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February 19, 2025FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ararat, VA – Dirt track racing is back in a big way at Ararat BullRing! The track, previously known as Rolling Thunder Raceway and, more recently, Ararat Thunder Raceway in 2021, is roaring back to life under the leadership of new track promoter Langley Austin. The 2025 season marks the official rebirth of the facility as Ararat BullRing, bringing a full schedule of high-intensity racing action from April through November.
“This isn’t just another season—it’s the rebirth of a track that’s meant so much to racers and fans over the years,” said Langley Austin, promoter of Ararat BullRing. “We’re working hard to bring this place back to life and give it the heartbeat it deserves. The BullRing will be a place where hard-nosed racers battle it out, and fans feel that old-school dirt track excitement again.”
The season kicks off on Saturday, April 26th, with the Running of the Bulls Opening Night, setting the tone for an adrenaline-fueled year. Marquee events include the Battle of the BullRing (May 10th), Red Clay Rumble (June 21st), and the Commonwealth Dirt Classic (July 26th), while holiday specials like Red, White & Boom! on July 4th and the Labor Day Classic on September 1st promise big nights for fans.
The championship chase will culminate on Saturday, October 4th, with Championship Night, before the season wraps up with the highly anticipated BullRing Nationals in November (date TBA).
“Our goal is to make this track thrive again,” Austin added. “This place has had many names over the years, but now, it’s Ararat BullRing. We’re bringing back the spirit of old-school short track racing, giving racers a place to shine and fans a place to cheer for their favorites.”
2025 Ararat BullRing Race Schedule:
📅 Saturday, April 26th – Running of the Bulls (Opening Night)📅 Saturday, May 10th – Battle of the BullRing📅 Saturday, May 24th – Remembering Heroes Night📅 Saturday, June 7th – Fan Appreciation Night📅 Saturday, June 21st – Red Clay Rumble🎆 Friday, July 4th – Red, White & Boom! (4th of July Special)📅 Saturday, July 12th – Ararat Dirt Nationals📅 Saturday, July 26th – Commonwealth Dirt Classic📅 Saturday, August 9th – SummerSlam📅 Saturday, August 23rd – BattleGround🏁 Monday, September 1st – Labor Day Classic📅 Saturday, September 20th – Dirt Track Wars🏆 Saturday, October 4th – Championship Night🔜 November (TBA) – BullRing Nationals
As the BullRing reclaims its place on the dirt racing map, racers and fans alike can look forward to an authentic, no-holds-barred grassroots racing experience. Be part of the action and witness history as Ararat BullRing comes alive once again.
For more information, visit https://araratbullring.com/ or check out Ararat BullRing on Facebook, TikTok, X and Instagram. [...]
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February 8, 2025Ararat, VA – Racing fans, start your engines! A brand-new podcast, BullRing Banter, is set to hit the airwaves, bringing the excitement and energy of the legendary Ararat BullRing directly to fans, racers, and supporters. This podcast will serve as the official voice of the historic 3/10-mile dirt track, known affectionately as “the little bullring in the mountains,” as it undergoes a thrilling rebirth ahead of the 2025 racing season.
Hosted by track promoter Langley Austin, BullRing Banter will keep listeners up to speed on the latest developments at Ararat BullRing. From track improvements and rule updates to race previews and recaps, this podcast will provide an all-access pass to everything happening at the heart of Virginia’s grassroots racing scene.
“We’re bringing the Ararat BullRing back to life, and this podcast will be a key part of keeping our racing community informed and engaged,” said Austin. “We want to give fans and racers an inside look at the hard work going into the 2025 season and, once the green flag drops, bring them closer to the action than ever before.”
Austin is no stranger to the short track racing world. He founded RACE22.com, a well-respected short track news and media outlet covering asphalt stock car racing up and down the East Coast. He is also the host and entrepreneur behind the Pit Chatter Podcast and Pit Chatter Media, and many other racing-related ventures. Additionally, he spent much of the last decade as the promoter at Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, VA, before making the shift to dirt track promotion at Ararat BullRing. Austin also previously hosted RACE22 Radio and currently operates RACE22 Tees, an industry leader in custom t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and more for local racers, short tracks, and race events.
Listeners can expect in-depth discussions on upcoming events, behind-the-scenes insights, and exclusive interviews with racers, crew members, media personalities, and even passionate fans of the BullRing. Whether you’re a veteran dirt-track racer or a die-hard fan in the grandstands, BullRing Banter promises to be your go-to source for all things Ararat BullRing.
The podcast will be available on all major streaming platforms, with episodes dropping regularly leading up to the highly anticipated 2025 season.
For updates and to tune in to BullRing Banter, follow Ararat BullRing on social media and visit https://araratbullring.com/.
About Ararat BullRing:Nestled in the mountains of Ararat, Virginia, the Ararat BullRing is a beloved 3/10-mile dirt track that has long been a staple of grassroots racing in the region. Known for its high-energy competition and passionate fan base, the track is making a much-anticipated return in 2025 under the leadership of Langley Austin. [...]
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January 13, 2025The dirt track located in Ararat, VA has been shuttered since the end of the 2021 season, but 2025 will bring the roar of racing engines back to the little bullring.
The track formerly Rolling Thunder Raceway and Ararat Thunder Raceway will now be known as the Ararat BullRing. Coupling the location and the nickname of the facility into the new name with a raging bull for a mascot just fits the 3/10-mile red clay oval.
The track will be operated by a promoter with deep ties to short track racing, but primarily of the asphalt variety. Langley Austin, who most recently promoted Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, VA for the last decade, and founded RACE22.com, the leading short track media for asphalt Late Model Stock Car racing.
Just because his background is in asphalt, doesn’t make Austin a stranger to dirt racing, aside from being a big fan of dirt track racing, Austin has covered dirt track racing as a media member and working public relations for area dirt tracks in the past. Austin is excited about this opportunity to operate Ararat and work in the dirt racing world.
“Dirt track racing is easily the most entertaining form of short track racing,” said Austin. “I’ve been a fan for years and haven’t spent many Friday nights in the stands at Ararat enjoying some great racing. I talked to Gary (Nester owner of Ararat) for the first time about running the track in 2014, but it took 11 years to make it happen.
I’m looking forward to the opportunity. This track is one of the raciest tracks around and I’ve hated to see it closed down the last three seasons. With me and my family moving on from Franklin County, it opened the door for this opportunity to happen.”
Austin says that he has a lot of work to do but thinks he has an enthusiastic group of racers ready to help put the show on for the fans.
“These local racers have been abandoned by the local tracks in recent years,” Austin explained. “These guys have been having to travel all over the place to race, some two and three hours to race. Luckily some had touring series to follow around but traveling all the time to race just isn’t feasible for most local racers. Having a home track back will allow them to hopefully race more and they seem eager to keep a close to home track open.”
One big change for the track this season will be the night of racing. In the past, Ararat has been a Friday night track but with no other area tracks operating, Saturday night will be the night of operation for 2025.
“Saturday nights just make sense,” Austin quipped. “It’s hard to race on any other night of the week to start with. This track has been behind the 8-ball from the day it opened because of trying to stay off race nights of other area tracks. Saturday night will give more people the chance to race and hopefully will lead to strong car counts in all divisions.”
Opening night is set for Saturday, April 26th with the full schedule set to be released in the coming weeks as the new management works through scheduling, divisions, rules, tires and a plethora of other details with the season opener under three months away.
“We’ve got a lot to figure out in a short time here, but I’ve done this before and the racers here have been great so far,” concluded Austin. “These guys just want a place to race, and I think we can give them that and build this place up over the next few years to put Ararat back on the map.”
More details will be released when available over the coming weeks. The best place to find out information on Ararat BullRing is on our new website at https://araratbullring.com/ and on our new facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AraratBullRing.
Cover Photo by: Rebecca L. Perry [...]
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