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.

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. A year later, he competed in his first Indianapolis 500, finishing tenth. However, after the race, Unser was issued a 2-lap penalty for passing 2 cars under caution with less than 40 laps to go. The penalty dropped him from an original finish of 9th, to 10th. A cloud of controversy also followed Unser after the race when Unser admitted to have been trying to block eventual winner Tom Sneva from getting by his dad, who was leading with less than 10 laps to go.

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 1988 and 1986 IROC championships. 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 intreview 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

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, but after finishing fourth in 1996, despite having a chance of winning the championship until the end of the season, 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 with Japanese driver Naoki Hattori). 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.

Indy Racing League

He won his first IRL race early that season. April 22, 2000, at Las Vegas, Unser became first and only driver in the history of organized motor sport to score open-wheel American Championship Car Racing victories under USAC, and CART, and IRL sanction.

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, Alfred Unser, who is currently working his way through the lower ranks in open-wheel racing.

April 22, 2000

Post-retirement racing and personal issues

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 LIVE outside the Bottle, 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, Little Al confirmed that his IndyCar career was in fact over. 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.

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

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.

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 and also the Sports Car Club of America Solo National Championship, placing second in his class in the latter, 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.

Motorsports career results

American Open Wheel racing results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

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	ROA	MCH	PHX										21st	30
1983	Galles Racing	Eagle 83	Cosworth DFX V8t	ATL	INDY		CLE	MCH	ROA		RIV	MDO	MCH	CPL	LAG	PHX								7th	89
		March 83C				MIL				POC
1984	Galles Racing	March 84C	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH	PHX	INDY	MIL	POR	MEA	CLE	MCH	ROA	POC	MDO	SAN	MCH	PHX	LAG	CPL					6th	103
1985	Shierson Racing	Lola T900	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH	INDY	MIL	POR	MEA	CLE	MCH	ROA	POC	MDO	SAN	MCH	LAG	PHX	MIA						2nd	150
1986	Shierson Racing	Lola T86/00	Cosworth DFX V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	POR	MEA	CLE	TOR	MCH	POC	MDO	SAN	MCH	ROA	LAG	PHX	MIA				4th	137
1987	Shierson Racing	March 87C	Cosworth DFX V8t	LBH	PHX	INDY	MIL	POR	MEA	CLE	TOR	MCH	POC	ROA	MDO	NAZ	LAG	MIA						3rd	107
1988	Galles Racing	March 88C	Chevrolet 265A V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	POR	CLE	TOR	MEA	MCH	POC	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG	MIA						2nd	149
1989	Galles Racing	Lola T89/00	Chevrolet 265A V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	POC	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG						5th	136
1990	Galles-Kraco Racing	Lola T90/00	Chevrolet 265A V8t	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	DEN	VAN	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG					1st	210
1991	Galles-Kraco Racing	Lola T91/00	Chevrolet 265A V8t	SRF	LBH	PHX	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	MEA	TOR	MCH	DEN	VAN	MDO	ROA	NAZ	LAG				3rd	197
1992	Galles-Kraco Racing	Galmer G92	Chevrolet 265A V8t	SRF	PHX	LBH	INDY	DET	POR	MIL	NHA	TOR	MCH	CLE	ROA	VAN	MDO	NAZ	LAG					3rd	169
1993	Galles Racing	Lola T93/00	Chevrolet 265C V8t	SRF	PHX	LBH	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MCH	NHA	ROA	VAN	MDO	NAZ	LAG					7th	100
1994	Team Penske	Penske PC-23	Ilmor 265D V8t	SRF	PHX	LBH		MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MCH	MDO	NHA	VAN	ROA	NAZ	LAG					1st	225
			Mercedes-Benz 500I V8t				INDY
1995	Team Penske	Penske PC-24	Mercedes-Benz IC108B V8t	MIA	SRF	PHX	LBH	NAZ	INDY	MIL	DET	POR	ROA	TOR	CLE	MCH	MDO	NHA	VAN	LAG				2nd	161
1996	Team Penske	Penske PC-25	Mercedes-Benz IC108C V8t	MIA	RIO	SRF	LBH	NAZ	500	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MCH	MDO	ROA	VAN	LAG					4th	125
1997	Team Penske	Penske PC-26	Mercedes-Benz IC108D V8t	MIA	SRF	LBH	NAZ	RIO	GAT	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MCH	MDO	ROA	VAN	LAG	FON				13th	67
1998	Team Penske	Penske PC-27	Mercedes-Benz IC108E V8t	MIA	MOT	LBH	NAZ	RIO	GAT	MIL	DET	POR	CLE	TOR	MCH	MDO	ROA	VAN	LAG	HOU	SRF	FON		11th	72
1999	Team Penske	Penske PC-27B	Mercedes-Benz IC108E V8t	MIA	MOT	LBH	NAZ	RIO							MCH						HOU	SRF	FON	21st	26
		Lola B99/00							GAT	MIL	POR	CLE	ROA	TOR		DET	MDO	CHI	VAN	LAG

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	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	Oldsmobile Aurora V8	WDW	PHX	LVS	INDY	TXS	PPIR	ATL	KTY	TXS									9th	188
2001	Galles Racing	G-Force GF05B	Oldsmobile Aurora V8	PHX	HMS	ATL	INDY	TXS	PPIR	RIR	KAN	NSH	KTY	GAT	CHI	TXS					7th	289
2002	Kelley Racing	Dallara IR-02	Chevrolet Indy V8	HMS	PHX	FON	NAZ	INDY	TXS	PPIR	RIR	KAN	NSH	MCH	KTY	GAT	CHI	TXS			7th	311
2003	Kelley Racing	Dallara IR-03	Toyota Indy V8	HMS	PHX	MOT	INDY	TXS	PPIR	RIR	KAN	NSH	MCH	GAT	KTY	NAZ	CHI	FON	TXS		6th	374
2004	Patrick Racing	Dallara IR-04	Chevrolet Indy V8	HMS	PHX	MOT	INDY	TXS	RIR	KAN	NSH	MIL	MCH	KTY	PPIR	NAZ	CHI	FON	TXS		25th	44
2006	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Dallara IR-05	Honda HI6R V8	HMS	STP	MOT	INDY	WGL	TXS	RIR	KAN	NSH	MIL	MCH	KTY	SNM	CHI				35th	12
2007	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Dallara IR-05	Honda HI6R V8	HMS	STP	MOT	KAN	INDY	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	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

• Al Unser Jr.'s Turbo Racing, a 1990 NES game featuring Unser.
• Al Unser Jr.'s Road to the Top, a 1994 SNES game.
• Al Unser Jr. Arcade Racing, a 1995 computer game featuring Unser.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]