Bob Jennings

2002 has to be a bittersweet year for Unser Jr. Rick Galles announced he was closing his racing operation at the end of 2001, which left Little Al unemployed. The new year began with the two time "Indianapolis 500" winner and two time CART champion going through rigorous physical training suggested by Eddie Cheever when Unser lobbied him for an Indy Racing League ride. This was an attempt to lose weight (which was successful), get fit and dispel the general notion Al Jr. no longer had the passion to be a competitive racer. Along the way, there was the frustration of being unemployed until less than two weeks before the start of the 2002 IRL season. 

Unser's personal problems came to a head in early July when he was arrested at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by Marion County sheriff deputies for domestic battery during an incident along Interstate 465 involving his girl friend. Although charges against Little Al were later dropped, the issue prompted a public admission from Unser Jr. that he suffers from alcoholism, followed by a three week stay in an East Coast rehabilitation facility.

In the midst of personal turmoil however, which included a public statement from daughter Cody that she didn't want to see her father, there appeared a competitive reawakening inside Al Unser Jr. 

Beginning with his first racing appearance of the new year at Daytona in February for the season opening IROC event, Unser repeatedly showed the same competitive fire which burned so brightly through 1996, when he was considered by many to be the premier race driving talent in this country. 

Al Unser Jr. and Dale Earnhardt are the all time race winners in the International Race of Champions with eleven victories apiece. Al Jr. won the IROC championship in 1986 and 1988. His performance at Daytona International Speedway on February 15 shouldn't have been a surprise but it was. The intensity Unser showed during the race reminded me of the "Little Al of old" and it was a glimpse of things to come later in the season at Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway. 

I watched an ESPN replay of the Daytona IROC race and I was impressed. Unser Jr. led 23 of 40 laps. Little Al ran side by side through the Daytona high banks with Tony Stewart lap after lap and it was cool having my two favorite racers fight so hard on the track. Obviously the NASCAR guys have an advantage over the Indy car drivers in IROC competition and that advantage becomes more decided when the series runs at a high banked tri-oval like Daytona. 

Surprisingly in the IROC opener at Daytona, it was a day for open wheel and former open wheel guys to shine. Unser led 18 of the race's final 20 laps. With two laps remaining, Stewart went past Unser as they were racing through the high banks in turns three and four, with aerodynamic help from Sam Hornish who was running directly behind Tony. In the process, Al was shuffled back to fifth at the finish behind Stewart, Hornish, Scott Sharp and Jack Sprague. But the point had been made (at least with me) that Al Unser Jr. appeared to be taking his racing seriously again.  

Once Budweiser backed away from an expected deal to sponsor Unser Jr. and Rick Galles for 2002, Little Al made the rounds of Indy Racing League teams in an attempt to find a full time ride. During the 2001 Christmas holidays Unser and his agent contacted the Treadway team. That came to nothing when it was apparent Fred Treadway was consumed by a frantic search for enough money to go racing.

About the same time as he contacted the Treadway team, Unser talked with Eddie Cheever and new sponsor Red Bull about a ride in one of the Team Cheever Dallara - Infinitis. Although he didn't come out and say so, I think Cheever was considering Little Al for his team until Tomas Scheckter showed up with a high speed flair in the pre-season Indy Racing League testing program at California Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Reportedly John Menard and A.J. Foyt were contacted (perhaps by Unser's patron Tony George) about bringing Little Al into their teams but neither car owner was interested. Chip Ganassi considered Unser for his new full time single car IRL entry but chose Jeff Ward instead. Dennis Reinbold expressed some interest in signing Little Al and apparently Unser also talked to Buzz's dad Brad Calkins.

I don't know the exact details but the story goes that Tony George put one of his marketing people to work to find a sponsor for Unser. When auto "after market" parts firm Corteco agreed to terms, Little Al took the sponsor money and his salary, which was paid by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to Tom Kelley's IRL team. Kelley was unhappy with Greg Ray for not bringing agreed upon financial backing and replaced him with Unser in his number 7 Dallara - Chevrolet within two weeks of the Indy Racing League opener in Miami.

Al Unser Jr. began his third Indy Racing League season in a disappointing way at Homestead Miami Speedway. Unser qualified the number 7 Corteco/Bryant Dallara - Chevy in 13th and although he was running at the end, he was also 19 laps behind and finished in nineteenth position after spending four minutes in the pits while his crew attended to an electronics malfunction. It should be noted the opening practice session at Miami was the first time Unser turned a wheel in an IRL Dallara chassis and it was also the first time he had an opportunity to work with his Kelley Racing crew, which at that time was led by Greg Ray's longtime associate Tom Knapp.  

Things were more favorable for Unser Jr. at the next IRL race, on March 17, at Phoenix International Raceway. Although Little Al only qualified 18th, the Corteco/Bryant crew pursued a fuel strategy at Phoenix and a quick pit stop allowed Unser to move into the lead on lap 100. Once he made it to the front of the field Al was quick, remaining in front for 39 laps and completing the race in a respectable fifth place.

One week after the IRL race in Phoenix, the series made its debut appearance at California Speedway. This was perhaps the low point of the 2002 Indy Racing League season because the race crowd was embarrassingly small, although those who did show up saw an excellent contest. Unser Jr. qualified seventh but fell one lap down to the leaders during the race, finishing eleventh.

The next Indy Racing League event came four weeks later, on April 21 at Nazareth Speedway. Al Unser Jr. only qualified 21st. A loose oil fitting was discovered as the Corteco/Bryant car 7 was being pushed to the starting grid and that problem called for hasty repairs. Once the Nazareth race got underway, Al's run was similar to his race several weeks earlier on the mile at Phoenix. He came through the field gradually. However the Corteco/Bryant guys once again parlayed good fuel mileage and quick pit stops into track position and Unser moved into first place on lap 42, where he stayed for 54 laps, but later lost a lap to the leaders and ended up twelfth at the finish.

Next it was on to Indianapolis for the month of May and Al Unser Jr.'s career long priority, victory in the  "Indianapolis 500." Unser got off to an uncharacteristic quick start to "500" practice, with an opening day lap of 226.885 mph, good for third place on the speed charts behind Kelley teammate Scott Sharp (227.571) and defending "Indianapolis 500" champion Helio Castroneves (227.408). 

Rain interrupted "500" practice day two (May 6) but activity returned to its normal pace the following day. Unser's lap of 226.400 mph was eleventh best on the day. Rookie Laurent Redon (229.808) was fastest. Scott Sharp was third best in his Kelley entry, the Delphi Dallara - Chevy, with a lap at 228.135 mph. Sharp topped the speed charts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday May 8, with a lap at 228.350 mph. Unser was close behind with the fourth fastest lap of the day at 227.849 mph. Unser didn't make it on to the track on Thursday May 9. Sharp was tenth fastest at 227.175 mph, while CART veteran Tony Kanaan topped the speed charts with a lap at 229.503 mph.       

Friday May 10 would've been a classic day of "500" practice to be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but I was at work trying to complete a project. 13 drivers topped 230 mph, led by Helio Castroneves' 232.087 mph lap. Little Al ran eighth fastest at 230.489, making it the first time he had exceeded 230 mph at Indianapolis. Scott Sharp was thirteenth quick with a lap at 230.024 mph. 

For the first time since 1994, when he won the pole for Roger Penske, I felt Al Unser Jr. was ready to qualify competitively on "Indianapolis 500" Pole day. Unfortunately the weather forecast called for rain showers around 11 AM, just as qualifications were scheduled to begin. During the early morning practice runs, Unser Jr. had a lap at 230.482 mph. That was fifth best for the morning behind Bruno Junqueira (231.675), Tomas Scheckter (231.662), Robbie Buhl (213.131) and Tony Kanaan (230.645). Sharp, in the other Kelley entry, ran a lap at 229.903 mph, which was 12th fastest during the morning session.  

Although there were a couple delays for brief showers over the seven hours of allotted qualifying time on May 11, 2002, the day went off almost on schedule under overcast skies with chilly winds blowing around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I was in my customary "Indianapolis 500" and Formula One Pole day location, high in the grandstand E penthouse above turn one. I consumed a couple Speedway bratwursts (not quite to the level of the Johnsonvilles at Road America but still pretty good), drank a beer and nervously focused my camera on distinguishable lines in the track surface continuously so I would be ready to take photos when the cars raced by directly below my location.  

"Indianapolis 500" Pole day is my favorite of the year, from a racing photography aspect, because it enables me to get into the grandstand E penthouse to shoot what are my favorite photos of race cars. Go to the archive page on this website and click on a couple of the home pages for Bob Jennings' World O' Racing and you'll see examples of recent "500" Pole day efforts. I love those pole day photos! 

I wish just one time, I could do "Indianapolis 500" race day from this spot. But everything would have to be in exact synchronization for me to give up my regular location inside turn three and there are perhaps only 30 to 50 seats in the second row that would meet my requirements. If the people in row one stood up in front of me, I couldn't photograph the cars either. I'm uncomfortable in high places and it's claustrophobic for me to be up there on "500" Pole day when there aren't many fans around. Being in the grandstand E penthouse on race day, when everyone is wedged in elbow to elbow, would be much worse. Still it would be so cool to be up there for the "500" however, catching all the cars racing into turn one at close range. 

Getting those Pole day penthouse photos is always my first priority. However seeing Al Unser Jr. qualify near the front of the grid was a close number two. Bruno Junqueira (231.342), Felipe Giaffone (230.326), Scott Sharp (229.486), Greg Ray (did not complete run), Eddie Cheever (229.786), John de Vries (did complete run), Jeff Ward (228.557), Airton Dare (did not complete run), George Mack (did not complete run) and Michael Andretti (226.780) made qualifying attempts before light rain interrupted Tony Kanaan's run and brought track action to a halt for 39 minutes.

If waiting to see a favorite driver qualify for the "Indianapolis 500" is nerve wracking for his fans, I wonder what it's like for the driver. Do you think it's a "get it over with" feeling? Rick Mears, who qualified for Pole position for the "Indianapolis 500" a record six times (1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991), once described qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the most difficult task of the entire Indy car season. I wanted to see Al Unser Jr. make a solid run somewhere near the front of the field. His "500" qualifying performance one year earlier (221.615) was 32nd slowest in the field, forcing Junior to sweat it out on the final day of time trials.

Once the track reopened after the rain showers, Kanaan completed a 230.253 mph run, followed by Billy Boat with a four lap average of 226.589 mph. Then Robby Gordon went on to the track but showers again stopped action. This time there was only a 12 minute delay. Max Papis was the first driver on to the track after qualifying resumed but the CART veteran didn't finish the attempt. Gordon returned and had a solid 229.127 mph average.

At 1:02 PM, Al Unser Jr. moved out onto the track in his backup Corteco/Bryant Dallara - Chevy for the annual "moment of truth" and four laps of holding his breath, while trying to find the shortest way around the 2 1/2 mile oval. When Tom Carnegie reported Unser's first lap at 228.392 mph, I was disappointed. I knew Little Al had more speed than that. The second lap was 229.219 mph, followed by lap three at 229.988 mph. Unser's fourth lap of 229.636 mph gave him an average speed of 229.058 mph. This wasn't as quick as I hoped for, but I also knew there were no further concerns about Al Jr. making the race.   

Unser's run placed him seventh on the provisional grid but I anticipated a few of the remaining qualifiers would be faster. Al ended up twelfth on the grid. That's the same position from which Junior started the 1992 "Indianapolis 500," when he got his first "Indy" win. Little Al was faster than Roger Penske's drivers Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran. So all things considered, I was reasonably content with Junior's Pole day effort.     

As the annual "month of May" routine played out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I became increasingly confident about the chances for Al Unser Jr. to win a third "Indianapolis 500" for a variety of reasons, but mostly because he was continuously fast throughout practice and qualifications and I wasn't used to that. So I started entertaining whimsical notions that destiny was going to smile on Al Jr. again. I even began to feel an attraction for the high gloss white, red and black presentation on the Corteco/Bryant Dallara number 7. By "Indianapolis 500" race morning, Little Al was one of a handful of drivers among a large group of potential winners who appeared to me to enjoy the best prospects for victory.

Unfortunately with the exception of leading lap 69 because he waited longer to pit, Al Unser Jr.'s 15th "Indianapolis 500" run was mostly mediocre. He fell one lap down to the leaders and basically stayed there throughout the race, finishing in the same position (12th) from which he started. But at least he was able to complete the distance (short by one lap). Unser was taken out by debris from Greg Ray's mishap in the 2000 "500." In 2001, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Sam Hornish spun on cold tires during a lap 16 restart. So it was nice to have the opportunity to watch Unser Jr. running for the entire race.

I find it interesting to compare the relative performances of Kelley Racing teammates Al Unser Jr. and Scott Sharp during the 2002 Indy Racing League season. After the "Indianapolis 500", the comparative stats for Sharp and Unser were:

With the exception of Sharp's opportunistic win at Nazareth at the expense of Gil de Ferran, who ran out of fuel on the final lap of the race, and Scott's run in the "Indianapolis 500," which was competitive until the Delphi number 8 lost an engine after 137 laps, Tom Kelley's two drivers performed on basically equal terms. But the situation changed beginning with the next Indy Racing League event on June 8, the "Boomtown 500 (k)" at Texas Motor Speedway.

Perhaps as you're reading this piece, you are wondering why I'm using Scott Sharp as a measurement for Al Unser Jr.'s progress. It seems pretty obvious to me. Why do we compare Juan Montoya to Ralf Schumacher or David Coulthard to Kimi Raikkonen? Those guys race for the same team and are competing on equal terms (or are supposed to be) as far as equipment goes.

If it was legitimate to consider Al Unser Jr. as one of the Indy Racing League headliners of the day, he first needed to equal the performance of his teammate Sharp. Scott Sharp is a formidable competitor. With seven career Indy Racing League victories, Sharp is one of those drivers, along with Buddy Lazier and Eddie Cheever who have "headlined" in the IRL since the start of series competition.

The first Indy Racing League event at Texas Motor Speedway was held on June 7, 1997. It was only the ninth event in IRL history and the first to be held at night under the lights. More than 120,000 fans showed up to see Billy Boat receive the checkered flag only to discover the following morning Arie Luyendyk had been declared the winner after a review by United States Auto Club timing and scoring officials. That was the final IRL race officiated by USAC. 

Since the inaugural race in Texas, the Indy Racing League has staged ten more events at the high banked, ultra fast 1.5 mile Speedway Motorsports complex. Although the IRL crowds at Texas leveled off somewhere in the 60,000 - 65,000 range for a couple years, they are back on a solid climb and totaled 169,000 for both races this season, with 83,000 people attending the June race and 86,000 coming for the September season finale event.

With the exception of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, no racing venue better symbolizes what the Indy Racing League product is about more than Texas Motor Speedway. The IRL shows in Texas have been racing classics and as a result, Tony George's series has built a solid fan base in the Lone Star state. 

Al Unser Jr. qualified third (218.214) for the "Boomtown 500 (k)" behind the Red Bull Team Cheever duo of Tomas Scheckter (220.146) and Eddie Cheever (219.065). When the Texas race started, Scheckter left off where he had on lap 173 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, before he hit the fourth turn wall. The 22 year old South African led 107 laps in Texas before the clutch failed during a pit stop on lap 159.

Looking back on last June's Texas race now, it's doubtful Al Unser Jr. or anyone else had much for Tomas Scheckter. When Sam Hornish went out of the "Boomtown 500(k)" on lap 127 after a crash with Cheever, that opened up other opportunities for the drivers left running at the finish. 

To my way of thinking, the "Boomtown 500(k)," on June 8, 2002, marked the return of Al Unser Jr. as the hard charging, dog fighting, ass kicking scrapper he used to be in July 1988, when Junior and Emerson Fittipaldi banged into each other all over the tight confines of the parking lot at the New Jersey Meadowlands. Do you remember that? Little Al was brutal that day in the navy blue and white Galles Valvoline March - Chevy. How many times did Unser bump Emmo's Patrick Racing Marlboro Lola - Chevy out of his way while driving to victory?  

Al Unser Jr. has a couple Indy Racing League wins. At the expense of others, he was the lucky recipient of victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in April 2000, in his third IRL start. In August 2001, Unser had a brilliant win over Sam Hornish at Gateway International Raceway. Al Jr. ran strong in both races at Texas Motor Speedway during the 2000 season. I saw Little Al make an impressive charge from the rear of the field, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July 2000, crossing the line side by side with Buddy Lazier to finish third. For the most part, however, Junior's first two seasons in the IRL weren't up to expectations.

Looking back, I remember the Michigan in 1990 when Unser and Galles Kraco teammate Bobby Rahal fought like arch-enemies in excess of 220 mph? Al Jr. came out on top in that one, to win at an average speed of 189.727 mph. That was a fabulous race as Unser's Valvoline Lola - Chevy and Rahal's blue and yellow Kraco Lola - Chevy scrapped like Bill Vukovich and Jack McGrath during the first quarter of the 1955 "Indianapolis 500."  

How about Milwaukee in June 1994, one week after Unser Jr. won his second "Indianapolis 500" in Roger Penske's "pushrod" Marlboro Penske - Mercedes? Little Al started eleventh at Milwaukee but quickly "bulldozed" his way to the front to lead Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy in a three car Penske sweep of the podium positions. 

The recollections I pulled out of the sack of memories are merely three examples of what Al Unser Jr. used to do with a race car. There are others more historic than my selections, like the classic finish of the 1992 "Indianapolis 500" with Unser holding off Scott Goodyear or Little Al's battle with Fittipaldi in the closing laps of the 1989 "500." 

Unser took the lead of the Texas race for the first time on lap 54 during a pit stop cycle. Scheckter's retirement left Unser Jr. in first place again on lap 160 with Airton Dare following in second. It was Little Al's turn to shine!

Watching the final forty laps of last June's IRL race at Texas made me remember a bunch more Little Al memories because the still boyish (even at age 40) redhead was driving a race the way he did back in the glory days.  

The lead pack of cars ran within inches of one another for the next several laps with Unser's car number 7 able to remain in front. After 175 laps, the order of the top ten was Unser, Dare (-.1290), Helio Castroneves (-.4048), Felipe Giaffone (-.5679), Billy Boat (-.6727), Jeff Ward (-.8316), Raul Boesel (-.8847), Shigeaki Hattori, Richie Hearn and Alex Barron. Based upon the steady way Al Jr. held his advantage under so much pressure from the other leaders, it appeared he was putting his experience with close finishes, like the battle with Scott Goodyear at Indianapolis in May 1992 and the fight to the finish of the 1995 CART race in Michigan with Scott Pruett, to good use.

The high speed train around the 1.5 mile Texas oval continued with the only interruption coming when Boesel's Menard Dallara smoked as Raul pitted on lap 182 for fuel. IRL officials looked at the blue Menard car 2 and sent Boesel back to the race. Hearn pitted next on lap 187. Two laps later Giaffone, Boat and Hattori came in for fuel only. Ward pitted on lap 190 and Castroneves came in on lap 192. Unser pitted on lap 193, with Dare following Al in. 

When the cycle of fuel stops concluded, Castroneves held a .5895 second advantage over Little Al. As exciting as the finish of the Texas race was, my personal favorite moment in the event came when Unser chased down Castroneves for the lead. It was terrific to watch as Junior caught and passed Helio on lap 197. Take that Roger Penske! While I watched Unser go after the Marlboro car looking like a predator chasing its prey, I realized Al still had what he needed to race with anybody.

When Unser crossed the line after 199 laps and received the white flag, Castroneves, Ward and Dare were battling for all they were worth behind him. As many racing enthusiasts know, the margin of victory in the Indy Racing League is often a matter of inches and the Texas race was another example. Little Al held the inside line during the final lap but Dare closed up on Ward's tail and pushed Jeff across the finish line .0111 seconds ahead of Unser for the closest finish in IRL history. The top four finishers, Ward, Unser, Dare and Castroneves, were separated at the finish by less than one second.

I was disappointed that Ward nipped Unser Jr. at the finish of the Texas race. However I realized there was virtually nothing Al could've been done, short of blocking to prevent Jeff from inching ahead at the finish. If Castroneves had lined up behind Unser the way Dare did behind Ward, Al would have had a better chance of reaching the finish line first. Junior's post race comments indicated he shared my feelings, expressing the sentiment that he had done everything he could to win but came up just inches short.    

Mike Colliver took over the engineering duties on the Corteco/Bryant number 7 just prior to the opening of practice for the 86th "Indianapolis 500." Colliver became Al Unser Jr.'s engineer after Tom Knapp left Kelley Racing to rejoin Greg Ray on A.J. Foyt's team. A nice symmetry developed early in the Unser - Colliver association. Seeing Al turn the fastest laps of his career at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a regular basis and then watching how comfortably Unser ran wheel to wheel at Texas, showed he was clicking with Colliver.

Unser's next two IRL races were less spectacular than his Texas run but still consistent. As the 2002 season developed, it was apparent Little Al was at his best on the high banked 1.5 mile venues. He started eleventh and finished sixth at the one mile Pikes Peak International Raceway. On the slippery 3/4 mile Richmond International Raceway, Unser started thirteenth and finished fifth. 

Before a near capacity 70,000 plus fans at Kansas Speedway on July 7, Al Unser Jr. was back on his Texas pace. I was surprised that Unser only qualified 17th but his race day performance was strong. At the start of the Kansas race, Tomas Scheckter led the field into turn one. The South African led 101 laps before spinning in turn two and hitting the outside wall while running in front on lap 191.

Unser Jr. began the race in a gradual manner and was running fourteenth after 25 laps. Al came out of the pits in tenth under yellow on lap 32. After 50 laps, Junior moved to eighth. The yellow came out on lap 66 for debris and most of the leaders came to the pits the next lap. The Corteco/Bryant crew gave Unser a superb stop and Little Al beat everyone out of the pits. When Eddie Cheever made his stop on lap 68, Al moved into first place for the first time. 

Unser held the lead until Scheckter passed on lap 87. When the field reached the 100 lap halfway point of the race, Scheckter had a 2.1996 second lead on Unser Jr. 

Rick Treadway's car 55 slowed on the backstretch and came to a stop in turn three on lap 103, bringing out the yellow flag. The next lap Scheckter led the other leaders in to the pits. Once again the Corteco/Bryant crew came through and Unser Jr. led the other leaders out of the pits and regained the lead on lap 107.

The green flag waved on lap 111 and Airton Dare passed Unser for the lead going through turn three. After 150 laps Little Al ran fourth and on lap 175, Junior was third behind Sam Hornish and Scheckter. On lap 189, car 7 slowed with gearbox problems and Unser was out of the Kansas race.

Al Jr.'s 17th place finish at Kansas Speedway was disappointing. However he led 29 laps of the race and the Corteco/Bryant number 7 was fast, right in the thick of the fight when his car let him down. When he was interviewed on TV after falling out of the race, Unser said he thought he had everyone covered "but Scheckter." 

A couple days after the Kansas race, Unser Jr. was arrested for the incident involving his girl friend along Interstate 465 on Indianapolis' southwest side. It was a big story around the city and the general reaction in the community was a mixture of disapproval, disappointment and pity that Little Al had fallen so far from his place at the top of the racing world.

I was especially disappointed because Al's performances in Texas and Kansas were so impressive. I was concerned the fallout would discourage Tony George, Tom Kelley and Unser's sponsor Corteco from further association. 

Robin Miller did his best to exacerbate the problem with a trashy tabloid revelation on the ESPN racing website. If anything, the Miller article probably motivated the Indy Racing League, Kelley Racing and Corteco to support Unser Jr. 

After domestic battery charges against Al were dropped and local authorities closed the case, he went public at a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With Tom Kelley and corporate officials from Corteco at his side, Unser admitted he had a problem with alcoholism and revealed he was going away for a few weeks of treatment at a rehabilitation facility. Little Al missed the Indy Racing League events at Nashville Superspeedway on July 20 and Michigan International Speedway on July 28. He was scheduled to return to action at Kentucky Speedway on August 11.

Like many of his fans I imagine, I felt a certain amount of anxiety about how Unser Jr. would perform in the IRL race at Kentucky. Although it was a financial stretch for me since I had gone to races the previous two Sundays (the IRL at Michigan and the "Brickyard 400"), I was determined to make it to Kentucky for Little Al's return. 

Sarah Fisher turned a lap at 221.390 mph to win a historic pole position at Kentucky Speedway. Unser only qualified fourteenth at 218.328 mph. Qualifying behind Fisher and in front of Little Al, were Billy Boat (221.364), Felipe Giaffone (220.430), Helio Castroneves (220.387), Sam Hornish (220.341), Buddy Rice (220.264), Eddie Cheever (220.072), Richie Hearn (219.972), Buddy Lazier (219.866), Gil de Ferran (219.557), Raul Boesel (219.400), Unser's Kelley Racing substitute Tony Renna (219.156) and Vitor Meira (219.691). However Laurent Redon, Alex Barron, Tomas Scheckter, Greg Ray, Will Langhorne, Robbie Buhl, Scott Sharp, Airton Dare, Jeff Ward, George Mack and Eliseo Salazar all qualified behind Al in Kentucky. 

Sunday August 11, 2002 was one of the all time "bonehead" days of my life. I attended the first two IRL races at Kentucky Speedway and was prepared to attend the third. This year's race was scheduled to begin at 1:30 PM Kentucky time. I was confused and thinking the race would go off at 1:30 PM Indianapolis time. I was tired from going to Chicago with my wife the previous day and feeling lazy when I awoke the morning of the "Belterra Casino Indy 300." I fiddled around, probably worked on this website, and generally blew my time cushion.

When I reached the approximate halfway point between Indianapolis and Kentucky Speedway I realized I was an hour off on my race start time. I was listening to WIBC (AM 1070) on the drive along Interstate 74 and the on air discussion focused on the IRL race, which was broadcast on the Indianapolis radio station. I decided to go on to Kentucky Speedway even if I missed 50 laps of the race. I reasoned that I'd get to see the final 150 laps, so I proceeded southeast with a "what the hell" attitude. 

The real problem came when the race began. I started to focus on the play by play coming from my car radio. As a result I missed the turnoff to the race track. I kept driving in the wrong direction but when the race reached the 80 lap mark, I stopped at a rest area, took a close look at my MapQuest driving directions and became aware I was on the road to nowhere. I was about as unhappy with myself as one could be under the circumstances but perhaps I was also a bit relieved down deep because I really couldn't afford to go to the Kentucky race. So I made my way back home, listening to the broadcast over WIBC as I headed west, anxious to see the video I was making of the Kentucky race.

It's too bad I wasn't at Kentucky Speedway because the race was another "doozy." Remembering how enthusiastic the fans had been about Sarah Fisher in my two previous trips to the Kentucky race, I imagined the 49,000 fans in Kentucky were going crazy when she led the field into turn one at the start of the race. If there was doubt in my mind about Al Unser Jr. before the start of the IRL race in Kentucky, it was eased a bit when I heard Junior was ninth at the completion of lap one, having passed five cars during the initial circuit around the 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway oval. 

On lap 24 Hearn and de Ferran made contact in turn two, bringing out the yellow flag. Most of the leaders pitted under caution on lap 27. During the pit stop rotation Unser moved into sixth. The green flag waved on lap 35 with Boat leading Hornish into turn one. After 50 laps the order of the top ten behind the leader Boat was Lazier (-1.9830 seconds), Hornish (-2.0714), Rice (-2.8531), Castroneves (-4.1984), Renna (-4.4969), Unser (-4.6314), Fisher (-5.2816), Cheever (-6.5694) and Buhl (-6.9776).

On lap 59 most of the leaders came to the pits under caution for debris, but Giaffone remained on the track and assumed the lead. When the field reassembled, Giaffone led Lazier, Hornish, Unser, Castroneves, Boat, Rice, Renna, Fisher and Cheever under yellow. The green flag waved on lap 64 with Giaffone leading into the first turn. Unser passed Hornish for third in turn three on the same lap. On lap 70, Unser passed Lazier for second. Yeah Little Al still had the fire after his rehab! Two laps later, Hornish and Lazier sandwiched Little Al to drop the Corteco/Bryant car 7 to fourth. 

The order of the top ten at 75 laps was Giaffone, Hornish, Lazier, Unser, Fisher, Rice, Renna, Boat, Castroneves and Scheckter, who was making it back to the front after an early race penalty for jumping the start. Giaffone retained his lead over Hornish by a slight margin and then Lazier came up to challenge and overtook Sam for second on lap 84. On lap 89, Unser charged by both Hornish and Lazier into second place.   

It happened again on lap 90! For the sixth time (California, Nazareth, Indianapolis, Kansas, Nashville previously) Tomas Scheckter crashed out of an Indy Racing League event during the 2002 season. Scheckter's car 52 did a 180 degree spin in turn two and Dare's car 14 was innocently caught up in the mishap.

Watching the video replay of the Kentucky race later, I took note of Scheckter's defensive manner in explaining the mishap. Scheckter and Dare were interviewed after they were released from the medical center. Dare told interviewers "I saw that his (Scheckter) right-rear tire was bad, and I radioed in to tell his spotter. Our spotter told his spotter, but they didn't call him in. It's a shame for both of us. I think we could have had a top-five finish today." 

When asked if he was aware the tire on car 52 was blistering, Scheckter said "No, not at all. I felt something wrong with the engine because it was lagging a bit down the straight. I just feel sorry for Dare - he had nothing to do with it."

The IRL race at Kentucky Speedway turned out to be the final race of the season for Tomas Scheckter. Two weeks later at Gateway International Raceway, Scheckter refused to compete, claiming he had a safety issue with Red Bull Team Cheever. Tomas signed a contract for the 2003 season with Chip Ganassi but Tom Walkinshaw, who owned Scheckter's contract, and Eddie Cheever threatened legal action before a judicial ruling in the United Kingdom released Scheckter from further obligations with Tom Walkinshaw Racing, Red Bull and Team Cheever. Eddie claims his team spent $4 million repairing the Red Bull Dallara - Infinitis that Scheckter crashed this past season.    

From a season long standpoint, Sam Hornish was the most solid performer and the strongest competitor on a regular basis in the Indy Racing League in 2002. Hornish was the most deserving champion in the series. However over the course of the first 12 races this past season it can be argued Tomas Scheckter was the most electrifying IRL participant since the glory days of Tony Stewart and the Menard cars, during the early seasons of Tony George's series. Scheckter's scintillating run in the "Indianapolis 500" was reminiscent of Bill Vukovich at "Indy" in the 1952 "500." Tomas' spectacular charge to victory at Michigan was a masterpiece. I'm excited to see Scheckter follow in the footsteps of Alex Zanardi and Juan Montoya in Chip Ganassi's race cars next season. 

Recently my buddy at work, Chuck Walden, made the comment that Tomas Scheckter "pushed my buttons" in the Indy Racing League in 2002. Chuck is right on the mark. Jody's boy is one of those racers who gets me going. I want to see more of the same from the "South African hot rod."  

Before the flurry of yellow flag pit stops began, Giaffone led Unser, Hornish, Lazier and Renna. At the 100 lap halfway point, Langhorne led Unser, Hornish, Lazier, Boat, Giaffone, Sharp, Fisher, Castroneves and Rice. The green flag was waved on lap 102 with the rookie Langhorne leading. However Hornish, Lazier and Giaffone ran four wide with the rookie into turn one. Unser was also in that group. Al Jr. was running high and bumped wheels with Giaffone in turn three, nearly losing control of car 7. Junior saved the Corteco/Bryant Dallara - Chevrolet but fell back to 17th position.

After 125 laps, Unser ran thirteenth, recovering four spots since his confrontation with Giaffone on lap 102. Giaffone led Hornish by .0961 seconds after 150 laps. Felipe and Sam were followed in order by Fisher (-.3187 seconds), Sharp (-.5581), Lazier (-.8302), Castroneves (-2.9350), Unser (-3.3264), Buhl (-4.4651), Meira (-5.3145) and Barron (-6.7155). 

After 160 laps, Hornish led Giaffone, Sharp, Fisher, Lazier, Unser, Castroneves, Buhl, Barron and Renna under yellow. The order of the top ten at 175 laps was Giaffone, Lazier (-.1947 seconds), Hornish (-1.4438), Castroneves (-1.6936), Renna (-1.9475), Sharp (-2.0959), Unser (-2.6101), Barron (-2.8910), Fisher (-3.5454) and Buhl (-3.9247). 

Al Unser Jr. finished sixth at Kentucky Speedway, behind Giaffone, Hornish, Lazier, Sharp and Castroneves. After the race, Unser expressed unhappiness with blocking tactics by Giaffone, which resulted in he and the race winner making contact on lap 102. Little Al told the media Giaffone was using his car like a weapon and added, as he clenched his fist, he had a weapon too and it was bigger than the Brazilian's. I got a kick out of Junior's reaction because it showed how badly he wanted to win. I was satisfied his rehabilitation did nothing to dim the competitive fire which burned at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway earlier in the summer.   

Two weeks later the Indy Racing League returned to the scene of Unser's previous victory, Gateway International Raceway. This time things didn't go as well for Little Al as he qualified seventh and finished in the same position, behind race winner Gil de Ferran, Helio Castroneves, Alex Barron, Buddy Rice, Sam Hornish and Robbie Buhl. 

On Sunday September 8 I hit the highway for Chicagoland Speedway to see another IRL event. I got lost in Joliet, Illinois and was late getting to the race track. By the time I got to my seat, the initial 15 laps of the race had completed. Given that my first wife grew up in Joliet and I spent a lot of time visiting her parents 20 years ago in that town, getting lost in the area was surprising. Getting lost the previous month on the way to Kentucky Speedway was a surprise too. It's been a tough year. 

Chicagoland Speedway is a nice facility, not a lot of personality, but a terrific layout for wheel to wheel Indy car racing. It sits in the middle of slightly rolling pastureland on what is known as legendary highway Route 66 ("get your kicks on Route 66"). Across the highway from Chicagoland Speedway is Dale Coyne's Route 66 Raceway, a complex which features a half mile dirt oval and a drag racing facility. Chicagoland Speedway is a joint venture between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Dale Coyne.

The amphitheater, arena-like layout of Chicagoland Speedway is essentially a twin to Kansas Speedway, which was built by ISC at the same time. From an external standpoint, Chicagoland Speedway closely resembles Kentucky Speedway, each track covering 1.5 miles, although the turns are banked at 14 degrees at Kentucky as compared to 18 degree corners at the oval southwest of Chicago. There is little at Chicagoland to suggest it is a "first cousin" to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Instead like many of the new generation racing facilities, there is a resemblance to the "granddaddy" of most modern tracks, Michigan International Speedway.

The land around the race track at Chicagoland Speedway was parched and brown in early September, the result of the severe heat and drought in the Midwest last summer. It was hot on race day too, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees at race time. I was smothered in sun block. Just like the IRL race at Michigan and the "Brickyard 400," I was constantly wiping the stuff out of my eyes. 

Sam Hornish won the pole at Chicagoland with a lap at 222.867 mph. Buddy Rice qualified one of the Red Bull Team Cheever Dallara - Infinitis on the outside of the front row at 222.349 mph. I expected Al Unser Jr. to have a good race because the Corteco/Bryant number 7 grabbed third grid position with a lap at 222.111 mph. 

I missed Tomas Scheckter but I was focused on Al Unser Jr. getting his first win of the 2002 season. I was still walking across the dusty grounds of Chicagoland Speedway when the green flag waved to start the race and I could hear the high speed whine of the cars, which caused me to pick up my pace. Hornish led the field into the first corner while Eddie Cheever dropped from sixth to thirteenth on the opening lap. The order of the top ten when they crossed the line to complete lap one was Hornish, Rice, Unser, Billy Boat, Vitor Meira, Robbie Buhl, Gil de Ferran, Dan Wheldon, Felipe Giaffone and Laurent Redon. 

The top ten in order after 25 laps was Hornish, Rice, Unser, Boat, Buhl, de Ferran, Meira, Wheldon, Cheever and Giaffone. On lap 46, Unser strategically forced Hornish behind the lapped car of Hideki Noda to steal second place. Then on lap 48, Little Al challenged the leader Rice and ran side by side with Buddy's Red Bull Team Cheever Dallara - Infiniti for an entire lap, beating the rookie to the line by .0375 seconds. Little Al was roaring and I began to sense my pre race optimism was on target. 

Hornish followed Unser past Rice and after 50 laps the order of the top ten was Al Jr., Hornish (-.0695 seconds), Rice (-.2079), Boat (-.3978), Renna (-1.5984), de Ferran (-1.0702), Meira (1.2541), Wheldon (-1.3462), Cheever (-1.4407) and Buhl (-1.5732). 

On lap 52, de Ferran got loose in turn two and made heavy contact with the wall. The Marlboro Team Penske Dallara - Chevrolet number 6 stopped on the backstretch. Gil was knocked unconscious and flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. Apparently de Ferran hit Tony Renna's number 78 and the Kelley Racing rookie driver brought his car to the pits. Perhaps there was a fuel pressure problem which slowed Renna's car momentarily forcing de Ferran to make contact with car 78. 

Unser led a pack of cars into the pits under yellow on lap 56. After the field sorted itself following the pit stops, Al Jr. was back in the lead on lap 57. As the field circled the track behind the pace car on lap 58, Unser led Hornish, Helio Castroneves, Cheever, Boat, Scott Sharp, Giaffone, Rice, Buddy Lazier and Meira. The Chicagoland crowd of about 50,000 (a drop from about 65,000 for the 2001 IRL race at Chicagoland Speedway) roared its disappointment when Sarah Fisher drove the number 23 Team Smart Blade/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force - Infiniti to the pits on lap 61, out of the race with the engine leaking oil. 

Eventually the mess from de Ferran's crash was cleaned up and the green flag waved on lap 74 to restart the race. Unser led into the first corner but Hornish got inside car 7 and passed Little Al for the lead in turn three. The top ten in order after 75 laps was Hornish, Unser, Castroneves, Cheever, Boat, Giaffone, Sharp, Lazier, Rice and Meira. 

Hornish was able to maintain a car length or two over Unser for the next several laps. By lap 85, Sam built a six tenths second margin on Little Al. On lap 87, one of the strangest things I have seen in a race occurred when the rear wing fell off Eliseo Salazar's number 11 Foyt Harrah's Dallara. The Chilean spun but kept the car off the wall. 

With the caution light flashing, Unser led teammate Sharp, Cheever, Rice, Lazier, Ward, Castroneves, Airton Dare, Alex Barron and Renna to the pits. The race restarted on lap 94 and Hornish led into turn one with Boat leading the chase. The pit stops by some of the front runners on lap 90 jumbled the standings and on lap 100, the top ten were in order Hornish, Boat, Buhl, Wheldon, Giaffone, Meira, Raul Boesel, Castroneves, Rice and Unser.

On lap 113, Buhl and Wheldon bumped coming off the second turn. On lap 114, the caution came on for debris. Unser, Dare, Cheever, Renna, Boat, Will Langhorne, Boesel, Lazier, Castroneves, Giaffone, Hornish, Wheldon, Barron and Meira all came to the pits on lap 117. However Sharp remained on the track and assumed the lead. When the green waved on lap 120, Scott's Delphi number 8 led the field into the corner. By the time he got to the fourth corner, Boat slowed and coasted to the pits with a dead Infiniti V8. 

Sharp continued to lead and after 125 laps, he was followed by Lazier, Hornish, Castroneves, Dare, Meira, Rice, Giaffone, Unser and Renna. With Sharp remaining in front over the next several laps, Hornish moved up to challenge Lazier for second on lap 136. It took three laps but Sam finally passed Buddy going through the second turn. 

On lap 144, five laps after he grabbed second place from Lazier, Hornish engaged the leader Sharp. Scott was being tenacious and showing some of the flair he displayed on the way to seven Indy Racing League victories and he was able to hold off the Pennzoil car. On lap 145, third place Lazier came in early for tires and fuel. On lap 150, the order of the top ten was Sharp, Hornish (-.2197 seconds), Castroneves (-.4992), Rice (-1.3818), Meira (-1.4472), Unser (-1.5817), Renna (-2.0168), Dare (-2.5322), Cheever (-2.7309) and Wheldon (-6.9201).

Sharp stopped on lap 151, handing the lead to Hornish. That turned out to be an unfortunate move. The yellow flag came out two laps later for Dare's contact with the outer wall off turn two. On lap 157, Hornish led Rice, Castroneves, Meira and Unser around the Chicagoland oval under yellow. The next lap Hornish brought a pack of drivers with him to the pits, including Cheever, Rice, Giaffone, Langhorne, Boesel, Unser, Castroneves, Wheldon and Meira.  

Castroneves won the race out of the pits followed in order by Unser (isn't it remarkable how Little Al usually finds a way to improve track position during pit stops), Meira, Hornish, Cheever, Giaffone, Wheldon, Rice, Boesel and Langhorne. When the green flag waved on lap 166, Helio led the field across the line. Unser was charging however, just as I hoped he would, to move into first place. Hornish followed Little Al past Castroneves. On lap 169, Sam moved alongside the Corteco/Bryant car and he and Junior ran side by side through turn three. At the line, car 4 led car 7 by .0391 second. Castroneves came forward to join the fray, challenging Unser for second. 

On lap 172, Unser tried to pass Hornish on the outside but Sam was ahead by a foot or so when they crossed the line. After 175 laps, the running order of the top ten was Hornish, Unser (-.9791 seconds), Castroneves (-.3910), Meira (-.5838), Giaffone (-.7141), Boesel (-.8913), Rice (-1.1597), Cheever (-1.2287), Lazier (-1.4920) and Sharp (-1.6427).     

For the next few laps Hornish maintained a slight margin over Unser, but Al passed Sam on lap 178 to lead at the line. The Pennzoil car came back and the two drivers ran side by side with Hornish slightly ahead when they passed the flag on lap 179. When Hornish and Unser came back to the line on lap 180 they were still side by side. 

I have four favorite memories from the 2002 racing season. One was watching Tomas Scheckter dominate the "Indianapolis 500" until he crashed on lap 173. Another was the Jeff Ward - Al Unser Jr. fight to the finish at Texas Motor Speedway in June, combined with Little Al's overhaul of Helio Castroneves for the lead a few laps from the finish. A third memory was Scheckter's charge from twelfth place to win at Michigan International Speedway in July. However the memory which I cherish most from the season just past came during the final 20 laps of the "Delphi Indy 300" at Chicagoland Speedway on September 8.  

On lap 180, Unser and Hornish continued to race wheel to wheel around the entire length of the 1.5 mile Chicagoland oval. During the final laps of the race, Al's car 7 ran inside the chrome yellow Pennzoil Panther Dallara. I was sitting at the edge of the grandstands off turn four. It appeared like the nose on Al's car was a foot or two ahead almost each time they raced by me. However there must have been something about the outside groove leading to the finish line that benefited Sam because the Indy Racing League champion was invariably (if only by inches) credited with leading. Perhaps it was that Hornish was running slightly downhill off the banking to the finish line while Unser had to pinch it slightly to maintain the inside line. 

The thing that made the Hornish - Unser battle at Chicagoland so special was that Little Al was racing for his life, with ferocity I couldn't even recall from his glory days, within inches of the Pennzoil car at 220 mph. It was a spectacle, a thing of beauty, a battle of inches by two guys who wanted to beat each other more than anything else in the world. It was racing in its purest sense. 

Hornish and Unser continued to run wheel to wheel as the laps wound down. However Sam and Al weren't alone. On lap 182, the first eight cars ran within one second of one another. It seemed like car 4 and car 7 were on rails because their lines around the track never seemed to vary. For whatever reason Hornish usually beat Junior to the finish line by the slightest fraction. Unser managed to lead across the line on lap 186, 190 and 193, but Sam was able to find a way to get to the line ahead of Al at the end of the other laps. 

On lap 200, Unser's Corteco/Bryant number 7 pulled out a foot or so going through the third and fourth corners and when they came by me the final time, Little Al was still slightly in front. I couldn't tell who was ahead when they rushed to the checkered flag because they were going away from me. Then I saw the number 4 flash in the first position on the scoreboard and I realized Hornish had won. The leading margins at the end of the five final laps were .0092 seconds, .0027 seconds, .0069 seconds, .0036 seconds and .0024 seconds at the finish, the smallest margin of victory in Indy car racing history, eclipsing Jeff Ward's margin of .0111 seconds over Unser Jr. in June at Texas Motor Speedway. 

Rather than being disappointed because Little Al had missed out on victory again, I was caught up in the exhilaration of the moment. My heart was beating so hard while I watched Unser and Hornish fight it out that it took me several minutes to calm down. There were three guys sitting a couple rows behind me. They were each showing the effects of beer and 90 degree sunshine and I started talking at them. That's what it was too. All four of us were so excited that we were shouting at each other even though the race cars had shut off and I doubt if any of us heard what any of the others were saying. I'm sure you have experienced a similar emotion at one time or another. 

After the Chicagoland race there was a lot of shouting in the grandstands. All the excitement made me feel a tinge of disappointment there weren't more people in the seats. 50,000 or however many were there is a decent crowd, but there should've been more people at the race. Perhaps the fact that it was opening day for the National Football League and the Chicago Bears were playing kept some people away. Maybe the heat kept people at home. Whatever it was, those who missed the "Delphi Indy 300" missed something special. 

The average speed for the race was 146.319 mph, with the event slowed by five caution periods for 57 laps. The order of finish for the top ten was Hornish, Unser (-.0024 seconds), Lazier (-.0596), Castroneves (-.1072), Cheever (-.1584), Giaffone (-.5240), Sharp (-.7270), Meira (-.8735), Rice (-.8857) and Wheldon (-.9387). I find it incredible the top ten finishers were within one second of one another at the checkered flag. 

I decided to stick around for the Infiniti Pro Series race and watch A.J. Foyt IV. The Dallara chassis used in the series has a nice look although the engines produce sort of an "underpowered" sound at least in comparison to the whine which the Indy Racing League spec Chevy and Infiniti powerplants now generate. 

There were 14 cars in the Infiniti event and throughout much of the 67 lap race, most of the cars ran in a tight pack. However Tony Turco, who was entered (he didn't make the starting field however) for the very first IRL race at Walt Disney World Speedway in January 1996, ran about 3/4 lap behind the others for most of the race. 

Young Foyt ran in front for the first four laps before Arie Luyendyk's boy, Arie Jr. passed to move into first. On lap 29, Aaron Fike, one of the best in USAC right now, grabbed the lead in a Buddy Lazier looking car 91 entered by Ron Hemelgarn. Arie Jr. was back in front on lap 33 and then it was Foyt's turn to lead again on lap 36.

It was a fun show to watch as the cars weaved in and out of each other and the positions jumbled constantly. Tony George's stepson Ed Carpenter was in a car sponsored by John Menard and painted to look like the blue Johns Manville Indy car. Former USAC competitor Ronnie Johncox was trying to challenge but the cars were so similar it was difficult it was to put on a charge.

Luyendyk passed Foyt on lap 37 to regain the top spot but Fike took the lead on lap 50 and held it to the finish. The final order of the top ten was Fike, Luyendyk (-.0755 seconds), Tom Wood (-.1892), Marty Roth (-.2637), Johncox (-.3185), Foyt (-.3902), Carpenter (-.4620), Gary Peterson (.6356), G.J. Mennen (-.6825) and Rolando Quintanilla (-.9824). There must be something to the layout of Chicagoland Speedway because the margins between the top ten finishers in the Infiniti Pro Series event were nearly identical to those for the IRL race. 

There was a still a lot of traffic trying to get out of Chicagoland Speedway when I got in my car. I turned on radio station WJOL (1340 AM), which aired the race broadcast. It reminded me of leaving the Michigan race in July, the way those radio guys carried on about how great the IRL race was. It was a terrific day to be a fan of the Indy Racing League. 

I was feeling mellow during the drive back to Indianapolis and I let my mind wander over the career of Al Unser Jr. I thought back to the first time I saw Little Al race. I was at Milwaukee in June 1981 with my first wife to see the CART 150 miler. Prior to the CART event, the SCCA Formula Super Vee cars raced. Unser Jr. was driving a white (I believe the chassis was a Ralt) for Rick Galles and he kicked ass to win. I was impressed as Unser beat two time "Indianapolis 500" starter Pete Halsmer, in a car entered by the Arciero family. Ironically, nearly 25 months later Halsmer was the primary competition for Al Unser Sr. in the 1983 CART race at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland.

By the time I finally saw Al Unser Jr. race at Milwaukee in June 1981, my buddy John Dailey had been singing Little Al's praises for three years. John lived in Albuquerque then and had seen and videotaped Little Al's first sprint car win at the local dirt track. I was back at Milwaukee in 1981, on Labor Day weekend, to see another CART race, this one being the 200 mile event that was rained out the previous month. Al Jr. didn't disappoint. He beat the field in the preliminary Super Vee race worse than he had in June. 

The 2002 Indy Racing League season finale at Texas Motor Speedway came one week following the Chicagoland race on September 15. Most of the attention going into the Texas race was focused on Sam Hornish and Helio Castroneves, who were in a battle for the season championship. Sam (481) had a 12 point lead over the two time consecutive "Indianapolis 500" winner. I was excited about the Hornish - Castroneves title "bout." The pride of the "old line" Indy Racing League teams and fans was riding on Hornish's 23 year old shoulders as Sam prepared to defend the IRL title against the might of Marlboro Team Penske.

However I was more concerned with Al Unser Jr.'s quest for a third career IRL victory. When Unser qualified second with a lap at 221.025 mph, for his best start ever in an Indy Racing League event, I got that (by now frequent) confidence it was going to be Little Al's day. 

Rookie Vitor Meira (221.594) qualified for the pole at Texas in the Menard entry in only his fourth IRL start. Before an enthusiastic crowd of 86,000 fans (this was the first time the fall race outdrew the June IRL night race at Texas if only by 3000 fans), Meira led Unser Jr. when the racing got underway. However Vitor jumped the green flag and the actual start was delayed one lap. On lap three Little Al pulled alongside Meira on the outside to make a challenge for the lead and he beat the pole sitter to the line.

Meira and Unser went side by side the entire fourth lap with Al running outside, before the Corteco/Bryant car 7 pulled away from the Menard car and Sam Hornish moved up to challenge. The yellow Pennzoil car 4 got by Meira for second on lap six. On lap seven Hornish moved outside Little Al and passed for the lead coming off turn two. 

Unser slipped in behind Hornish for a few laps and then made another challenge for the lead, pulling alongside Sam on the outside. As had occurred seven days earlier during the closing laps at Chicagoland Speedway, Hornish and Unser ran wheel to wheel furiously for the next few laps. A couple times during this 220 mph "dogfight," the in car camera on car 7 showed the inside wheels on Little Al's car nearly touching the outside wheels on the Pennzoil Dallara.

Alex Barron was immediately behind Hornish and Unser, with Castroneves running a nearby fourth as Meira fell back to fifth. Unser eased his pace a bit and dropped behind Hornish again. Al's patience didn't last long however and he moved outside Hornish to challenge going into turn three, when the caution came out for debris on lap thirteen.    

Under yellow on lap 14, the top ten positions were held by Hornish, Unser, Barron, Castroneves, Meira, Eddie Cheever, Tony Renna, Buddy Rice, Billy Boat and Felipe Giaffone. As the field prepared to restart, Little Al looked like he was going to try to get the jump on Hornish, but car 7 got stuck behind the Pennzoil car 4 at the green on lap 18, while Barron came by on the outside to grab second place. Alex wasn't satisfied with second and he passed Hornish for the lead on lap 18, going into turn three. Sam wasn't to be denied however and he got the lead back from Barron going into turn two on lap 19. Meanwhile Unser slipped back to fifth as Castroneves and Meira went by.

Caution came out on lap 24 when the engine blew on George Mack's car in turn one. The order of the top ten after 25 laps was Hornish, Barron, Meira, Castroneves, Unser, Cheever, Renna, Rice, Boat and  Giaffone. The leaders all pitted under yellow on lap 31 and Al Jr. followed Hornish Barron and Castroneves out of the pits.     

Robbie McGehee was in the third Red Bull Team Cheever Dallara - Infiniti and stayed on the track when the leaders stopped at the pits. So McGehee held the lead on the 32nd circuit, with Max Papis, who was substituting for Gil de Ferran at Marlboro Team Penske, running second. Sarah Fisher, Rick Treadway and sprint car standout Cory Kruseman, making his first Indy Racing League start, followed McGehee and Papis. Behind these five ran the earlier leaders Hornish, Barron, Castroneves, Unser and Giaffone.

The race restarted on lap 36 and it took Hornish eight laps to get to the front again and he passed McGehee in turn one on lap 44. The order of the top ten after 50 laps was Hornish, McGehee, Barron, Meira, Castroneves, Fisher, Giaffone, Unser, Papis and Boat. By lap 62, Hornish was leading McGehee, Barron, Castroneves and Unser.

On lap 63 Buhl lost power in his number 24 Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara - Infiniti and Robbie limped to the pits with electrical problems. Over the next few laps, McGehee, Fisher and Kruseman made stops at the pits, out of sequence with the leaders. After 75 laps, the running order of the top ten on the race track was Hornish, Barron (-4.7921 seconds), Castroneves (-4.9153), Meira (-5.0096), Unser (-5.6071), Boat (-5.6552), Scott Sharp (-5.9338), Rice (-6.1177), Dan Wheldon (-7.2896) and Papis (-8.1757).  

Castroneves and Barron were engaged in a tight wheel to wheel battle for second, with Meira holding off Little Al for fifth over the next several laps. This allowed Hornish to pull away from the pack until the Pennzoil car stopped at the pits on lap 86 under green. Barron came in the next lap, but the yellow flag came out on lap 89 when Jeff Ward and Hideki Noda made contact in turn two.

Unser Jr. and Castroneves were lucky and didn't stop until after caution came out. By lap 93, Al was running behind Castroneves. At the 100 lap halfway point of the race Helio led Unser, Giaffone, Sharp, Renna, Barron, Hornish, Rice, Buddy Lazier and Meira. On lap 104, the green flag waved with Castroneves leading Little Al to the first corner.

After the race returned to green Unser Jr. chased Castroneves. It was clear Little Al wanted to get to the front quickly and car 7 moved from right to left trying to find a way to pass Helio. However the Penske driver was able to hold off Junior until the yellow flag waved on lap 113 for debris.

When the green came out again on lap 118, Castroneves brought the field to the line and Unser resumed his chase for the lead. Just as he had been doing before the yellow, Al was all over Helio, bobbing and weaving car 7 like a prize fighter. It was so cool! Castroneves had been radioing his crew the Marlboro Team Penske Dallara - Chevy felt strange at the rear and the "Indy" winner appeared to be holding up Unser. At the same time, Barron and Hornish were able to make up the distance both drivers lost when they pitted under green. By lap 125, Alex and Sam were directly behind Castroneves and Unser. 

The order of the top ten after 125 laps was Castroneves, Unser (-.1076 seconds), Barron (-.3968), Hornish (-.5344), Giaffone (-.6167), Sharp (-.7484), Renna (-1.0776), Rice (-1.4197), Meira (-1.5994) and Lazier (-2.1784). All the while, Little Al kept looking for a way around Helio. In the meantime, Hornish got by Barron and pulled up to the rear of the Corteco/Bryant Dallara. 

On lap 135, Castroneves led Unser, Hornish, Barron, Sharp, Giaffone, Rice, Renna, Meira and Lazier. Several times Little Al pulled alongside Helio on the backstretch, looking ready to make a pass but the Marlboro car maintained a slight advantage each time they came to the line. I wonder what Roger Penske thought as he watched his former driver make repeated challenges at his current star Castroneves.

The other Marlboro Team Penske entry, with Papis struggling to stay on the lead lap, was caught by the leaders. Max's car 6 became involved in the four way fight between Castroneves, Unser, Barron and Hornish. On lap 142, Hornish passed Unser for second as they raced down the backstretch. Four laps later Sam took the lead from Castroneves going through turn three.

Helio wouldn't give up though, grabbing the lead back on the next lap. For the next few laps, the leaders dropped into single file formation, with Castroneves closely followed by Hornish, Unser, Barron and Sharp. On lap 150, Sam and Helio ran side by side and Hornish barely nipped the Penske driver at the line. The running order after 150 laps was Hornish, Castroneves (-.0028 seconds), Unser (-.1553), Sharp (-.3850), Barron (-.6044), Rice (-.7362), Giaffone (-.9174), Renna (-1.4408), Meira (-1.6560) and Lazier (-6.5959).  

Castroneves picked up the challenge on lap 151and pulled alongside the Pennzoil machine, actually nudging ahead when they hit the start - finish line. Hornish made his final stop on lap 153, followed in on the next lap by Barron. Meanwhile on the race track Unser was still making repeated attempts to overtake Castroneves for the lead when Helio came to the pits on lap 159, moving Little Al back in first place. The next lap Unser and Sharp both came in for their final scheduled stops of the race.

By lap 168, the pit stop sequence had completed. The order on the race track was Castroneves, Sharp, Unser, Hornish, Barron, Meira, Renna, Rice, Lazier and Giaffone. On lap 172, both Hornish and Barron passed Little Al. Unser's sarcastic radio transmission to the pits "thanks for the great engine" was picked up on the ABC telecast of the Texas race as car 7 slowed. 

That was it! Al Unser Jr. was done for the 2002 Indy Racing League season, out after 171 laps with an engine problem. Sam Hornish was able to beat Helio Castroneves to the finish line at Texas Motor Speedway by .0096 second for the second closest finish in Indy car racing history. Only the Hornish - Unser finish the previous Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway was closer. By winning his record fifth Indy Racing League victory of the season, Sam Hornish became the first repeat champion in IRL history, winning the IRL championship by 20 points over Penske rival Castroneves, while Little Al had to content himself with a twentieth place finish.    

It was the first time in three Indy Racing League seasons that Al Unser Jr. was winless. At the same time, it was the first IRL season in which Little Al actually fulfilled expectations since coming to Tony George's series. Following the Texas race on September 15, I thought back to the start of the 2002 IRL season when I expressed concern on this web site whether Unser still had enough competitive fire to be a force in Indy car racing. Al Jr. answered all my questions and more during 2002. He is still a racer and if he keeps doing the things he did this past season, he'll become a regular winner again and I can't think of anything I'd rather see in racing.     

Now it becomes a matter of keeping fingers crossed that Little Al will behave himself during the off season, stay off the booze and dedicate himself to justifying the trust placed in him by Tony George, Tom Kelley, Corteco and Toyota as he prepares for the 2003 season. Unser Jr. has tested the new Indy Racing League Toyota V8 engine that is slated to make its debut this coming March at Miami Homestead Speedway. The opportunity is there for Al Jr. Let's see if Junior makes the most of it. 

It's Christmas morning. For the first time in several years, that I can recall anyway, we have a "white Christmas."  It started snowing hard yesterday afternoon and as I look outside the window, I can see the white stuff came down pretty heavy. 

It hasn't been one of my greatest holiday seasons so far but let's see what the day brings. In the meantime, let me take this time to wish you and yours a wonderful day. Merry Christmas.