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 seven victories. Branson was also the 1959 and 1964
USAC Sprint Car Series Champion. Branson 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==