GALLERY: Scott Brayton retrospective

Scott Brayton died 20 years ago today in a crash during practice at Indianapolis, less than a week after winning the pole position for the 1996 race. He was 37.

Brayton competed in 14 Indy 500s, starting in 1981. He helped usher in the Buick stock-block V6 era at Indianapolis as his father's company, Brayton Engineering, was a major developer of that engine, although he went on to also compete in CART as well at Indy.

In 1985, he qualified second at Indy, setting a new one-lap Indianapolis Motor Speedway track record in the process. He dropped out early, however, when the engine failed.

For 1994, Brayton joined Team Menard, which focused its developmental efforts on Indy. When Buick pulled out of Indy car racing in 1993, team owner John Menard took over development of the engine, which was subsequently branded as a Menard. With Menard, Brayton won back-to-back Indy 500 poles in 1995 and '96, before tragedy struck.

Click on the thumbnails below for larger images from Scott Brayton's Indy car career.

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