Al Unser Jr.

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Al Unser Jr.
Al Unser Jr 2011 Indianapolis.JPG
Al Unser Jr. at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in March 2011.
NationalityUnited States American
BornAlfred Unser Jr.
(1962-04-19) April 19, 1962 (age 59)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Retired2007
Related toAl Unser (father)
Al Unser III (son)
Bobby Unser (uncle)
Jerry Unser (uncle)
Robby Unser (cousin)
Johnny Unser (cousin)
IndyCar Series career
Debut season1982
Former teamsForsythe Racing
Shierson Racing
Marlboro Team Penske
Galles Racing
Kelley Racing
Patrick Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
A. J. Foyt Enterprises
Starts329
Wins34
Poles7
Best finish1st in 1990, 1994
Previous series
1982
1982-1999		Can-Am
CART Indy Car World Series
Championship titles
1982
1986, 1988
1990, 1994		Can-Am Championship
International Race of Champions
CART Indy Car World Series
Awards
1992, 1994
1994

2007

2009		Indianapolis 500 Champion
ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame inductee
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee[1]
NASCAR Cup Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish36th (1993)
First race1993 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0

Alfred Unser Jr. (born April 19, 1962), nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior", or simply "Junior", is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.

History[]

Unser was born into a racing family in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the son of Al Unser and the nephew of Bobby Unser, both Indianapolis 500 winners themselves. The Unser family has won the Indy 500 a record nine times.

Early career[]

By the age of 11, Al Junior was racing sprint cars. After high school, he was already in the World of Outlaws series of sprint car racing. He soon moved into road racing, winning the Super Vee title in 1981 and the Can-Am title in 1982.

Rising CART star[]

In 1982, Unser made his debut on the CART circuit. He suffered personal tragedy when his sister Debbie was killed in a dune buggy accident, but this did not deter Unser; and a year later, he competed in his first Indianapolis 500, finishing 9th. However, hours after the race ended, Unser Jr. was issued a 2-lap penalty by chief steward Thomas W. Binford for passing 2 cars under caution with less than 40 laps to go as well as blocking eventual winner Tom Sneva from getting by his father with less than 20 laps to go. The penalty dropped him from an original finish of 9th, to 10th. Despite being lauded for his performance as a rookie, Unser Jr. narrowly lost the rookie of the year award to Teo Fabi.

Unser continued racing on the CART circuit, becoming one of the series' rising stars. He finished second in the CART championship point standings in 1985, losing to his father by just one point. He began competing in the IROC championship in 1986, winning that championship with two victories in four races. At the age of 24, Unser was the youngest IROC champion ever. Unser won the 1986 and 1988 IROC championships, the final Indycar driver to win an IROC championship. Unser won the 24 Hours of Daytona, also at age 24 for the first time in 1986 and again in 1987.

Unser continued to improve on the CART circuit, finishing fourth in the points standings in 1986, third in 1987, second in 1988 and finally winning the series for the first time in 1990. In 1989, Unser was on the verge of winning his first Indianapolis 500, but while battling with Emerson Fittipaldi for the lead, the two touched wheels and Unser spun out, hitting the wall and ending his chances. This race is remembered for a remarkable show of sportsmanship, as Little Al climbed out of his wrecked racecar and gave Fittipaldi the "thumbs up" as he drove by Unser under caution. Unser would have his day at Indy in 1992, however, defeating Scott Goodyear by 0.043 of a second, the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history.

During the off-season he drove in the 1993 Daytona 500 for Hendrick Motorsports finishing 36th in what would be his only NASCAR start. He ran well in the race, running with the lead pack all day, until a late race crash with Kyle Petty and Bobby Hillin Jr. During an interview with Mike Joy after the accident, Joy asked him if he would be back. Unser said that he wanted to come back, but it would never happen. Unser also tested a Williams F1 car but never competed in the series.

Penske years[]

Penske PC-23 driven by Unser in 1994

In 1994, Unser again won at Indy, this time with Penske Racing. His teammates were Emerson Fittipaldi, the man whom he battled with five years before, and Paul Tracy. Unser turned in a dominant season-long performance, winning eight of 16 races on his way to his second CART championship, as well as being named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year that year. In 1995 Unser, along with teammate Emerson Fittipaldi, failed to qualify at Indianapolis, and he would later point to this as the trigger event for his descent into alcoholism and the breakup of his marriage. He would finish second to Jacques Villeneuve in CART championship points in 1995. He finished fourth in 1996, despite having a chance of winning the championship until the end of the season.

Unser ranked 13th in 1997, 11th in 1998 and 21st in 1999, not helped by the fact that he had to sit out two races after breaking his leg in the season-opener at Miami in a first-lap accident. Little Al's decline in performance coincided with the Penske team's struggles with the Penske chassis, and his teammates suffered similar results during this time.

Team Penske began abandoning the maligned in-house Penske chassis for customer Lola chassis during the 1999 season. Unser would eventually leave CART to join the budding Indy Racing League for the 2000 campaign.

Unser won a total of 31 races during his 17 seasons in CART. His career win total including IRL stands at 34, which is currently the sixth-most all time in American open wheel racing (as of 2013). As a two-time Indy 500 and two-time overall points champion, Unser enjoyed a decorated career as one of the most dynamic and successful drivers in American auto racing.(9)

Indy Racing League[]

Unser would go on to win a total of three races in his IRL career, but after breaking his pelvis in an all-terrain vehicle accident in October 2003, Unser had difficulty securing a ride for the 2004 season. He finally signed with Patrick Racing three races into the season, but after a 22nd-place finish in Richmond, Unser finally announced his retirement from racing on June 30, 2004. Unser continued to remain involved in racing, however, outside of a driving capacity. He served as an adviser for Patrick Racing and worked as a mentor for his son, Al Richard Unser, who was working his way through the lower ranks of open-wheel racing at the time.

Post-retirement racing and personal issues[]

Unser practicing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500
Unser before the 2007 Indianapolis 500

In 2006 Unser announced that he would come back to racing again and he would run the 2006 Indianapolis 500, teamed with fellow former winner Buddy Lazier for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. This came just days after Michael Andretti also came out of retirement to run the 500. Unser qualified 27th in the 33-car field, and consistently ran in the upper half until a crash ended his day.

In late August, Unser took part in an A1 Grand Prix test session at Silverstone.

On 25 January 2007, Unser was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, misdemeanor hit and run, failure to render aid in an accident and failure to report an accident near Henderson, Nevada, USA.

On 2 May 2007, it was announced that Unser would drive a car for racing legend A. J. Foyt in the 2007 Indianapolis 500, carrying the No. 50 on his car in recognition of A.J.'s 50 years at the storied race. Unser qualified in the 25th starting position after being bumped from the lineup on the second day of qualifying.

On 18 May 2007, Unser spoke publicly for the first time about his battle with alcoholism when he joined forces with ,[2] a national educational campaign to help the public understand the need for addressing and treating alcoholism.

During the race weekend of the 2009 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Unser confirmed that his IndyCar career was in fact over.[3] During the weekend, he returned to the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race that he won in 1985, and scored his second win in the event and his eighth Long Beach victory overall.

In 2010, Unser started the Race Clinic for Paralysis charity.

Unser is on the board of Baltimore Racing Development and helped announce plans for the 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix on Monday, August 17, 2009.[4]

Unser was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009.[1]

On September 29, 2011 Unser was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico on charges of reckless driving and aggravated driving while intoxicated. Charges stemmed from an incident where Unser reportedly drag raced his Chevrolet Suburban SUV at speeds of over 100 mph. He was placed on indefinite suspension from his role with IndyCar.[5]

In 2013, Unser entered a sportscar race at Thunderhill Raceway Park, the legendary 25 Hours of Thunderhill, racing with his son Al III as teammates. Unser dominated the race, but co-driver Ivan Bellarosa crashed the car out.

In 2014, once again at Long Beach he participated in the Pro/Celebrity race, finishing fifth, 6.115 seconds behind winner Brett Davern and four other celebrities, winning the Pro Division (30-second disadvantage assessed to professionals) for his ninth Long Beach victory overall, extending the "King of the Beach" nickname. Later that year, Unser raced again at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, participating in the Indy Legends Charity Pro/Am race, during the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association's Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational event. This two-driver race included an Indianapolis 500 veteran in each car. Unser won the race, along with Peter Klutt, driving Klutt's 1969 Chevrolet Corvette. In so doing, Unser became the second driver to win on both the oval and road course at the Speedway.

In 2015, Unser participated in several Goodguys AutoCross competitions while racing Speedway Motors' 1970 Camaro.[6] He also raced in the Sports Car Club of America Solo National Championship, placing second in his class, and is entered again at Thunderhill for the 25 Hours. Because of his age (over 50), Unser is eligible to drop down a level from professional class to an "amateur" class (Silver level) under the FIA driver rankings used for sportscar races, although the National Auto Sport Association does not use such ratings.

On May 20, 2019, just days before the 2019 Indianapolis 500, Unser Jr. was charged for DUI for a fourth time.[7]

Personal life[]

Unser married Shelley; the couple later divorced.[8] He has four children, Al Richard Unser, Cody Unser, Shannon Unser, and Joe Unser.[9] Cody lost the use of her legs on February 5, 1999 when she was 12 years old.[9] She, along with her mother Shelley, founded the organization "Cody Unser First Step Foundation" at age 13 and she writes about the cause on U.S. News & World Report.[10] Shelley Unser died on August 15, 2018.

Motorsports career results[]

American Open Wheel racing results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Formula Super Vee[]

Formula Super Vee results
Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rank Points
1981 Galles Racing Ralt RT5/81 VW Brabham CLT
1 		MIL
1 		WGl
3 		ROA
2 		BRN
1 		MIL
1 		MCH
3 		RIV
Ret 		PHX
2 		1st 98
Source:[11][12][13]

PPG Indycar Series[]

CART results
Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Rank Points
1982 Forsythe Racing March 82C Cosworth DFX V8t PHX
 ATL
 MIL
 CLE
 MCH
 MIL
 POC
 RIV
5 		ROA
 MCH
 PHX
 21st 30
1983 Galles Racing Eagle 83 Cosworth DFX V8t ATL
6 		INDY
10 		CLE
9 		MCH
7 		ROA
2 		RIV
4 		MDO
18 		MCH
10 		CPL
10 		LAG
4 		PHX
8 		7th 89
March 83C MIL
13 		POC
2
1984 Galles Racing March 84C Cosworth DFX V8t LBH
17 		PHX
25 		INDY
21 		MIL
3 		POR
1 		MEA
4 		CLE
24 		MCH
26 		ROA
13 		POC
21 		MDO
19 		SAN
6 		MCH
6 		PHX
2 		LAG
4 		CPL
4 		6th 103
1985 Shierson Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX V8t LBH
9 		INDY
25 		MIL
24 		POR
2 		MEA
1 		CLE
1 		MCH
15 		ROA
17 		POC
2 		MDO
4 		SAN
3 		MCH
23 		LAG
3 		PHX
2 		MIA
3 		2nd 150
1986 Shierson Racing Lola T86/00 Cosworth DFX V8t PHX
12 		LBH
2 		INDY
5 		MIL
8 		POR
3 		MEA
9 		CLE
8 		TOR
4 		MCH
8 		POC
6 		MDO
5 		SAN
2 		MCH
21 		ROA
11 		LAG
23 		PHX
6 		MIA
1 		4th 137
1987 Shierson Racing March 87C Cosworth DFX V8t LBH
2 		PHX
14 		INDY
4 		MIL
5 		POR
20 		MEA
8 		CLE
3 		TOR
20 		MCH
18 		POC
23 		ROA
3 		MDO
23 		NAZ
6 		LAG
4 		MIA
2 		3rd 107
1988 Galles Racing March 88C Chevrolet 265A V8t PHX
18 		LBH
1 		INDY
13 		MIL
20 		POR
4 		CLE
4 		TOR
1 		MEA
1 		MCH
21 		POC
2 		MDO
4 		ROA
7 		NAZ
19 		LAG
6 		MIA
1 		2nd 149
1989 Galles Racing Lola T89/00 Chevrolet 265A V8t PHX
2 		LBH
1 		INDY
2 		MIL
8 		DET
21 		POR
10 		CLE
7 		MEA
5 		TOR
20 		MCH
4 		POC
9 		MDO
2 		ROA
20 		NAZ
4 		LAG
3 		5th 136
1990 Galles-Kraco Racing Lola T90/00 Chevrolet 265A V8t PHX
3 		LBH
1 		INDY
4 		MIL
1 		DET
27 		POR
3 		CLE
15 		MEA
11 		TOR
1 		MCH
1 		DEN
1 		VAN
1 		MDO
3 		ROA
4 		NAZ
16 		LAG
2 		1st 210
1991 Galles-Kraco Racing Lola T91/00 Chevrolet 265A V8t SRF
16 		LBH
1 		PHX
6 		INDY
4 		MIL
19 		DET
4 		POR
4 		CLE
4 		MEA
2 		TOR
23 		MCH
3 		DEN
1 		VAN
3 		MDO
5 		ROA
2 		NAZ
4 		LAG
2 		3rd 197
1992 Galles-Kraco Racing Galmer G92 Chevrolet 265A V8t SRF
4 		PHX
5 		LBH
4 		INDY
1 		DET
9 		POR
3 		MIL
7 		NHA
8 		TOR
7 		MCH
4 		CLE
3 		ROA
2 		VAN
2 		MDO
3 		NAZ
11 		LAG
9 		3rd 169
1993 Galles Racing Lola T93/00 Chevrolet 265C V8t SRF
15 		PHX
4 		LBH
21 		INDY
8 		MIL
5 		DET
6 		POR
5 		CLE
19 		TOR
5 		MCH
8 		NHA
8 		ROA
25 		VAN
1 		MDO
8 		NAZ
25 		LAG
5 		7th 100
1994 Team Penske Penske PC-23 Ilmor 265D V8t SRF
14 		PHX
2 		LBH
1 		MIL
1 		DET
10 		POR
1 		CLE
1 		TOR
29 		MCH
8 		MDO
1 		NHA
1 		VAN
1 		ROA
2 		NAZ
2 		LAG
20 		1st 225
Mercedes-Benz 500I V8t INDY
1
1995 Team Penske Penske PC-24 Mercedes-Benz IC108B V8t MIA
15 		SRF
6 		PHX
8 		LBH
1 		NAZ
13 		INDY
DNQ 		MIL
2 		DET
5 		POR
1 		ROA
28 		TOR
26 		CLE
18 		MCH
2 		MDO
1 		NHA
3 		VAN
1 		LAG
6 		2nd 161
1996 Team Penske Penske PC-25 Mercedes-Benz IC108C V8t MIA
8 		RIO
2 		SRF
9 		LBH
3 		NAZ
3 		500
8 		MIL
2 		DET
22 		POR
4 		CLE
4 		TOR
13 		MCH
4 		MDO
13 		ROA
10 		VAN
5 		LAG
16 		4th 125
1997 Team Penske Penske PC-26 Mercedes-Benz IC108D V8t MIA
27 		SRF
27 		LBH
4 		NAZ
3 		RIO
7 		GAT
18 		MIL
20 		DET
8 		POR
25 		CLE
4 		TOR
20 		MCH
20 		MDO
22 		ROA
7 		VAN
5 		LAG
11 		FON
22 		13th 67
1998 Team Penske Penske PC-27 Mercedes-Benz IC108E V8t MIA
22 		MOT
2 		LBH
29 		NAZ
15 		RIO
16 		GAT
19 		MIL
3 		DET
24 		POR
5 		CLE
17 		TOR
17 		MCH
22 		MDO
6 		ROA
27 		VAN
5 		LAG
6 		HOU
7 		SRF
22 		FON
27 		11th 72
1999 Team Penske Penske PC-27B Mercedes-Benz IC108E V8t MIA
26 		MOT
INJ 		LBH
INJ 		NAZ
24 		RIO
12 		MCH
13 		HOU
15 		SRF
22 		FON
7 		21st 26
Lola B99/00 GAT
12 		MIL
19 		POR
16 		CLE
5 		ROA
9 		TOR
9 		DET
15 		MDO
25 		CHI
25 		VAN
25 		LAG
Wth
CART career results[]
Year Team Wins Points Championship Finish
1982 Forsythe Racing 0 30 21st
1983 Galles Racing 0 89 (new system) 7th
1984 Galles Racing 1 103 6th
1985 Shierson Racing 2 150 2nd
1986 Shierson Racing 1 137 4th
1987 Shierson Racing 0 107 3rd
1988 Galles Racing 4 149 2nd
1989 Galles Racing 1 136 5th
1990 Galles/Kraco Racing 6 210 1st
1991 Galles/Kraco Racing 2 197 3rd
1992 Galles/Kraco Racing 1 169 3rd
1993 Galles Racing 1 100 7th
1994 Marlboro Team Penske 8 225 1st
1995 Marlboro Team Penske 4 161 2nd
1996 Marlboro Team Penske 0 125 4th
1997 Marlboro Team Penske 0 67 13th
1998 Marlboro Team Penske 0 72 11th
1999 Marlboro Team Penske 0 26 21st

2 championships, 31 victories

IndyCar Series[]

(key)

IndyCar Series results
Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points
2000 Galles Racing G-Force GF05 3 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
25 		PHX
9 		LVS
1 		INDY
29 		TXS
3 		PPIR
10 		ATL
3 		KTY
27 		TXS
17 		9th 188
2001 G-Force GF05B PHX
23 		HMS
6 		ATL
17 		INDY
30 		TXS
8 		PPIR
11 		RIR
3 		KAN
20 		NSH
14 		KTY
4 		GAT
1 		CHI
8 		TXS
6 		7th 287
2002 Kelley Racing Dallara IR-02 7 Chevrolet Indy V8 HMS
19 		PHX
5 		FON
11 		NAZ
12 		INDY
12 		TXS
2 		PPIR
6 		RIR
5 		KAN
17 		NSH MCH KTY
6 		GAT
7 		CHI
2 		TXS
20 		7th 311
2003 Dallara IR-03 31 Toyota Indy V8 HMS
13 		PHX
4 		MOT
5 		INDY
9 		TXS
1 		PPIR
14 		RIR
10 		KAN
14 		NSH
8 		MCH
9 		GAT
20 		KTY
4 		NAZ
6 		CHI
19 		FON
9 		TXS
9 		6th 374
2004 Patrick Racing Dallara IR-04 20 Chevrolet Indy V8 HMS PHX MOT INDY
17 		TXS
11 		RIR
21 		KAN NSH MIL MCH KTY PPIR NAZ CHI FON TXS 25th 44
2006 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara IR-05 31 Honda HI6R V8 HMS STP MOT INDY
24 		WGL TXS RIR KAN NSH MIL MCH KTY SNM CHI 35th 12
2007 A. J. Foyt Enterprises 50 HMS STP MOT KAN INDY
26 		MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL NSH MDO MCH KTY SNM DET CHI 32nd 10
Indy Racing League results[]
Year Team Wins Points Championship Finish
2000 Galles Racing 1 188 9th
2001 Galles Racing 1 287 7th
2002 Kelley Racing 0 311 7th
2003 Kelley Racing 1 374 6th
2004 Patrick Racing 0 44 24th
2006 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 0 12 35th
2007 A. J. Foyt Enterprises 0 10 32nd

3 victories, best series finish: 6th

Indianapolis 500 results[]
Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Note Team
1983 Eagle Cosworth 5th 10th Out of Fuel Galles
1984 March Cosworth 15th 21st Water Pump Failure Galles
1985 Lola Cosworth 11th 25th Engine Failure Shierson Racing
1986 Lola Cosworth 9th 5th Running Shierson Racing
1987 March Cosworth 22nd 4th Running Shierson Racing
1988 March Chevrolet 5th 13th Running Galles
1989 Lola Chevrolet 8th 2nd Crash Galles
1990 Lola Chevrolet 7th 4th Running Galles/Kraco
1991 Lola Chevrolet 6th 4th Running Galles/Kraco
1992 Galmer Chevrolet 12th 1st Running Galles/Kraco
1993 Lola Chevrolet 5th 8th Running Galles
1994 Penske Ilmor-Mercedes 1st 1st Running Penske
1995 Lola Ilmor-Mercedes Failed to Qualify Penske
2000 G-Force Oldsmobile 18th 29th Radiator Damage Galles
2001 G-Force Oldsmobile 19th 30th Crash Galles
2002 Dallara Chevrolet 12th 12th Running Kelley
2003 Dallara Toyota 17th 9th Running Kelley
2004 Dallara Chevrolet 17th 17th Running Patrick
2006 Dallara Honda 27th 24th Crash Dreyer & Reinbold
2007 Dallara Honda 25th 26th Running Foyt

NASCAR[]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series[]

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 NWCC Pts
1993 Hendrick Motorsports 46 Chevy DAY
36 		CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO ATL 81st 55
Daytona 500[]
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1993 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40 36

Video games[]

Pop culture references[]

  • In season 11, episode 12 of The Simpsons called The Mansion Family (originally aired on January 23, 2000), Bart is riding a bicycle through Mr. Burns's mansion screaming "I'm Al Unser Jr."

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Al Unser Jr at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  2. ^ LiveOutsideTheBottle.com Archived 2007-10-07 at the Library of Congress Web Archives, Retrieved 2011-09-29
  3. ^ Cain, Holly. Al Unser Jr. ‘Done’ Archived 2009-04-20 at the Wayback Machine, Speed, April 15, 2009, Retrieved 2009-09-29
  4. ^ Moore, Stan. Al Unser Jr. to help announce Baltimore Grand Prix plans, Inside Charm City, August 13, 2009, Retrieved 2011-09-29
  5. ^ Contreras, Russell. Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. arrested for DWI, Associated Press, September 29, 2011, Retrieved 2011-09-29
  6. ^ "G-Comp Team Speedway". www.speedwaymotors.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  7. ^ Al Unser Jr., 2-time Indy 500 winner arrested on OWI count in Indiana, IndyStar.com, Retrieved from https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2019/05/20/al-unser-jr-arrested-owi-dui-avon-indiana-indy-500/3738991002/
  8. ^ "Cody Unser: Never Say Never Again Essay". Deep Throttle.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "50 Plus Prime". 50 Plus Prime. April 14, 2019. Event occurs at 2:56. WGBA.
  10. ^ "Cody Unser / Contributor". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  11. ^ "1981 SCCA Robert Bosch Formula Super Vee Championship Al Unser, Jr. - Champion". Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  12. ^ "US Formula Super Vee 1981". oldracingcars.com. Old Racing Cars. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021. Rick Galles formed a new team for the 19-year-old Al Unser Jr and the experienced Bob Earl. Both had won races in the previous season, Earl having won both his appearances and Unser one of his two, and they were joined as pre-season favourites by 1977 European FSV champion Arie Luyendijk (who would later rename himself Luyendyk to help out the US press). Another leading contender from 1980, Pete Halsmer, missed the opening race in Frank Arciero's Ralt RT5/80 as he tried his luck in Atlantic and at the Indy 500. He and Unser then had a great battle through the season, finishing 1-2 in five of the nine races. Halsmer couldn't quite make up for missing that opening race and Unser took the title by just four points.
  13. ^ Potter, Steve (21 July 1985). "AL UNSER JR. EMERGES, MUCH TO HIS FATHER'S DELIGHT". The New York Times. Section 5. p. 7. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021. Unser first brought attention to himself when he won the 1981 Bosch Super Vee Championship at the age of 19. The little single seaters with 200-horsepower Volkswagen-based engines resemble miniature Indy cars.CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. ^ "Welcome To The Next Level: 1994 And Beyond... - Sega Genesis". Sega Force. No. 5. Sendai Publishing. July 1994. pp. 8–26. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2021-01-01.

External links[]

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Peter Kuhn 		US Formula Super Vee
Champion
1981 		Succeeded by
Michael Andretti
Preceded by
Rick Mears 		Indianapolis 500 Winner
1992 		Succeeded by
Emerson Fittipaldi
Preceded by
Emerson Fittipaldi 		Indianapolis 500 Winner
1994 		Succeeded by
Jacques Villeneuve
Preceded by
Emerson Fittipaldi 		CART Champion
1990 		Succeeded by
Michael Andretti
Preceded by
Nigel Mansell 		CART Champion
1994 		Succeeded by
Jacques Villeneuve
Preceded by
Harry Gant 		IROC Champion
IROC X (1986) 		Succeeded by
Geoff Bodine
Preceded by
Geoff Bodine 		IROC Champion
IROC XII (1988) 		Succeeded by
Terry Labonte
Preceded by
Geoff Brabham 		Can-Am Champion
1982 		Succeeded by
Jacques-Joseph Villeneuve
Retrieved from ""