Donald L. Branson (June 2, 1920 – November 12, 1966) was an American racecar driver.

Career

Born in

Rantoul, Illinois Rantoul is a village in northern Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,371 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area. History The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a ...

, Branson drove in the USAC

Championship Car American open-wheel car racing, generally and commonly known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2025, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar a ...

series and also in sprint cars, 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 shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

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 region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 61,027 at the 2020 census, up from 58,829 at the 2010 census. Until 2014, the U.S. census cited the City of Gardena as the ...

, 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 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, and can be accessed during weekly Sunday races during the summe ...

in 2012.

Complete USAC Championship Car results

Indianapolis 500 results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branson, Don 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