Al Unser

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Unser was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the youngest of four sons of Mary Catherine (Craven) and Jerome Henry "Jerry" Unser. His father and two uncles, Louis and Joe, were also drivers. Joe Unser became the first member of the Unser family to lose his life to the sport, killed while test-driving an FWD Coleman Special on the Denver highway in 1929. Unser's oldest brother Jerry became the first Unser to drive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualifying 23rd and finishing 31st in the 1958 Indianapolis 500, but was killed by injuries sustained in a fiery crash during a practice session the next year. Middle brother Bobby drove in his first Indianapolis 500 in 1963, winning in 1968 and going on to win the race a total of three times. Son Al Unser Jr. drove in his first Indy 500 in 1983, winning twice. His mother Mary "Mom" Unser became a popular fixture at the track, treating participants to a chili cookout each year; she died on December 18, 1975. Unser married Wanda Jesperson in 1958 and they had three children—Alfred Jr., Mary, and Deborah. Deborah was killed in a dune buggy accident in 1982. Al and Wanda divorced in 1971. Unser married Karen Sue Barnes on November 22, 1977; they divorced in 1988. Unser was later married to Susan, who survived him. Unser, with his family, owned and operated the Unser Racing Museum on Montano Blvd. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city dedicated a road as Unser Boulevard, a north-south arterial road on the city's west side, in his honor, ultimately taking ownership of the property in May of 2025.

In Their Own Story

In 1987, Penske's slate of drivers included Rick Mears, Danny Sullivan, and Danny Ongais. Unser was dropped from the team, and entered the month of May without a ride. During the first week of practice, Al Sr. spent much of the week shopping for a ride, and a few offers were made by owners. Unser, however, refused the offers, as he insisted on landing a ride in a competitive, well-funded car only. Danny Ongais crashed into the wall during the first week of practice, suffering a serious concussion, and was declared unfit to drive. Meanwhile, the Penske team's new Penske PC-16 chassis had been uncompetitive during practice. By the end of the first week of practice, Penske parked the PC-16s and elected to qualify back-up cars for the race. Midway through the second week of practice, Roger Penske consummated a deal with Unser to drive the third car. Penske promised Unser a well-funded effort, and a brand new Cosworth engine, the same chassis/engine combination that had won the previous four Indy 500s. The year-old March was removed from a Penske Racing display at a Sheraton hotel in the team's hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania, and hurriedly prepared for a return to active competition. Unser easily put the car in the field on the third day of time trials. At the start, Unser was in the twentieth position. On a day when heavy attrition felled most of the field's front-runners, including the overwhelmingly dominant Newman-Haas entry of Mario Andretti, Unser worked his way steadily forward and took the lead on the 183rd lap, after Roberto Guerrero's car stalled on his final pit stop. Averaging 162.175 mph (260.995 km/h), Unser bested a charging field to win his fourth Indianapolis 500.

Reader's Guide

Unser began racing in 1957 at age eighteen, initially competing primarily in modified roadsters, sprint cars and midgets. In 1965, he raced in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time and finished ninth. His breakout year in IndyCar was in 1970 when he joined Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing, where he would drive for the next seven years. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1970, two years after his brother Bobby, leading all but ten of the 200 laps. That season, he won a record ten times on oval, road and dirt tracks to capture the USAC national championship. In 1971, with Vel's Parnelli Jones, he won the Indianapolis 500 again, starting from the fifth position and holding off Peter Revson's McLaren. His bid to become the first three-time consecutive Indy 500 champion was thwarted when he finished second to Mark Donohue in the 1972 Indianapolis 500. Unser continued driving for VPJ until 1977, then departed for Jim Hall Racing. Despite starting the 1978 Indianapolis 500 from the fifth position in a First National City Travelers Checks Chaparral Lola, Unser's car was considered a second-tier entry; he won after Danny Ongais suffered an engine failure on lap 150. In 1979, Unser joined the Longhorn Racing Team owned by Bobby Hillin Sr., going winless for three seasons. In the 1983 season, Unser joined Team Penske and drove for four years. He finished second in the 1983 Indianapolis 500 to Tom Sneva. Unser won the IndyCar championships in 1983 and 1985. In 1986, Penske focused on teammate Rick Mears, and Unser cut down his schedule. In 1987, Unser was dropped from Penske but secured a ride after Danny Ongais crashed and was declared unfit to drive; Unser went on to win his fourth Indianapolis 500. Outside open-wheel, Unser was a semi-regular in IROC, winning three races and the 1977-1978 championship. He also started five NASCAR races, with best finishes of fourth at the 1968 Daytona 500 and the 1969 Motor Trend 500 at Riverside.

Did You Know?

• Al Unser was the younger brother of Bobby Unser, not the older brother.
• In the 1970 Indy 500, Unser lapped every car except second-place Mark Donohue; third-place Dan Gurney was lapped.
• Unser is the only driver to have both a sibling (Bobby) and a child (Al Jr.) as fellow Indy 500 winners.
• He won the 1971 Indianapolis 500 on his 32nd birthday, a feat no other driver has matched.