The consummate professional race car driver. Al Unser Sr epitomized the word "smooth" when it came to racing. I always recalled him walking around the pit area at Indy with an almost, sort of scowl or serious frown, if you will. He wasn't there to greet fans or sign autographs or give flamboyant interviews. He was there to win "period" end of story. He and Rick Mears were mirror images of each other when it came to the correct philosophy on winning the Indy 500. Al Unser Sr is, without question, one of the greatest racing drivers the world has ever seen. His focus and concentration in a race car were second to nobody. He would beat your ass in a dirt car or indy car and make it look so easy. When I see him today at the speedway I realize that I am looking at what has to be "the best Indy 500 champion of them all". The man flat knew how to win that race like nobody else.
"There's a lot of tragedy around racing. You learn to deal with it, or you can't be here." One of the earliest lessons I learned as an 11 year old racing fan. On the final lap of the first Daytona 500 I watched, a legend was killed. Experiencing that, and the next weekend at Rockingham when the whole garage area was reeling and healing, so early in my fandom went a long way to help me have a healthy appreciation and respect for the danger involved in the sport I love. The same can't be said for most people my age.
My great grandfather was Al’s team owner back in the 1970s when he was racing a dodge in the USAC stock car series. I’m glad I got to meet him before he passed. Love hearing the stories from my grandfather of the awesome man he was.
My mom was adopted and she had a brother who was also adopted. She wasn’t related to him but he was her family. My uncle is in his fifties and he took a dna test and he’s part of the Unser family.
What's sooo ironic is how the fathers & their sons mirrored eachother. in 1987, Mario dominated & his Chevy let him down only miles from the finish, opening the door for 1st Roberto & then Unser Sr. Then in 1992, 5 years later Michael dominates Indy and his brand new Cosworth fails only a few laps from the finish & Unser Jr comes through to win it...
AL UNSER,SR. was the BEST of the Best of ALL the Indianapolis 500 Champs. He BEAT you with his "SMARTS" , in HIS own racing ability , the PERFORMANCE of his Indy car , the PERFORMANCE of his RACING PEERS (Unser ANTICIPATED other driver's moves AND THEIR CARS) ; UNSER SR. had the UNCANNY gift "of thinking for you" Unser Sr. Possessed the SCIENCE of racing , a REMARKABLE 6th sense , always one step ahead of ANY GIVEN racing SITUATION. Given these UNIQUE TALENTS , Big Al should have been (at least) a 6 Time Indy Winner. And TIMING was the FACTOR. With that in mind ; Al Unser Sr. COULD HAVE been COMPETITIVE driving into his 50's , at the VERY LEAST !! For he was THAT RARE of a DRIVER , " like the 🐅 TIGER WOODS of ⛳ Golfing. Won't 👀 see another UNSER or WOODS for generations. BOTH born with COMPETITIVE DRIVE on .....CRUISE CONTROL. (pun or no pun)
Al, Sr. Was a remarkable man in his "style" of driving race cars...especially the Indy car designs. In my watching him during his Indy Champ Car years, he literally knew how to save the car for winning or placing well in a race. He interested me the most in the 1968 - 1978 years with his Indy car events he entered in. Among the favorite all-time cars I liked when he drove were: 1970, '71, '72, '75 - 1978. There IS a difference among he and "Uncle Bobby"...Bobby usually ran the race car till it failed. Al, saved it. (Sorry Bobby. You are still a favorite of mine. 1972, '75 and '78 are my favorites for you...Some of the Gurney Eagle years) Also...Al, Sr. Was a man to recond on dirt track racing. The years he drove the Ford powered Sprinters were fun to watch.
thanks mr unser. i lost fifty lbs and won senior olympic swim championship for freestyle and can press one million lbs a week with legs and one hundred thousand lbs with upper body in a week. dreamin in my fabulous fifties. dad and i have electric ideas for billion year future. all for now happy thanksgiving happy trails best wishes. eric stewart monroe city indiana
dear mr unser. i am back in the logging business as a trucker. still dreaming of being oldest indy and daytona qualifier as well as doing a travis pastrana three peat of mr knievels bike jumps. my family is doing well. best wishes. eric stewart american trucker singer biker dreamer for grandpa and pap. thanks for all the unser memories. see ya at the rodeo or indy or daytona.
Come on ESPN! At the 21:24 mark that is 1973 and 1982 Indy 500 winner, Gordon Johncock, not Jim Phillippe. Next, Eddie Cheever, was the 1998 winner not the 1988 winner.
Yeah they pretend to care about sports they have no interest in hockey, racing, MLB yet all the idiots like Stephen "Asshole" Smith talk is NBA & NFL that's it & he for example doesn't know a player is out for the year with a ACL tear.
I still remember the times This great man and the way he always showed how calm he stayed in racing , I seen all 4 times he won Indy and I have seen all 4 times AJ won his 4 times , yea it was real racing in all those years not like today with all the computers telling crew if things were wrong or right , the drivers of the Indy Car races knew what to feel and hear also they could tell team what was right and wrong , things now are not the same in racing and there maybe before long that Indy Racing is made to slow or change the car again
I was through ALbuquerque a month ago and it was closed due to covid. Opening back up in the fall. So I stopped at the indy Speedway before I went home.
Liked Big Al & Al Jr but couldn’t stand Bobby he went off on my mothers friend who got a pit pass after talking with her he went out & hit the wall came back & just yelled at moms friend for no reason.
