Time Trial Series Race At Linda’s To Honor Inaugural National Open Winner, Judi Bates
Story By: MIKE BATZ / LINDA’S SPEEDWAY – JONESTOWN, PA – The lights shine once again at Linda’s Speedway for the 50th Season Opener on Friday, April 4, 2025.
Fans will be treated to a full night of racing featuring 270 and 600 Micro Sprints, Junior Slingshots, and Chargers. Gates open at 5 PM, with hot laps at 7 PM. General Admission remains just $5, making it one of the most affordable nights of family entertainment in the region.
The 270 Micro Sprints, presented this season by Mt. Gretna Roller Rink, will race on opening night. But while the spotlight is on Opening Night, it’s next Friday’s race that now carries a deeper meaning for the smoke throwers.
What was originally slated as “Mike’s Birthday Bash” on April 11 will now carry a new title as the speedway holds a Tribute to Judi Bates.
The race, which kicks off the Skeet Craft Collision 270 Micro Sprint Time Trial Series, has been renamed to honor Judi Bates— the first-ever winner of the prestigious Linda’s Speedway National Open, the first female 410 Sprint Car winner in Central PA history. Known for her number 121 in sprint cars and breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations, Bates is, in every sense of the phrase, “a rare one.”
Bates, always known as a fierce competitor, has more recently battled an aggressive form of cancer. Yesterday, her longtime partner Jack Mourar shared a heartfelt update that Judi has entered home hospice. The courage she has shown throughout her career continues even now. Our hearts are with Judi and her family as they face this difficult road with the same spirit she brought to the track.
Across decades, Judi Bates collected checkered flags in divisions where women rarely raced, let alone won. Whether in micros, sprints, or history books, she left a mark. Her 2005 win at Port Royal Speedway made headlines as she broke another barrier, capturing a 410 sprint feature in front of a stunned and electrified crowd. She symbolizes the strength of someone who never waited for permission to be great.
Linda’s Speedways Michael Batz, who had originally planned the event as a personal birthday celebration, made the call to change course:
“Anyone who knows me knows that the National Open is ‘it’ for me. Judi was the first. She needs to know that her place in history here will last forever. We can’t wait any longer to pay homage. This is the moment.”
As for the connection between Judi Bates and the National Open, it runs deeper than just being the first winner. Judi’s birthday—October 16—falls around the same weekend the National Open is traditionally run. It’s as if her story was always meant to be tied to Linda’s Speedway.
