creek also won the second round of my set at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo where he was 89 points. He not only has been winning, but he is riding really correct and well, and putting up big scores.
Young is also entering a major personal milestone in 2026, as the bull rider recently became engaged and is planning to get married later this year. With a wedding on the horizon and a hopeful return to Las Vegas in sight, the Missouri cowboy is hoping 2026 becomes one of the biggest seasons of his career and his life.
Young’s 88-point ride on Crazy Socks was enough for the top spot, but not far behind him was Colten Byram who finished second with 87.5 points. Colten earnined $8,405 for this win. The Kansas cowboy currently sits No. 7 in the world standings and is working toward what could be his first NFR qualification come December.
Third place went to Lane Vaughan, who scored 86.5 points for $6,318. Clayton Sellars finished fourth with 83.5 points, followed by Dylan Rice in fifth with 83 points. Tipton Wilson rounded out the top six with 82 points.