# Scott Brayton

Scott Everts Brayton (February 20, 1959 – May 17, 1996) was an American race car driver on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event. Brayton was killed in practice after qualifying in pole position for the 1996 race.

## Career

During the mid-1980s, Brayton helped introduce the Buick stock-block V-6 engine to Indianapolis. His father's firm, Brayton Engineering, was a major developer of the race engine. In 1985, he qualified 2nd and set the one-lap Indianapolis Motor Speedway track record in the process. He dropped out early and finished 30th when the engine expired. He would not finish the race again until 1989, when he scored his best finish at the Speedway, 6th place but seven laps down. He would equal this finishing position in 1993, driving a Lola-Cosworth for Dick Simon Racing.
When Buick pulled out of IndyCar racing in 1993, John Menard Jr. continued developing the engine, now badged as the Menard V-6. Brayton, now without a regular ride in the CART IndyCar series, joined the Indy-only Menards team in 1994. Their belief in the powerplant paid off when Brayton won his first Indy 500 pole position in 1995, at an average speed of 231.604 mph (372.731 km/h). Turbocharger boost and pop-off valve problems relegated him to a 17th-place finish.
Brayton was prepared to make his NASCAR debut at the 1995 Brickyard 400. However, he crashed his car during a private test session, and suffered a broken ankle and a concussion.
In 1996, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George established the Indy Racing League, and Team Menard signed up to compete in their first full season of IndyCar racing. Because the majority of the established teams and drivers of open-wheel racing competed in the rival CART series, Brayton (and rookie teammate Tony Stewart) were considered legitimate contenders for the IRL title. After a bad start to the season, Brayton asserted his competitiveness by winning his second Indy pole after a dramatic qualifying session in which he withdrew an already-qualified car to get a second chance at taking the top spot.

### Death

Brayton was making a practice run on May 17 in his backup car when a tire blew going into turn two. The car spun and hit the outside retaining wall at more than 230 mph (370 km/h). Brayton's head also impacted the wall, and he was killed instantly by the severe impact. His funeral, held in his hometown of Coldwater, Michigan, was attended by a large contingent of drivers and racing personalities.
Teammate Tony Stewart, who qualified second, took over the pole starting position. A substitute driver, Danny Ongais, took over the car with which Brayton had qualified for the pole, and finished seventh.

## Personal life

Brayton began dating his future wife, Becky, in 1981 and an 11-year courtship followed. The couple had a daughter, Carly, who was two years old at the time of Brayton's death.
On Easter Sunday 1999, Becky married another IRL driver, Robbie Buhl, who would later become a partner in Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

## Memorial Street Circuit

A street course in Grand Rapids, Michigan, used for SCCA racing was known as the Scott Brayton Memorial Street Circuit. It was used for the West Michigan Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999, after which the event folded.

## Scott Brayton Driver's Trophy

Following Brayton's death, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced a new trophy for the Indianapolis 500 dedicated to the driver who best exemplifies the attitude, spirit and competitive drive of Brayton. A driver could only be awarded the trophy once in his/her Indy career. It was awarded through 2009.
| Year | Winner |
| 1997 | John Paul Jr. |
| 1998 | Roberto Guerrero |
| 1999 | Eliseo Salazar |
| 2000 | Eddie Cheever |
| 2001 | Davey Hamilton |
| 2002 | Arie Luyendyk |
| 2003 | Buddy Lazier |
| 2004 | Hélio Castroneves |
| 2005 | Kenny Bräck |
| 2006 | Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 2007 | Tony Kanaan |
| 2008 | Vítor Meira |
| 2009 | Sarah Fisher |
| Source: ||

## Racing record
### American open-wheel racing results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

#### PPG Indycar Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points |
| 1981 | Brayton Racing | PHX 15 | MIL 11 | ATL 9 | ATL 10 | MCH 7 | RIV 8 | MIL 21 | MCH 24 | WGL 20 | MEX 23 | PHX DNQ | | | | | | | 13th | 57 |
| 1982 | Brayton Racing | PHX 14 | ATL | MIL 14 | CLE | MCH 11 | MIL | POC 24 | RIV | ROA | MCH 10 | PHX | | | | | | | 33rd | 11 |
| 1983 | Brayton Racing | ATL | INDY 9 | MIL | CLE 24 | MCH 12 | ROA | POC 28 | RIV | MDO | MCH 13 | CPL 26 | LAG | PHX | | | | | 24th | 5 |
| 1984 | Brayton Racing | LBH | PHX | INDY 18 | MIL 22 | POR 25 | MEA 14 | CLE 11 | MCH 13 | ROA 12 | POC 6 | MDO 12 | SAN 11 | MCH DNS | PHX 23 | LAG 15 | CPL 8 | | 23rd | 19 |
| 1985 | Brayton Racing | LBH 11 | INDY 30 | MIL DNQ | POR 6 | MEA 15 | CLE 25 | MCH 8 | ROA | POC 16 | MDO | SAN | MCH 22 | | | | | | 22nd | 15 |
| 1985 | Hemelgarn Racing | | | | | | | | | | | | | LAG 26 | PHX 18 | MIA DNQ | | | 22nd | 15 |
| 1986 | Hemelgarn Racing | PHX 24 | LBH | INDY 30 | MIL | POR | MEA | CLE | TOR | MCH 13 | POC 27 | MDO | SAN | MCH 19 | ROA | LAG | PHX | MIA | NC | 0 |
| 1987 | Hemelgarn Racing | LBH | PHX | INDY 12 | MIL | POR 5 | MEA 10 | CLE | TOR | MCH 22 | POC 25 | ROA | MDO | NAZ | LAG | MIA | | | 22nd | 14 |
| 1988 | Hemelgarn Racing | PHX 15 | LBH 23 | INDY 31 | MIL 10 | POR 9 | CLE 16 | TOR 14 | MEA 11 | MCH 26 | POC 10 | MDO | ROA | NAZ 18 | LAG | MIA 24 | | | 23rd | 12 |
| 1989 | Dick Simon Racing | PHX 15 | LBH 12 | INDY 6 | MIL 18 | DET DNQ | POR 13 | CLE 28 | MEA 10 | TOR 14 | MCH 11 | POC 14 | MDO 15 | ROA 13 | NAZ 10 | LAG 20 | | | 15th | 17 |
| 1990 | Dick Simon Racing | PHX 13 | LBH 9 | INDY 7 | MIL 20 | DET 10 | POR 25 | CLE 22 | MEA 9 | TOR 14 | MCH 16 | DEN 12 | VAN 9 | MDO 8 | ROA 13 | NAZ 12 | LAG 24 | | 15th | 28 |
| 1991 | Dick Simon Racing | SRF 6 | LBH 8 | PHX 13 | INDY 17 | MIL 6 | DET 9 | POR 15 | CLE 7 | MEA 9 | TOR 6 | MCH 9 | DEN 16 | VAN 10 | MDO 13 | ROA 11 | NAZ 19 | LAG 27 | 12th | 52 |
| 1992 | Dick Simon Racing | SRF 20 | PHX 9 | LBH 17 | INDY 22 | DET 12 | POR 22 | MIL 3 | NHA 17 | TOR 17 | MCH 10 | CLE 21 | ROA 12 | VAN 8 | MDO 10 | NAZ 8 | LAG 10 | | 15th | 39 |
| 1993 | Dick Simon Racing | SRF 16 | PHX 25 | LBH 24 | INDY 6 | MIL 6 | DET 14 | POR 17 | CLE 18 | TOR 19 | MCH 11 | NHA 6 | ROA 7 | VAN 24 | MDO 9 | NAZ 15 | LAG 24 | | 15th | 36 |
| 1994 | Team Menard | SRF | PHX | LBH | INDY 20 | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MCH | MDO | NHA | VAN | ROA | NAZ | LAG | | 49th | 0 |
| 1995 | Team Menard | MIA | SRF | PHX | LBH | NAZ | INDY 17 | MIL | DET | POR | ROA | TOR | CLE | MCH | MDO | NHA | VAN | LAG | 34th | 1 |
| Source: ||||||||||||||||||||||

#### Indy Racing League

| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | Points | Ref |
| 1996 | Team Menard | Lola T95 | Menard | WDW 15 | PHX 18 | INDY DNS | 18th | 111 | |
| Sources: ||||||||||

#### Indianapolis 500

| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
| 1981 | Penske PC-6 | Ford Cosworth DFX | 29 | 16 | Brayton Racing |
| 1982 | Penske PC-7 | Ford Cosworth DFX | DNQ | DNQ | Brayton Racing |
| 1983 | March 83C | Ford Cosworth DFX | 29 | 9 | Brayton Racing |
| 1984 | March 84C | Buick | 26 | 18 | Brayton Racing |
| 1985 | March 85C | Buick | 2 | 30 | Brayton Racing |
| 1986 | March 86C | Buick | 23 | 30 | Hemelgarn Racing |
| 1987 | March 87C | Ford Cosworth DFX | 13 | 12 | Hemelgarn Racing |
| 1988 | Lola T88/00 | Buick | 7 | 31 | Hemelgarn Racing |
| 1989 | Lola T89/00 | Buick | 6 | 6 | Dick Simon Racing |
| 1990 | Lola T90/00 | Ford Cosworth DFS | 26 | 7 | Dick Simon Racing |
| 1991 | Lola T91/00 | Chevrolet 265A | 19 | 17 | Dick Simon Racing |
| 1992 | Lola T92/00 | Buick | 7 | 22 | Dick Simon Racing |
| 1993 | Lola T93/00 | Ford XB | 11 | 6 | Dick Simon Racing |
| 1994 | Lola T93/00 | Buick | 23 | 20 | Team Menard |
| 1995 | Lola T95/00 | Menard-Buick | 1 | 17 | Team Menard |
| 1996 | Lola T95/00 | Menard-Buick | 1 | DNS$^‡$ | Team Menard |
| Source: ||||||
$^‡$ For the 1996 Indianapolis 500, Brayton qualified on the pole. The following Friday he was fatally injured driving a back-up car during practice. In the race Danny Ongais drove the pole car from the back of the field and finished seventh.