Du Quoin, Illinois (August 27, 2024)………The Bateman Racing Team out of Murphysboro, Illinois has had a love affair with the big cars of USAC’s Silver Crown National Championship Series that goes back over 40 years.
As all good things must come to an end, so must the relationship the team has with championship dirt car racing.
Team principal Patty Bateman announced at Springfield this would be the last season for the team with the Ted Horn 100 at Du Quoin likely the last event for the familiar number 55.
Randy Bateman worked as a pipefitter and built and repaired racecars when he wasn’t driving them. Midgets and sprint cars were part of his stable for some time, but he is perhaps best known for piloting one of the long wheelbase, big tail championship machines, usually confining his activities to the three dirt miles of the time: Indianapolis, Springfield and the one closest to home, Du Quoin’s Magic Mile.
Randy’s first attempt at Du Quoin came in September of 1982. Randy qualified 51st out of 56 entries but wasn’t able to gain entry through the qualifying race.
On September 5, 1983, one of the mighty uprights rolled onto Du Quoin’s Magic Mile carrying Murphysboro’s Randy Bateman. He qualified 34th out of 48 cars that day and was relegated to one of the two “last chance” races. He finished third ahead of stalwarts such as Billy Vukovich and Joe Saldana, both of whom started in the Indianapolis 500. Bateman made the 1983 Ted Horn 100, starting 25th, a considerable accomplishment for a Rookie driver. The storybook ending was not to be, however, as a faulty clutch sidelined the car after 21 miles. Bateman finished exactly where he started in 25th.
Bateman’s appearances at the other mile tracks were limited by funding and work. He was a 12-time starter of the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, finishing as high as ninth in 2002. He also made 12 starts in the Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds with a best finish of 17th.
Resources were generally geared toward making the show at Du Quoin and make the show he did! Bateman made a total of 16 starts before the home crowd and achieved an outside front row qualification run in 2008, which brought the house down. Perhaps, fittingly, his best finish came in his last start, a 13th in 2014.
The effects of ALS took Randy out of the cockpit as wife Patty and brother Mark continued the racing team. Randy attended when he could and watched as Brian Tyler took his car to third-place finish in the 2015 Hoosier Hundred. Sadly, the effects of ALS took its toll and Randy passed away in January of 2017.
Patty and Mark soldiered on, hiring Casey Shuman who gave the car several good runs to earn USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year honors in 2016. Ultimately, they settled on 2008 USAC Silver Crown champion Jerry Coons Jr. as their wheelman. Jerry has managed a couple of top-five finishes at Springfield (including 4th on August 17) for the team and a couple of top-10 finishes (6th in 2023) on the Magic Mile.
In her spare time, Patty Bateman has managed to raise championship show dogs including one named “Indy Jo.” She plans to sit on the beach with her family once the race team is done. Southern Illinois fans are encouraged to come to the Ted Horn 100 on August 31 and say goodbye to one of the enduring race teams from the region.
The 70th running of the Ted Horn 100 featuring the USAC Silver Crown National Championship & the 30th Annual Bill Oldani Memorial Prelims for DIRTcar Modifieds
Advance tickets for the Du Quoin State Fair races are available by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200, by calling the Du Quoin State Fair box office at 618-542-1535, or by stopping by the Du Quoin State Fair box office.
On Saturday, August 31, the event begins with registration and pit gates opening at 7am Central followed by the grandstands & ticket office opening at 9am. USAC Silver Crown practice runs from 10:00-11:10am. USAC Silver Crown qualifying begins at 11:30am. DIRTcar Modified hot laps/qualifying start at 12:15pm. DIRTcar Modified heats will commence at 1pm. The 100-mile, 100-lap USAC Silver Crown feature is slated for a 2pm start.
For more information, visit www.usacracing.com, www.arcaracing.com, or www.trackenterprises.com.
