The conversation shifted in Round 7 in a big way when Kassie Mowry picked up her fourth straight NFR go-round win, while No. 1 in the World Standings race and aggregate, Hailey Kinsel downed her first two barrels of competition.

The gasp heard throughout the Thomas & Mack was audible whenever No. 1 in the World Standings race, Hailey Kinsel blasted into the arena and drug over the first barrel, then took the third down.

All eyes turned to Kassie Mowry, who entered the arena three runners after Kinsel. They knew that the gap was rapidly closing between the two athletes who have locked up all seven round wins between themselves, and there were already downed barrels with aggregate impacts in the round.

Mowry turned her first barrel tight, brushing it with her leg, but not rocking it coming out.

“I probably should have leg lifted there,” Mowry said. “But my hip was level with the barrel, so I don’t even know if I could have.”

Below: full round analysis, plus listen to Mowry watch her Round 7 run for the first time.

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World Standings Watch: Mowry, Kinsel and Otero

Kinsel’s errors bumped her from No. 1 to No. 7 in the aggregate—a hypothetical $14,670.22 check for her 104.61 seconds on seven runs, while Mowry moved up by position to No. 4 overall with her 98.73—a projected $40,750.62 check. If the race ended after Round 7, that position would put Mowry at $401,029 projected earnings and Kinsel at $381,994, landing Mowry in range of her first gold buckle.

But with $33,687 on the line every night and a ton of money in the placing holes, it’s far from over.

On the horizon, Carlee Otero has ascended at breakneck speed from the No. 14 position entering the pack, staying just below the headlines every night and collecting $125,188.43 across the rounds so far. Her second-place finish in Round 2 only helped her cause with the $26,623 payoff.

Even more incredibly, Otero earned the win with an injury she received before Round 6.

“I got kicked last night before the barrel race and fractured my pelvis,” Otero said. “I’m a bit sore, but there isn’t any internal bleeding. I’m going to tough it out with medication until we can get home to get some rest.”

Otero’s placed in five of the first seven NFR go-rounds and is holding down No. 5 in the aggregate–a $29,340.45 check that would put her projected earnings at $267,417 and third in the world if the race ended on Dec. 11

Now, that means she’d lack $129,247 behind Kinsel and $133,612 behind Mowry if nothing changed, but let’s refer to the massive payouts left up for grabs. With Otero already earning four second-place finishes across seven rounds, she’s had all eyes on the spicy gelding, “Sly.”

But, we’re saying there’s a chance the World Standings race could come down to that tenth round, and the aggregate’s $86,391.31 coveted payout.

Speaking of that aggregate check…Andrea Busby is currently sitting atop the aggregate on seven with a 95.40, ahead of Ashley Castleberry’s No. 2 96.55 seconds. Her projected earnings with that position would land her at $303,770, meaning she’d only be $97,259 behind Mowry’s projected finish.

Stay tuned nightly, because not only will it matter how the World Championship contenders compete every evening, the deciding factor in the gold buckle race might just be in the hands of the rest of the top 15 and their respective defensive, or offensive efforts each night.

Keep up with all NFR results, World Standings updates and aggregate watch here.