Brayton was making a practice run on May 17 in his backup car when it blew a tire going into turn two, and it then half-spun and hit the outside retaining wall at more than . Brayton's car scrubbed off virtually no speed as it spun, and as the car impacted the wall on its left side, the force was such that Brayton's head also impacted the wall. Brayton 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.