Art Ray competed in bull riding and bareback bronc riding from 1970s through 1991. Throughout his rodeo career, he competed in all of the major rodeos and won money at many of them including Reno, Kissimmee, Cody, Cheyenne, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. His biggest win was in Albuquerque.
Among his many accomplishments were two trips to the NFR in bull riding in 1979 and 1980. At the Lone Star Bull Riding Circuit Championship in 1978, he rode Steiner’s Red Lightening, the Bucking Bull of the Year.