Don_Branson
Don Branson
American racing driver (1920–1966)
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) | ||||||
| |||||||
| 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 | ||||||
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.
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]
| 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 | ||
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(key)
- "Don Branson". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
- "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.
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