Don Branson

Donald L. Branson^[1] (June 2, 1920 – November 12, 1966) was an American racecar driver.

Don Branson
Born	Donald Laverne Branson (1920-06-20)June 20, 1920 Rantoul, Illinois, U.S.
Died	November 12, 1966(1966-11-12) (aged 46) Gardena, California, U.S.
Champ Car career
125 races run over 11 years
Years active	1956–1966
Best finish	3rd – 1960
First race	1956 Springfield 100 (Springfield)
Last race	1966 Golden State 100 (Sacramento)
First win	1962 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne)
Last win	1966 Tony Bettenhausen Memorial (Springfield)
Wins Podiums Poles 6 26 15
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1959–1960
Teams	Phillips
Entries	2
Career points	3
First entry	1959 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1960 Indianapolis 500

Career

Born in Rantoul, Illinois, Branson drove in the USAC Championship Car series and also in sprint cars, racing champ cars in the 1956–1966 seasons with 128 starts, including the 1959–1966 Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in the top ten 85 times, with 7 victories.

Branson was also the 1959 and 1964 USAC Sprint Car Series Champion.

He was killed in 1966 in a crash at a sprint car race at Ascot Park in Gardena, California, which also claimed the life of fellow driver Dick Atkins. The fatal wreck occurred with only a few races left in the season for the USAC series.

Awards

He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1994 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2012.^[2]

Complete USAC Championship Car results

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pos	Points
1956	INDY	MIL	LAN	DAR	ATL	SPR 11	MIL 26	DUQ 10	SYR 15	ISF DNQ	SAC	PHX							31st	50
1957	INDY	LAN 9	MIL 21	DET 10	ATL 8	SPR 11	MIL DNQ	DUQ 9	SYR DNS	ISF 5	TRE 19	SAC	PHX						19th	280
1958	TRE	INDY	MIL DNQ	LAN 4	ATL 5	SPR 7	MIL 12	DUQ 3	SYR 6	ISF 4	TRE 6	SAC 12	PHX 7						9th	790
1959	DAY 11	TRE 13	INDY 24	MIL 9	LAN 9	SPR 2	MIL	DUQ 2	SYR 2	ISF 17	TRE 5	SAC 5	PHX 15						7th	780
1960	TRE 22	INDY 4	MIL 22	LAN 15	SPR 7	MIL 19	DUQ 8	SYR 12	ISF 4	TRE 4	SAC 3	PHX 4							3rd	1.220
1961	TRE 16	INDY 33	MIL 6	LAN 14	MIL 24	SPR 15	DUQ 6	SYR 17	ISF 8	TRE 4	SAC 7	PHX 3							12th	530
1962	TRE 4	INDY 12	MIL 17	LAN 4	TRE 2	SPR 3	MIL 25	LAN 1	SYR 7	ISF 2	TRE 1	SAC 2	PHX 8						4th	1,700
1963	TRE 17	INDY 5	MIL 17	LAN DNS	TRE 12	SPR 3	MIL 10	DUQ 5	ISF 2	TRE 5	SAC 6	PHX 7							5th	1,352
1964	PHX 4	TRE	INDY 12	MIL 15	LAN 2	TRE 3	SPR 3	MIL 13	DUQ 3	ISF 3	TRE 2	SAC 3	PHX 3						4th	1,700
1965	PHX 1	TRE 13	INDY 8	MIL 20	LAN 15	PIP	TRE 4	IRP 6	ATL 8	LAN 6	MIL 6	SPR 6	MIL 25	DUQ 1	ISF 13	TRE 15	SAC 1	PHX 5	4th	1,875
1966	PHX 16	TRE 10	INDY 23	MIL 15	LAN 4	ATL 6	PIP	IRP 9	LAN 5	SPR 1	MIL 23	DUQ 6	ISF 4	TRE 23	SAC 4	PHX			7th	1.135

Indianapolis 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1959 9 10 143.312 12 24 112 0 Torsion bar 1960 7 8 144.753 11 4 200 0 Running 1961 3 2 146.843 3 33 2 0 Bent Valves 1962 14 11 147.312 11 12 200 0 Running 1963 4 3 150.188 4 5 200 0 Running 1964 5 9 152.672 12 12 187 0 Clutch 1965 4 18 155.501 16 8 197 0 Flagged 1966 4 9 160.385 12 23 0 0 Crash FS Totals 1098 0

Starts 8 Poles 0 Front Row 2 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 3 Retired 4

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	WDC	Points
1959	Bob Estes	Phillips	Offenhauser L4	MON	500 24	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA		NC	0
1960	Bob Estes	Phillips	Offenhauser L4	ARG	MON	500 4	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR	POR	ITA	USA	21st	3

References

1. "Don Branson". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
2. "Midget Hall Of Fame Ceremony Set For Jan. 11". National Speed Sport News. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.