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Don Branson

{{short description|American racing driver (1920–1966)}}

{{Infobox racing driver

| name = Don Branson

| image =

| caption =

| nationality =

| birth_name = Donald Laverne Branson

| birth_date = {{birth date|1920|06|20}}

| birth_place = Rantoul, Illinois, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1966|11|12|1920|06|20}}

| death_place = Gardena, California, U.S.

| titles =

| awards =

| module1 = {{Infobox Champ Car driver|child=yes

| years = 1956–1966

| Total_Champ_Races = 125

| Years_In_Champ = 11

| Champ_Car_Team =

| Best_Champ_Pos = 3rd – 1960

| First_Champ_Race = 1956 Springfield 100 (Springfield)

| Last_Champ_Race = 1966 Golden State 100 (Sacramento)

| First_Champ_Win = 1962 Langhorne 100 (Langhorne)

| Last_Champ_Win = 1966 Tony Bettenhausen Memorial (Springfield)

| Champ_Wins = 6

| Champ_Podiums = 26

| Champ_Poles = 15

}}

| module2 = {{Infobox F1 driver

| child = yes

| Years = {{F1|1959}}–{{F1|1960}}

| Team(s) = Phillips

| Races = 2

| Points = 3

| First race = 1959 Indianapolis 500

| First win =

| Last win =

| Last race = 1960 Indianapolis 500

}}}}

Donald L. Branson{{Cite web |title=Don Branson |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/BransonDon.htm |access-date=2023-06-09 |website=www.champcarstats.com}} (June 2, 1920 – November 12, 1966) was an American racecar driver.

Career

{{Unsourced|section|date=January 2025}}

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.{{cite web|title=Midget Hall Of Fame Ceremony Set For Jan. 11 |url=http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/sprints-midgets/usac/midget-hall-of-fame-ceremony-set-for-jan-11/ |publisher=National Speed Sport News |accessdate=December 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228084954/http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/sprints-midgets/usac/midget-hall-of-fame-ceremony-set-for-jan-11/ |archivedate=December 28, 2013 }}

Complete USAC Championship Car results

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"

! Year

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! 17

! 18

! Pos

! Points

rowspan=1| 1956

| INDY

| MIL

| LAN

| DAR

| ATL

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| SPR
11

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL
26

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| DUQ
10

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| SYR
15

|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| ISF
DNQ

| SAC

| PHX

|colspan=6|

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 31st

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 50

rowspan=1| 1957

| INDY

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| LAN
9

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL
21

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| DET
10

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| ATL
8

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| SPR
11

|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MIL
DNQ

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| DUQ
9

| SYR
DNS

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ISF
5

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TRE
19

| SAC

| PHX

|colspan=5|

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 19th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 280

rowspan=1| 1958

| TRE

| INDY

|style="background:#FFCFCF;" | MIL
DNQ

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| LAN
4

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ATL
5

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| SPR
7

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| MIL
12

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| DUQ
3

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| SYR
6

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ISF
4

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| TRE
6

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| SAC
12

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| PHX
7

|colspan=5|

!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 9th

!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 790

rowspan=1| 1959

|style="background:#cfcfff;| DAY
11

|style="background:#efcfff;| TRE
13

|style="background:#efcfff;| INDY
24

|style="background:#cfeaff;| MIL
9

| style="background:#cfeaff;| LAN
9

|style="background:#dfdfdf;| SPR
2

| MIL

|style="background:#dfdfdf;| DUQ
2

|style="background:#dfdfdf;| SYR
2

|style="background:#efcfff;| ISF
17

|style="background:#dfffdf;| TRE
5

|style="background:#dfffdf;| SAC
5

|style="background:#efcfff;| PHX
15

|colspan=5|

!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 7th

!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 780

1960

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
22

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | INDY
4

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
22

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | LAN
15

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SPR
7

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
19

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DUQ
8

|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SYR
12

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | ISF
4

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | TRE
4

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | SAC
3

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | PHX
4

|colspan=6|

!style="background:#FFDF9F;" | 3rd

!style="background:#FFDF9F;" | 1.220

1961

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
16

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY
33

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| MIL
6

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| LAN
14

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL
24

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SPR
15

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| DUQ
6

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SYR
17

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| ISF
8

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| TRE
4

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| SAC
7

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| PHX
3

|colspan=6|

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 12th

!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 530

1962

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| TRE
4

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INDY
12

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL
17

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| LAN
4

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| TRE
2

|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| SPR
3

|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL
25

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| LAN
1

|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| SYR
7

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ISF
2

|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| TRE
1

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| SAC
2

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | PHX
8

|colspan=5|

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4th

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 1,700

1963

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
17

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | INDY
5

|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MIL
17

| LAN
DNS

|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | TRE
12

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | SPR
3

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MIL
10

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | DUQ
5

|style="background:#DFDFDF;" | ISF
2

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | TRE
5

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SAC
6

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | PHX
7

|colspan=6|

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 5th

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 1,352

1964

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | PHX
4

| TRE

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | INDY
12

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
15

|style="background:#DFDFDF;" | LAN
2

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | TRE
3

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | SPR
3

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
13

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | DUQ
3

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | ISF
3

|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| TRE
2

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | SAC
3

|style="background:#FFDF9F;" | PHX
3

|colspan=5|

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4th

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 1,700

1965

|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | PHX
1

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
13

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | INDY
8

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
20

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | LAN
15

| PIP

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | TRE
4

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | IRP
6

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | ATL
8

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | LAN
6

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MIL
6

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SPR
6

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
25

|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | DUQ
1

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ISF
13

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
15

|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | SAC
1

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | PHX
5

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 4th

!style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 1,875

1966

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | PHX
16

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | TRE
10

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | INDY
23

|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MIL
15

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | LAN
4

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | ATL
6

| PIP

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | IRP
9

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | LAN
5

|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | SPR
1

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MIL
23

|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DUQ
6

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | ISF
4

|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TRE
23

|style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SAC
4

| PHX

|colspan=2|

!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 7th

!style="background:#CFEAFF;" | 1.135

Indianapolis 500 results

{{col-begin|width=auto}}

{{col-break}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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

colspan=6|Totals

|1098

|0

|

{{col-break|gap=1em}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Starts

|8

Poles

|0

Front Row

|2

Wins

|0

Top 5

|2

Top 10

|3

Retired

|4

{{col-end}}

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"

! Year

! Entrant

! Chassis

! Engine

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! WDC

! Points

1959

! Bob Estes

! Phillips

! Offenhauser L4

| MON

|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500
{{small|24}}

| NED

| FRA

| GBR

| GER

| POR

| ITA

| USA

|

! NC

! 0

1960

! Bob Estes

! Phillips

! Offenhauser L4

| ARG

| MON

|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 500
{{small|4}}

| NED

| BEL

| FRA

| GBR

| POR

| ITA

| USA

! 21st

! 3

References

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branson, Don}}

Category:1920 births

Category:1966 deaths

Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers

Category:National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees

Category:People from Rantoul, Illinois

Category:Racing drivers from Illinois

Category:Racing drivers who died while racing

Category:Sports deaths in California