Donald L. Branson (June 2, 1920 – November 12, 1966) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
racecar driver.
Career
Born in
Rantoul, Illinois
Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,371 at the 2020 census.
History
The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illino ...
, Branson drove in the
USAC Championship Car
American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2022, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar.
Competitive event ...
series and also in
sprint cars
Sprint may refer to:
Aerospace
*Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design
*Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile
Automotive and motorcycle
*Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989
* Chevrolet Sprint ...
, racing champ cars in the 1956–1966 seasons with 128 starts, including the 1959–1966
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
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
Gardena is a city located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. ...
, which also claimed the life of fellow driver
Dick Atkins
Richard Charles Atkins (April 23, 1936 – November 13, 1966) was an American racing driver from Oakland, California.
Atkins came up in sprint cars and won the Turkey Night Grand Prix in 1965 and was rewarded by race promoter J. C. Agajanian with ...
. 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
The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame is an American Hall of Fame and museum for midget cars. The Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
Sun Prairie is a city in Dane County in the U.S. state of Wi ...
in 2012.
Complete USAC Championship Car results
Indianapolis 500 results
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
)
References
1920 births
1966 deaths
Indianapolis 500 drivers
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductees
People from Rantoul, Illinois
Racing drivers from Illinois
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sports deaths in California
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