William Byron, who ended the NASCAR regular season tied for first in points, spent Wednesday in the Fort Worth Stockyards learning from Professional Bull Riders' Ariat Texas Rattlers. Members of the Rattlers set Bryon up with chaps, gloves, and a hat at Cowtown Coliseum.
"It's just cool to see their mindset, how they prepare and once it happens, how they adapt," Byron says.
Byron did not ride a bull, but he watched members of the Rattlers take a couple bulls out of the chute.
"It's crazy to watch," he says. "It's really cool. I like seeing how each bull's a little bit different and each guy rides different, too."
Byron says the experience was similar to his work in NASCAR, saying his car might drive differently based on a setup or the track, so both he and bull riders learn not to depend on routine.
Texas Rattler Daniel Keeping also saw similarities: both NASCAR drivers and bull riders have to maintain their focus because one distraction could lead to a crash on the track of a bull rider getting knocked off before eight seconds.
"It's important to zone everything out and focus on your job because that's your moment right there," he says. "If you let that moment pass, you don't know when you're going to get another one."
Keeping says that advice can apply to anyone.
"It could be anything. It could be homework, racing cars, riding bulls, jumping out of planes, there's got to be a point in your life when you've got to concentrate on getting it done," he says. "No matter what your age. You could be in your 80s, you could be five, the world is an open game. You should be able to take and run with it any way you want in a positive and great manner. God will bless you at the end of the day, too."
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"For me, once the race starts and for these guys, once they're in the chute, it's pretty much just focus on what matters in that environment," Byron says. "It's cool to see how they do that. When they start gripping the rope and get some of that sticky stuff on their gloves, that's really when they lock-in."
The Texas Rattlers will be at a PBR Teams event in Oklahoma City this weekend. They host Rattler Days presented by Ariat from October sixth through eighth at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs come to Fort Worth September 24 at Texas Motor Speedway.
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