Posted on 12/10/2021 9:32:51 AM PST by BenLurkin
Known as “Big Al” once his own son made a name for himself in racing, Unser is part of an elite club of four-time winners of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Unser won the Indy 500 in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987, and is the only driver in history to have both a sibling and a child also win one of the biggest races in the world.
His final victory at age 47 made him the oldest winner in Indy 500 history. He dominated in his first Indy win in 1970 by starting from the pole and leading all but 10 of the 200 laps. Unser beat runner-up Mark Donohue by 32 seconds that year.
Unser led over half the laps in three of his Indy 500 victories, and his 644 total laps at Indianapolis is most in race history. He led the final lap of the 1987 race to tie Ralph DePalma’s 75-year-old record of 612 laps led, and Unser went on to lead 31 more laps over his final five starts to smash the mark.
He made 27 starts in the Indy 500, third most in history, and qualified once on the pole and five times on the front row.
Unser won three Indy car national championships over his career and 39 victories— sixth on the all-time list.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
ping
Didn’t Bobby Unser also die within the last six months or so?
He was Penske material.
RIP
thank you...
Yes.
“We have lost a true racing legend and a champion on and off the track. Al was the quiet leader of the Unser family, a tremendous competitor and one of the greatest drivers to ever race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. From carrying on his family’s winning tradition at Pikes Peak to racing in NASCAR, sports cars, earning championships in INDYCAR and IROC and, of course, becoming just the second driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, Al had an amazing career that spanned nearly 30 years. He produced two championships and three wins for our race team, including his memorable victory in the 1987 Indy 500 when he famously qualified and won with a car that was on display in a hotel lobby just a few days before. We were honored to help Al earn a place in history with his fourth Indy victory that day, and he will always be a big part of our Team. Our thoughts are with the Unser family as they mourn the loss of a man that was beloved across the racing world and beyond.” – Roger Penske
Big Al was a King
at the 500.
.
RIP Big Al.
Is Dick Trickle still alive?
It's been a bad year for the Unser family. Bobby died May 2nd, Booby, Jr. died June 13th from blood clots as a result from surgery to repair a broken hip, and now Al Unser.
RIP One of the greats.
Yet, against all odds, A.J. Foyt is still kickin’ at age 86.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._Foyt
I gotta say, any race car driver who survives to his 80s is beating the odds. Back in the 50s-70s, they died regularly
Great driver...
RIP Al...
good one
Yes. But 82 years is a pretty good run.
I didn’t realize this....
**He was the brother of Al, Jerry Unser and Louis Unser, the father of Robby Unser and the uncle of Al Unser Jr. and Johnny Unser. The Unser family has won the Indianapolis 500 a record nine times, with Bobby and Al Unser Sr. being the only set of brothers to win in the race’s history.**
Thank you, too!
.
RIP… one of racings greats…
Dang. Not a good day. First Mike Nesmith and now this. RIP, Al Unser.
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