Al Unser, Sr.

1939-

American race car driver

Al Unser Sr., a legend in the world of auto racing, is one of only three drivers to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times. Unser, a member of the second of three generations of Unsers to race cars, also shares the distinction of having won races on paved ovals, road courses, and dirt tracks in a single season with only two other Indy drivers. In fact, Unser managed that latter feat three years in a row—1968, 1969, and 1970. Retired since 1994 to his native New Mexico, Unser in recent years has been working to build an automobile museum on family land in Albuquerque. For this most recent venture, Unser has partnered with son, Al Jr., a racing star in his own right and sometime competitor with his father, to create a museum that will appeal to both adults and children. Before retiring, Unser Sr. compiled an enviable record on the Indy car circuit of thirty-nine wins, accumulating more than $6 million in winnings. Collectively, the Unsers are the winningest family at Indianapolis, having collected a total of nine checkered flags, or more than 10 percent of the races run at Indy.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico

He was born Alfred Unser in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 29, 1939. The youngest son of Jerry H. and Mary (Craven) Unser, he was born into a racing family. His paternal uncle, Louie Unser, had attempted to qualify at the Indianapolis 500 in 1940, and Al's older brother, Jerry, was national stock car champion in the mid-1950s but died of injuries suffered on a practice lap at Indianapolis in May 1959. Jerry's death left Al and older brothers Bobby Unser and Louie Unser—Jerry's twin—to carry on the racing tradition of the Unser family. Only a few years after Jerry's death at Indianapolis, Louie was stricken with multiple sclerosis. He has struggled against the disease, however, and in 1965 served as Al's mechanic at his first Indy 500. Al freely admits that a major motivation throughout his racing career was sibling rivalry. "I wanted to outrun Bobby," Unser told an interviewer for Indy 500.com. "Bobby always was the oldest, and he set the pace, and I wanted to outrun him."

Unser said that growing up as a member of a racing family, it was difficult not to want to be a race driver. He said as far back as he could remember he never had any doubt about what he would do in life. "My Lord, when I went to school I told my teachers you can't teach me what I want to do in life. They asked me what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to be a race driver."

Unser wasted little time getting into racing. By the age of eighteen, he was driving modified roadsters in competitions in and around Albuquerque. He later progressed to midgets, sprints, stock cars, sports cars, Formula 5000, championship dirt cars, and Indy cars. He took time off from racing in 1958 to marry Wanda Jesperson, with whom he had three children, Alfred Jr., Mary Linda, and Debra Ann (deceased). In 1960, he competed in the Pike's Peak Hillclimb for the first time, finishing second to brother Bobby. Four years later, Unser made his Indy car debut at Milwaukee and later that year won the Pikes Peak race, putting an end to Bobby's six-year winning streak. In 1965 he repeated his win at the Pikes Peak Hillnd raced for the first time in the Indy 500.

Helping Unser to break into competition at Indianapolis was A.J. Foyt, one of the two other racers to have won four times at Indy. It looked as though Unser would have to race the Indy in a substandard car until Foyt came to the rescue and offered to let the rookie use his back-up car. In an interview with Indy 500.com, Unser recalled Foyt's generosity. "Still today, I say, why did A.J. do that? Bignotti [George, chief mechanic for Foyt] was against it. He threw a fit. He was with Foyt and didn't want that car to run. I took it over. Louie, my brother, came over [as a mechanic]." Foyt's faith in the rookie proved to be well-placed, for Unser finished his first race at Indy in ninth place, well ahead of Foyt, who came in 15th.

Finishes Second in Indy 500 of 1967

In 1967 Unser finished second to A.J. Foyt at the Indy 500. He also claimed his first pole at Langhorne. In addition to his Indy car racing, he also raced U.S. Auto Club (USAC) stock cars and was named Rookie of the Year in 1967. The following year, he really established himself, winning five races in a row and grabbing five poles.

Unser's big breakthrough at Indianapolis came in 1970 when he won, beating brother Bobby. For the year as a whole, he won ten races and a total of eight poles, including the pole at the Indy 500. For his impressive performance in 1970, which included wins on ovals, road courses, and dirt tracks, Unser was named Driver of the Year. He made it back-to-back wins at the Indy 500 when he took the checkered flag once again in 1971. After the glory days of the early 1970s, Unser went through a dry spell of about four years, during which time his only win was at Texas in 1973. He came back with a vengeance, however, in the late 1970s. In 1977, Unser won at Pocono, Milwaukee, and Phoenix, moving him to second place in Indy-car points and moving him into eighth place in the International Race of Champions (IROC) competition. That same year, Unser married Karen Barnes, his second wife. The following year he swept the Indy car events of Pocono, Ontario, and the Indy 500, his third win at the Brickyard, to become the first driver in history to win an "Indy Car Triple Crown." He also won the IROC championship for 1978.

Throughout the early years of his racing career, finding a free-spending sponsor was one of the major challenges faced by Unser. He told Indy 500.com that it was critical to find an owner who was willing to spend money because in a "nickel-and-dime" operation, some small part was almost certain to break. Particularly ironic is the alliance Unser built in the early 1970s with mechanic George Bignotti, with whom he had clashed in 1965 over the use of Foyt's back-up car. Forgetting their earlier differences, Bignotti and Unser forged one of auto racing's toughest teams ever. Unser, Bignotti, and the Johnny Lightning Special were the terrors of the Indy 500 in both 1970 and 1971. Unser won the race both years and in 1971 set a speed record of 157.735 miles per hour. In 1970 Unser won from the pole; in 1971 he won from fifth position.

Joins Penske Racing in 1983

In 1983, Unser joined Penske Racing. That year he posted ten finishes in the top five and claimed his second PPG championship. Two years later, he was pitted in a razor-thin race against his son, Al Jr., for the PPG Cup. In the end, father edged son by a single point, 151-150, to win the 1985 PPG Cup, earning for Al Sr. his second title in three years. Unser Sr. had only one victory and one pole, but his consistency saw him through, as it had in 1983. In his other thirteen starts, he placed in the top five nine times. However, he still needed a strong final run to take the cup. He closed the season with a runner-up finish at Laguna Seca, a victory from the pole at Phoenix, and a fourth-place showing at Phoenix. In the same three races, Al Jr. finished third, second, and third, respectively.

In 1987, at the age of 47, Unser won his fourth and final Indy 500 in a race he only got into at the last minute when Danny Ongais crashed during a practice run and wasn't healthy enough to race. He raced to victory 4.496 seconds ahead of runner-up Roberto Guerrero with an average speed of 162.175 miles per hour. Son Al Jr., who finished fourth, told ESPN: "It means everything to Dad. They called him retired and washed up and all that. He's far from that. I've got goose bumps. I'm ecstatic for Dad."

Chronology

1939	Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 29
1957	Begins driving modified roadsters in competition around Albuquerque
1958	Marries Wanda Jesperson on April 22 (divorced in 1971)
1959	Older brother Jerry dies as a result of injuries suffered in practice run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 2
1977	Marries Karen Barnes on November 22
1979	Breaks ankle in a motorcycle accident, forcing him to miss Indy 500
1983	Joins Penske Racing
1994	Retires from auto racing
2002	Invests __BODY__.5 million, with son Al Jr, to build an auto museum in Albuquerque

Related Biography: Racecar Driver Jerry Unser

More than any other family in auto racing history, the Unsers have dominated the Indianapolis 500. Unsers have competed in the Indy 500 about 70 times, and family members have won the race a total of nine times—four wins by Al Unser Sr., three wins by his older brother, Bobby, and two by his son, Al Jr. The first Unser to launch an assault on the legendary Brickyard in Indianapolis was Jerry Unser, older brother of both Bobby and Al Sr., and twin brother of Louie, who suffers from multiple sclerosis but works as an auto mechanic.

Jerry Unser was born on November 15, 1932, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Although Jerry was the first Unser to seek glory at the Indy, he never managed to complete a full lap. In his 1958 debut at the Brickyard, Jerry became extricated in a massive accident and was catapulted over the wall on his very first lap. The following year he returned but was severely injured in a practice run on May 2. Fifteen days later, Jerry succumbed to injuries sustained in that accident.

Before deciding to race at Indy, Jerry raced stock cars for a few years and in 1956 he was the national stock car champion. He and wife Jeanie had two sons, Jerry, who was born June 10, 1957, and Johnny, born October 22, 1958.

Unser retired to Albuquerque in 1994 but has not strayed far from racing. Unser, along with Johnny Rutherford, who also retired in 1994, offers his expertise to aspiring race car drivers as a staff member of the Indy Racing League as coach and consultant. Some of the new drivers see him as a dinosaur who couldn't possibly help them, Unser told Hank Kurz Jr. of the Associated Press. But "I tell them in 1992 and 1993, I was still running 230 miles an hour around the speedway. That wakes them up." Another passion of Unser's is shared with son, Al Jr. The two have committed __BODY__.5 million of their own money to building an auto museum on family land in Albuquerque. Father and son have set up a non-profit foundation to raise more money for the planned 50,000-square-foot center on a twelve-acre site.

One of the greatest auto racers of all time, Unser stands as an inspiration for aspiring racers everywhere and especially for other members of the Unser clan who remain active in racing. This latter group includes his son, Al Jr., and nephews, Johnny and Robby Unser. Only Unser Sr., Foyt, and Rick Mears have managed to take four checkered flags at Indy, an incredible feat for a racer of any age, but made all the remarkable for Unser, who posted his final win at the Brickyard at the age of 47. Unser, who was active in racing across four decades, has been enshrined in both the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1991) and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1998) in honor of his unique contributions to the sport.

Awards and Accomplishments

1960	Finished second to brother Bobby at Pike's Peak Hillclimb
1964	Made Indy car debut at Milwaukee and won Pikes Peak Hillclimb
1965	Finished ninth in first Indy 500 and won Pikes Peak Hillclimb
1967	Finished second at Indy 500 and named USAC Rookie of the Year
1968	Won five races in a row and grabbed five poles
1970	Won first Indy 500 and nine other races; named Driver of the Year
1971	Indy 500 win
1977	Won Indy car races at Pocono, Milwaukee, and Phoenix
1978	Took "Indy Car Triple Crown" with wins at Indy 500, Pocono, and Ontario; named Driver of the Year
1987	Fourth Indy 500 win
1991	Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
1998	Inducted into International Motorsports Hall of Fame

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Al Unser Sr., c/o Indy Racing League, 4567 W. 16th St., Indianapolis, IN 46222-2513.

Al Unser, Sr.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Finishes Second in Indy 500 of 1967

Joins Penske Racing in 1983

Chronology

Related Biography: Racecar Driver Jerry Unser

Awards and Accomplishments

CONTACT INFORMATION

FURTHER INFORMATION

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