All over social media and in the news, the headlines have rang out that barrel racer Stephanie Fryar has a chance to win $1 million overnight at Rodeo Corpus Christi on May 7-11 2024, but we’re going to explain why and how Fryar came face-to-face with the opportunity through the World Champions Rodeo Alliance.
But many fans missed the base explanation of the WCRA format, so here’s the answers to all your questions about why Stephanie Fryar is running for $1 million at Rodeo Corpus Christi.
In the WCRA, there has been an incentive dangling in front of athletes’ eyes for the past several years: Three WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo event wins in a row, and the athlete receives a million-dollar bonus, plus their earnings from each event as they win.
Fryar’s been a longtime supporter of the WCRA and found success through their major events across the country, but her path to the million began when she won the inaugural Rodeo Carolina—the highest-paying rodeo to ever take place East of the Mississippi River— aboard her sorrel gelding, Some Streakin French, known as “Fast Frank,” or “Frank.” That win happened in October 2023.
Learn more about Stephanie Fryar.
- Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket: The Steph Fryar Tales, Part 1
- I Was Almost a Team Roper: The Steph Fryar Tales, Part 2
- I Had to Lose to Make the NFR: The Steph Fryar Tales, Part 3
- Can Imaginary Drills Fix Common Barrel Racing Problems?
She took that $15,000 victory and maintained momentum until the next Triple Crown of Rodeo event at Guthrie, Oklahoma’s Stampede at the E in January 2024 on Frank. She earned $15,000 for that win, too.
And that’s when folks started paying attention. With two out of three wins under her belt, all eyes looked to the next Triple Crown of Rodeo event: Rodeo Corpus Christi. The Texas native, Fryar, is already seeded through the first round of competition at the South Texas rodeo and will compete this week for the championship surfboard. If she emerges victorious after the tournament-style event concludes on May 11, the $1 million bonus will be all hers, which would make her the first overnight millionaire in the history of rodeo.
RC Landingham clinched his $1 million bonus at the WCRA’s Cowtown Christmas back in Dec. 2022, and separate from the WCRA organization, barrel racers watched Brandon Cullins take home $1.1 million from The American Rodeo in Mar. 2024.
