RIP Al Unser

[PimTac]

A four time Indy 500 winner.

Al Unser, a Four-Time Winner of Indianapolis 500, Dies at 82

Al Unser, one of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 a record four times, died Thursday following a long illness. He was 82.Indianapolis Motor Speedway said early Friday that Unser died at his home in Chama, New Mexico, with his wife, Susan, by his side. He had...

www.newsmax.com

 

[Passport1]

Great driver.

 

[slo town]

Al Sr. was one of the very best. I saw him race at Laguna Seca in F5000 in the early '70s. F5000 was a great series, faster than F1 at the time. I always considered Al an oval guy, but boy was I mistaken. He hustled that F5000 car around Laguna like a gifted road racer. Mario was his teammate. IIRC they finished 1-2, and at the time F5000 was jam packed with talent.

On a closely related note, read Al Unser Jr's latest book. Shocking is an understatement!

RIP Al.

Scott

 

[CharBaby]

RIP

 

[Malo83]

Al Sr. was one of the very best. I saw him race at Laguna Seca in F5000 in the early '70s. F5000 was a great series, faster than F1 at the time. I always considered Al an oval guy, but boy was I mistaken. He hustled that F5000 car around Laguna like a gifted road racer. Mario was his teammate. IIRC they finished 1-2, and at the time F5000 was jam packed with talent.

On a closely related note, read Al Unser Jr's latest book. Shocking is an understatement!

RIP Al.

Scott

Whatever happened to Jr? enjoyed watching him race then didn't hear anything about him.

 

[slo town]

Whatever happened to Jr? enjoyed watching him race then didn't hear anything about him.

Malo, Al Jr.'s story is mind blowing. Super Vee and Can Am season championships in his rookie years. Two Indy 500 wins, one series championship, 33 race wins....

But, he was a wicked bad alcoholic and drug abuser; pot and coke. In and out of multiple rehabs. Sometimes he'd arrive at the track so hungover the team managers feared putting him in the car. But then he'd go out and win the race! He ended up broke, living with his mother not too long ago. Just recently Al Sr. bought him a modest house in Albuquerque (Sr. was constantly trying to help him).

His first wife Shelley, mother of his four children, died recently. She was so broke she ended up working as a cashier at a gas station! I always thought Al and Shelley were the perfect race couple. Even though she and Jr. were divorced, he always adored her. But she was as bad an alcoholic and druggie as he was (she was a cocaine freak). They were toxic to each other and brought out the worst in each other.

Although it is a tragic story, there was a lot of interesting racing stories in the book as well. One thing I found interesting was that his uncle Bobby drove flat out, every single lap. On the contrary, Al Sr. was famously easy on cars and saved his flat out racing until the final laps.

NINE Indy 500 wins between the three of them. Incredible.

RIP Sr.

Scott

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Al Sr. was one of the very best. I saw him race at Laguna Seca in F5000 in the early '70s. F5000 was a great series, faster than F1 at the time. I always considered Al an oval guy, but boy was I mistaken. He hustled that F5000 car around Laguna like a gifted road racer. Mario was his teammate. IIRC they finished 1-2, and at the time F5000 was jam packed with talent.

On a closely related note, read Al Unser Jr's latest book. Shocking is an understatement!

RIP Al.

Scott

The Unsers were some of my favorites as a youngster when I first discovered racing. Al Jr's book u mentioned, is it a bio or a racing tell all?
I may order it. So u say Shocking.... that could mean a few things. Do you think most Unser fans will enjoy it?

 

[Dave Hess]

Scott,

Great post. I did like watching Al Jr back in the 80’s and 90’s along with top name drivers. He made some risky decisions to win a race.

Unfortunately drugs leads many people from wealth and status to a dead end road and broke.

 

[slo town]

The Unsers were some of my favorites as a youngster when I first discovered racing. Al Jr's book u mentioned, is it a bio or a racing tell all?
I may order it. So u say Shocking.... that could mean a few things. Do you think most Unser fans will enjoy it?

I liked the guy and I enjoyed it. But understand it is a sad, disturbing story.

An excerpt from one of the book sellers - "His gifts as a driver and his easy affability were the public persona. Behind the scenes, his appetite for drugs and alcohol were destroying his private life. Spurred on by his spiraling substance abuse problem, his marriage turned volatile. When he retired as a driver, the trouble amplified. Domestic violence arrests. Multiple DUIs. Repeated visits to rehab centers. Divorce. Financial ruin. A dark dive into depression and isolation that led to a suicide attempt."

Grim as it was I read the book in two long evenings. I couldn't put it down. If you like him already, your opinion won't change. But it will amaze you how he accomplished all that he did. I doubt he will die of old age.

Scott