 Drury made the trip in 2000 to Las Vegas, as a contestant in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), and won a national ranking of 10th place.He won the Reno Rodeo championship in 2001, which set an arena record.Drury started experiencing back pain (as a result of the cancer that would claim his life) later that year, but he fought through it, and he almost qualified for the NFR again, finishing 19th in the national rankings for the year.