Don Branson


Donald L. Branson was an American racecar driver.

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, along with fellow driver Dick Atkins. 1966 was to be his last year of competition, and 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.

Complete USAC Championship Car results

Indianapolis 500 results

Starts8
Poles0
Front Row2
Wins0
Top 52
Top 103
Retired4

Complete Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678910WDCPoints
1959Bob EstesPhillipsOffenhauser L4MON
500
24
NED
FRA
GBR
GER
POR
ITA
USA
NC0
1960Bob EstesPhillipsOffenhauser L4ARG
MON
500
4
NED
BEL
FRA
GBR
POR
ITA
USA
21st3