Bob Tattersall grew up hard.
At only seven, he saw his kid brother hit and killed by an automobile. Born July 27, 1924, the Great Depression molded his formative years. And then, just months after graduating high school, World War II broke out.
He joined the Army, and during training, he and a buddy went AWOL. Hoping to avoid discipline, they volunteered for the famed 82nd Airborne. That worked, but Tattersall landed in some of the war’s fiercest battles.
He parachuted into Normandy, the Ardennes Forest and the Rhineland. On a jump into Belgium, he shattered his knee. Surrounded by the enemy, a local family hid him from the Nazis in a flour barrel. In yet another battle, he was captured but managed to escape. For his heroic service, Tattersall received a Purple Heart, both the Bronze and Silver Stars, and a Presidential Citation for bravery.
When the hostilities ended, Tattersall turned that warrior spirit toward auto racing and rose to icon status.
Starting in stock cars on the short tracks around his Streator, Illinois, hometown, he won 27 of 29 features in one stretch and gravitated to the cars that eventually carried him to the Hall of Fame — Midgets.
Racing with the UARA at Chicago’s Joliet Stadium, his success caught the attention of Frank Paverse, the owner of a fleet of Ford V8-60 powered midgets. Once they teamed up, Tattersall proved nearly unstoppable. He dominated everywhere.
On large or small tracks, dirt or pavement, he consistently took the checker in front. He became such a “B” circuit force that he gained the nickname ‘King of the Outlaws.’
In 1955, Paverse and Tattersall tried their hand with the highly competitive AAA circuit. Lightly regarded, at Terre Haute, Tattersall won his 10-lap heat while second-place, defending AAA Midwest champion, Rex Eaton, was just entering turn three.
Car owners demanded that officials tear down the Ford for inspection. Despite the protests of an enraged Paverse, known to be as fiery as his driver, they did. It was legal, and Tattersall easily took the 30-lap feature.
Tattersall joined the newly formed USAC in 1956 but kept running primarily with outlaw organizations. The money was too good to turn down. In 1957 and 1959, he romped to UARA titles.
However, 1958 proved to be a watershed year for him. That’s when he made his maiden trip to New Zealand and Australia.
The media there nicknamed him “Two Gun Tattersall” because he usually appeared in cowboy boots and western clothing. The press loved him, with even the non-sporting media covering him extensively. He became a star “Down Under,” and was very much the catalyst for midget racing’s immense popularity growth there.
Empire Speedways Director John Sherwood told of taking Tattersall to lunch at the rather stuffy Royal Automobile Club of Australia in downtown Sydney.
“He was dressed in cowboy attire,” recalled Sherwood, “and it didn’t take long for him to become the center of attention as he preached the virtues of midget racing to his awed audience. He was bawdy and profane, but his charisma made him an instant celebrity, and that grew the sport tremendously.”
In 13 trips to Australia, Tat won an astounding 50 percent of his races.
However, those trips often interfered with the start of the USAC championship season. As a result, though he often won more features than the champion, the missed races cost him multiple championships.
Although he amassed 63 USAC career midget feature wins, he didn’t capture the coveted USAC National Championship until 1969.
Like many racers of that era, Indianapolis was a goal. Tattersall got his shot in 1966. However, the car was of questionable quality, and he didn’t qualify.
His prospects for a 1967 500 attempt looked promising. But after days of intense pain, his buddy, Bobby Grim, hauled him to Methodist Hospital. Tests revealed a cancerous kidney. Its removal aborted that year’s speedway attempt, and he never returned.
Tattersall was a fabled partier, his happenings generating near-mythical tales. At a race in Australia, he severely burned his legs. So, friends weren’t surprised when he didn’t show for a post-race pool party. Suddenly, on the roof of the motel, he appeared. With a towel for a cape and plastic bags tied around his legs to protect the burns, he plunged into the pool. A Tattersall grand entrance.
The cancer returned, but Tattersall kept racing. He made one last trip to Australia in 1971. Decimated, he ran his last race at Liverpool City Raceway in late April. Back home, he passed on October 27.
