Al Unser | |||||||
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Born | Alfred Unser May 29, 1939 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. | ||||||
Died | December 9, 2021 Chama, New Mexico, U.S. | (aged 82)||||||
Championship titles | |||||||
USAC/CART Championship Car (1970, 1983, 1985) USAC Silver Crown (1973) Major victories Pikes Peak Hill Climb (1964, 1965) Indianapolis 500 (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987) Pocono 500 (1976, 1978) California 500 (1977, 1978) 24 Hours of Daytona (1985) | |||||||
Champ Car career | |||||||
321 races run over 30 years | |||||||
Best finish | 1st (1970, 1983, 1985) | ||||||
First race | 1964 Tony Bettenhausen 200 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
Last race | 1993 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
First win | 1965 Pikes Peak Hill Climb (Pikes Peak) | ||||||
Last win | 1987 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
5 races run over 3 years | |||||||
Best finish | 106th (1986) | ||||||
First race | 1968 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
Last race | 1986 Winston Western 500 (Riverside) | ||||||
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Alfred Unser (May 29, 1939 – December 9, 2021) was an American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser Jr. He was the second of four men (A. J. Foyt, himself, Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves) to have won the Indianapolis 500 four times (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987), the fourth of six to have won the race in consecutive years, and the winner of the National Championship in 1970, 1983, and 1985. The Unser family has won the Indy 500 a record nine times. He was the only person to have both a sibling (Bobby) and child (Al Jr.) as fellow Indy 500 winners. Al's nephews Johnny and Robby Unser have also competed in that race. In 1971, he became the only driver to date to win the race on his birthday (his 32nd).
After his son Al Unser Jr. joined the national championship circuit in 1983, Unser was generally known professionally by the retronym "Al Unser Sr." He was also nicknamed "Big Al", and Al Unser Jr. was likewise nicknamed "Little Al".