Back On Track

The 1955 Chevy that Brantley made famous before moving to Chevelles in 1967.

Sitting out the rest of the year, Brantley put his grieving aside and began racing again in 1966.  He would win at Augusta Speedway, then follow the next day by taking the season opener at Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway, again driving his know famous ’55 Chevrolet.

But mid-season he was sidelined with an injury.

“I was running again at Augusta and got t-boned in the drivers door, totaling the car,” he said.  “Thankfully I had installed inner sidebars, and sustained only a broken hand and ribs.  The good part of my wrecking was more drivers started using this type protection in their cars.”

“Fortunately, we were able to find another car quite cheaply,” Larry Adams told us.  “While on my mail route, I noticed they were expanding the runway at Peachtree-Dekalb Airport.  In their path was a house which they were moving and in the backyard was an old 1955 Chevrolet body.  After numerous phone calls, Richard Davis, George Thorndyke, others and myself went and got Bruce’s truck and hauled it to the garage.  In those days, it was any port in the storm.”

In 1967, Brantley changed cars.

“This is when I went to my Chevelle, which out performed the ’55,” he said.  “There is no comparing coil springs over leaf.  Plus it was front steer with an adjustable sway bar.  A bunch of little things simply made this a superior racer.”