JOHN BATTS, 3-TIME USAC MIDGET WINNER, DIES
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (February 10, 2023)………John Batts, a three-time USAC National Midget feature winner during the decade of the 1970s, passed away on February 6, 2023. He was 82 years old.
The Jamestown, Ind. native racked up 153 career series feature starts, which ranks 61st all-time in the record books. Batts made his series debut in 1963, but his breakthrough moment came eight summers later on Memorial Day weekend of 1971 when he led the final 18 laps to score his first career USAC victory on the paved high banks of Salem (Ind.) Speedway.
Weeks later, Batts set quick time during qualifying for the USAC meet at South Bend (Ind.) Motor Speedway. He then won again for the second time in July of 1971 at DeGraff, Ohio’s Shady Bowl Speedway, and a year later, notched his best finish in the USAC National Midget standings, taking 13th in 1972.
While his first two career wins came at the controls of his own No. 95, Batts teamed up with car owner Ron McMahon to win indoors on Valentine's Day of 1975 at the Oklahoma City Sports Arena, defeating a murderer’s row of USAC champions that included Sleepy Tripp, Chuck Gurney and Tom Bigelow, who finished second, third and fourth, respectively.
Batts remained involved in the sport well into the 21st century, competing as a driver through the 2002 season, then owned cars for drivers such as Ted Hines, Sondi Eden, Joe Liguori, Andrew Burnett and Brad Thompson in USAC National Midget and Regional Speedrome Midget competition.
