08/20/2025
Linda's Speedway ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฟ๐๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฉ-๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐ผ๐ ๐พ๐ค-๐ผ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐
Jonestown, PA โ A new voice is coming to the announcer booth at Lindaโs Speedway this Friday night, and for the what is believed to be first time in weekly dirt track racing, it wonโt be a human voice.
Lindaโs Speedway will introduce โAl,โ a real-time, AI-powered co-announcer developed using voice technology from OpenAI, the creators of the popular ChatGPT program. Al will join former track announcer Michael Batz to help call the Mt. Gretna Roller Rink 270 Micro Sprint races, bringing artificial intelligence directly into the flow of a live short track racing broadcast.
โWeโve tried to be on the cutting edge of tech here since the early 2000โs but Iโve never done anything quite like this,โ said Batz. โItโs not pre-recorded. Itโs not reading a script. Al is going to be with me in the booth, reacting to the race and contributing in real time.โ
Al - named both as a play on the capital letters โAIโ and a tongue-in-cheek nod to the person Batz calls, the original AI, Allen Iverson - is powered by OpenAIโs GPTโ4o model. This model uses conversational technology capable of interpreting context, understanding pacing, and speaking naturally with a human voice. The result is something that sounds like a modern broadcast partner.
The idea was born from Batzโs earlier work with Alternative Pod, a company experimenting with AI-hosted podcasting. When track announcer Kasey Kreider noted he would be absent for Fridayโs event Batz saw the opportunity.
The experiment will unfold live during Fridayโs broadcast of the 270 Micro Sprints races. โIf there is any doubt in how serious I take this idea, it should be diminished quickly by the fact that Al will be part of โthe greatest division in auto racingโsโ Friday night program at its โMeccaโ of competitionโ, Batz grinned.
A division once expected to fade away, now at the center of innovation in the sport.
Al will not replace a human announcer, but instead interact with Batz throughout the night, offering context, statistics, and commentary as the races unfold. Batz says the goal is to explore what it looks like when tradition and technology meet in the booth and maybe, to have a little fun doing it.
The on track Friday Night Lineup will feature the previously mentioned 270 Micro Sprints, along with the 600 Modifieds, Front Wheel Drive Cars, PA Micro Midgets, Legends, plus the Christmas in July 270 Micro Sprint Make-Up Feature from July 25
Admission to the grandstand is just $5 for adults and kids ages 6 through 12 is $3. Five and under are free. Gates Open: 5:00 PM with Hot Laps: 7:00 PM
Canโt make it to the track? Fans can stream the entire night via The Cushion, which you can watch with a subscription or a single-race package for this event at $20.99 . Viewers will hear Al live in the booth with Batz during the night of racing; making it one of if not the first AI-voiced weekly short track broadcast of its kind. Visit www.thecushion.com for full access details.
If you curious and want to Learn More there will be a special episode of Batzโs podcast, Mikโd Up about the venture. Planned to air Thursday, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how Al was developed, what AI really is, and how this all came together. The episode will also serve as a preview of Fridayโs race night.
A quick note to fans that may be concerned about speedway announcer Kasey Kreider. To answer the obvious question, Kasey isnโt going anywhere! Well, he is this week, but he will return next week. We wish him safe travels as he embarks on a gathering of emerging journalists focused on analyzing the long-term cultural impact of the 2006 Kelly Clarkson Breakaway Tour.
Lindaโs Speedwayโs history is held dear along with the tradition that lives inside the walls of 50 years of in Jonestown. This Friday, that tradition meets the future, and a place that has given us so many memories will offer another!
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