Arnie Braland (center) is shown joining fellow Kossuth County Racing Hall of Fame members in victory lane at Alta. Joining Braland is flagman Larry Cook (left) and track promoter Dick Simpson. (photo courtesy of Dean Simpson family)
By Chad Meyer
A certifiable car nut growing up, Boone, Iowa’s Arnie Braland became interested in racing and ultimately climbed behind the wheel of a race car in 1965. Braland latched on to a 1937 Buick, welded up some roll bars and went off to the races in Dayton, Iowa. His first race car set him back a whopping $50, but it was good enough to have him chasing races across the Midwest.
Most weekends (and many weekdays)in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, saw Braland racing Friday nights at Algona, at his home track in Boone on Saturday, up the road in Alta on Sundays and at the track in Oskaloosa on Wednesday’s. Braland found success at the Algona speed plant as a hard charging racer who quickly became a crowd favorite.
Driving Sam Post’s #66, he recalls forging an intense but friendly rivalry with Algona hot-shoe Gene Schattschneider. Braland said that when he would best Schattschneider at Algona the crowd would go crazy cheering for Braland and when Schattschneider returned the favor at Braland’s home track, the Boone speedway fans would cheer even louder for Schattschneider.
Braland credits that rivalry for starting friendly rivalries among many Boone and Algona drivers. He remembers turning a lot of laps against Schattschneider, Dennis Hovinga and Darreld Bunkofske. Braland always liked running at Algona, saying that people were friendly and the racing was always good. “The pageantry of racing at Algona was impressive,” Braland also recalled. “I remember Algona’s Race Day, with cars lined up on Main Street and the big barbeque at the fairgrounds before the races.”
After racing stock cars at several tracks, including Algona, Braland made the transition to late models in the 1970’s. In the late model owned by Everett Sather, Braland once again raced and won all across the Midwest.
The accomplishments of Braland are numerous. He won countless features and track championships in both stock cars and late models. He was the winner of special races, including trophies at Marshalltown and Sunset 
Speedway in Omaha, NE. He finished second at a special in Topeka, KS and his best finish in the Boone Grand Nationals was third.
In 1980, his last year of racing, he won seven late model features in a row at Boone and about half of the main events at Alta. He was also crowned track champion at both tracks that year.
Braland also looks back fondly in helping get legendary Midwest late model and ARCA driver Bob Hill started driving race cars. Hill was a crew member and engine builder of Braland’s #33 late model. One night when Braland was unable to drive the car, Hill climbed behind the wheel, starting his impressive career as a driver.
Braland also had a hand in building Boone Speedway as he helped Vern Carmen with construction of the new facility.
Today Braland is retired, residing in Boone, Iowa.
