The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) is the "major league" tour of Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions. It is a 30-city event series culminating in the PBR World Finals every year in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The top 35 riders of the PBR compete in the BFTS with the rankings determined by points won. Only the top 35 riders in the points standings can achieve seeded positions on the tour, while riders below that standard may need to ride on one of the PBR's minor league tours (the Touring Pro Division or the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour) in order to earn their way back onto the BFTS tour.
This tour was called the Bud Light Cup (BLC) tour until 2003, when the Ford Motor Company became the principal sponsor, using the long-time slogan for their trucks. It started off with 9 events in its inaugural season of 1994, increasing the number of cities visited over the years, with 28 starting in 1999, and increased to 30 in 2005. There are 27 BFTS events in the 2016 season, as well as the World Finals in Las Vegas.
During select events, there is also a special round of bull riding, separate from the main rounds, called the "15/15 Bucking Battle", in which the top 15 riders on the BFTS (based on points at the time of the event) face off against some of the top bulls in an attempt to earn additional points. While they don't count towards the event itself, any extra points earned count towards their position on the BFTS standings.
PBR World Finals
At the conclusion of every regular season, the top 35 riders in the world (based on the number of points earned) as well as the top finishers from the PBR's international tours (Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico) are invited to compete at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. From 1994 to 1998, the Finals took place at the MGM Grand Arena, then moved to the Thomas & Mack Center from 1999 to 2015. Since 2016, the Finals are held at the T-Mobile Arena.