August 02, 2025
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Streator racing legend will be honored Tuesday

Event scheduled at Tattersall mural on Main Street

By Derek Barichello

The Bob Tattersall mural on the east wall at 103 S. Sterling St. was painted during the Walldogs festival. The mural artwork was designed by Mike McEvers. (Derek Barichello - dbarichello@shawmedia.com)

Do you know the story of Bob Tattersall?

The Streator resident was a national midget racing legend, becoming popular in Austria and New Zealand as well as in the United States.

In 2018, Tattersall was commemorated in a mural on the east wall of Homebaker Automotive building in Streator, underneath the Goodyear ghost sign.

The Indiana Racing Memorial Association will dedicate a plaque in his honor at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the Tattersall mural at 500 E Main St. The public is invited to attend the event.

Tattersall started racing stock cars in 1948, but switched to the smaller midget car in 1950. With the nickname “Two Gun,” Tattersall was known for being a risk taker on the track. His wife Dee said in a previous interview he’d like to kick up dirt on the tracks.

Tattersall’s highlights include a first place finish in the USAC National Series in 1969; a first place finish in the SA Speedcar Champinship in 1968; a second place finish in the USAC National Midget Series in 1965; a second place finish in the Queensland Speedcar Championship in 1961; a first place finish in the Blue Island Raceway Park Midgets in 1959; and a first place finish in the SA Speedcar Championship in 1959.

Tattersall died in 1971 of cancer, but his memory carries on in the racing world.

The Indiana Racing Memorial Association, Inc., is a non-profit organization whose mission is to recognize the historically significant individuals, events, locations, and race tracks across not only Indiana, but also around the country.