Don Branson

Don Branson
Nationality	American
Born	(1920-06-02)June 2, 1920 Rantoul, Illinois
Died	Gardena, California
Championship titles
1959, 1964	USAC Sprint Car Series
Awards
Inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (1994) Inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (2012)
Champ Car career
128 races run over 11 years
Years active	1956-1966
Team(s)	Leader Card
Wins Podiums Poles 7 ? ?
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

Donald L. Branson (June 2, 1920 – November 12, 1966) 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.

Indy 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