IndyCar Racing Legend Al Unser Sr Has Died
Four time Indy 500 winner, Al Unser Sr, has passed away. The race community at large mourns the driver.
It’s not been a good year for the Unser clan of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In early May, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser died at age 87 of natural causes. Bobby Unser’s little brother Al Unser, 82, lost his 17-year battle with cancer on December 9th, passing away at his Chama, NM home. Al Unser was the second – of only four drivers – to win the Indy 500 four times, completing that feat in 1987 while racing for current Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske.
Unser followed his three older brothers into motorsports, initially becoming one of the Kings of the Mountain, conquering the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Uncle Louis Jr. was first to race up the Colorado mountain in 1926, eventually earning a record nine victories in that climb to 14,115 feet above sea level. The Unser family win total at the Pikes Peak tarmac-and-dirt road summit is 25, including two victories by Al Unser in 1964 and 1965.
The Unser family also had a date with destiny at Indy, but it wasn’t until Bobby and Al’s generation of racers arrived on the scene that they met success. Oldest brother, Jerry Jr. finally qualified at Indy in 1958, while Bobby joined him in 1963. Al Unser, known in the family as a quiet sponge who absorbed racing lessons from his family members, first raced at Indy in 1965, part of a rookie class that included Mario Andretti, Gordon Johncock, Formula 1 veteran Masten Gregory and Joe Leonard, the motorcycle star who won Indy’s pole in 1968.
Al Unser won his first Indy 500 in 1970, two years after brother Bobby’s first victory. Al Unser became only the fourth driver to repeat as an Indy 500 victor, an achievement no member of his family ever matched. Al Unser added his third victory in 1978 and his fourth in 1987, only the second driver after A.J. Foyt Jr. to win the “500” four times. Rick Mears became the third member of this exclusive club in 1991 and Helio Castroneves achieved his fourth this year with Meyer Shank Racing.
The Unser clan is the only racing family to have siblings and a scion earn wins in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, when Al Unser Jr. captured his first Indy 500 win in 1992; his father finished third that year. When Unser Jr. won in 1994, the Unser clan claimed nine family victories. Combined, the Unsers have made 73 career starts at Indy, a figure eclipsed only by the 76 starts of the Andretti family.
Al Unser made 27 starts in the “500” and was known for his patience in the great race, but he’s also known for having the record for most laps led. Leading the final lap in his 1987 victory, Al Unser tied Ralph DePalma’s 75-year-old record of 612 laps led. Over his final five IMS starts, Unser pushed that all-time mark to 644 laps led.
In addition to his prowess at 16th and Georgetown, Al Unser won three INDYCAR championships – in 1970, 1983 and 1985 – and earned eight 500-mile race wins. In 1978 he won the “Triple Crown” of 500-mile races at Indianapolis, Pocono and Ontario, an unmatched feat to this day. Al Unser finished his open-wheel career with 39 INDYCAR victories, sixth on the all-time list.
As news of Unser’s death came in on Friday morning, so have the plaudits for his outstanding career. “Al was one of the smartest drivers I ever raced against,” Mario Andretti said. “I often said that I wished I could have had some of his patience,” the 1969 Indy 500 winner admitted. “He was a very smart race car driver,” A.J. Foyt declared.
Roger Penske said, “We have lost a true racing legend and a champion on and off the track. Al was the quiet leader of the Unser family, a tremendous competitor and one of the greatest drivers to ever race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He produced two championships and three wins for our race team, including his memorable victory in the 1987 Indy 500. We were honored to help Al earn a place in history with his fourth Indy 500 victory that day, and he will always be a big part of our team.”
J. Douglas Boles, president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway spoke to his success over the 112 years of racing at the 2.5-mile oval: “His four Indianapolis 500 wins and most laps led solidify him as one of the greatest of all time. Al achieved his successes competing against many of the best our sport has ever seen, which makes his accomplishments even more impressive. In addition,” Boles continued, “his quiet and humble approach outside of the car, combined with his fierce competitive spirit and fearless talent behind the wheel, made Al a fan favorite.”
Al Unser was an exceptionally versatile racer who finished fourth in NASCAR’s 1968 Daytona 500, one of his five NASCAR Cup Series races. He earned a fourth-place result in a Cup road race at Riverside International Raceway in California. He was USAC’s Stock Car Rookie of the year in 1967 and was the International Race of Champions winner in 1978, when the IROC series was comprised of drivers from around the world.
Unser was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1986 – even before his fourth win – and in 1998 joined the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. His trophies and race cars can be seen at the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque.
Al Unser is survived by his wife, Susan and son, Al Jr. He was preceded in death by daughters Mary and Deborah. Internment and celebration of life plans are unknown at this time.