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 ...
I wonder who the third celebrity will be?
5.56mm
He won the first race I ever went to.
Big Indi 500 fan here. Been to 33 races and hopefully alot more after the plague is over.
My great-uncle had Indi 500 parties every year when I was a kid. Set up tables, a grill and a black n white TV in in his garage. Loved the race even then.
(Most fun race was Alexander Rossi. He didn’t have enough gas to make but gave it a try and suceeded. The look on his face when they took off his helmet and the tears that followed was priceless. (I think because he was the same age as my son made me find it so heart warming!))
Met Rick Mears. A-hole.
RIP Al. You and yours will be missed. Good people.
RIP Big Al - they’ll never make a greater driver
Only to men who have the clap.
love it
2013 -— used to love him lighting a smoke on the cautions
RIP.
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