(Bob Jennings photos)

I was on my way home from work on Tuesday June 29. I was later than usual after putting in a long day on a project. It was a stressful day on the job. I decided to stop at Jimmy Bs.  Actually it wasn't much of a decision. I usually always stop at Jimmy B's.

It used to be Daddy Jacks, but it's my childhood "Danny Renick play ground," at the center of the southern edge of Hamilton County, Indiana, known as Home Place ("No Forced Annexation"), where I now live and drink.

I cannot count the number of summer afternoons forty five plus years ago, I sat with Danny Renick on the steps of the old Pleasant Grove Methodist church, watching the late 1950s comings and goings at 106th and College, laughing uncontrollably in adolescence while Danny did his hilarious lizard face routine.

I still visualize Bob Butler's neighborhood grocery whenever I pass the boxy red brick building on 106th Street, across from the empty lot which runs along Union Traction Boulevard (now called Jessup). I remember the large plastic jar of Chesty's stick pretzels which sat on the counter next to the cash register, three for five cents.

Danny (who thought he was Elvis Presley) and I always made it to the drugstore in the two story white building which still stands today across College Avenue from Jimmy B's, scanning movie magazines for photos of Elvis, watching cars go in and out of Hazen's Standard station, hoping to catch a glimpse of Johanna Branham or Pam Mahen, both of who lived in the neighborhood, or running into Billy Loveall, Robin Middleton, Gary Haskett, Steve Perrine, Rick Spencer or whoever happened to show up.

Kids can be cruel. There was this poor guy who passed through the area around 106th and College, walking with a lot of difficulty, because he had some sort of palsy. Now I feel badly about it. But when I was 12 or 13, it looked funny. When Danny imitated the poor guy, walking about in a frenzied way, I would laugh so hard I would piss my pants. 

Daddy Jacks is not Home Place - no way.

Daddy Jacks is 96th and Meridian and the fine line between Indianapolis - North Meridian Street (old money) and Carmel (new money), $300,000 homes and golf memberships at Woodland or Crooked Stick, clothes from Parisian, brandies priced at $20.00 plus and expensive cigars in Apres Jack's.

About 1.5 miles away, Jimmy B's is Home Place at 106th and College, from the Earnhardt (Jr. and Sr.) caps, Jeff Gordon jackets, beards, close cropped haircuts, backwards baseball caps, tattoos, nose rings, partially exposed breasts - one time they were fully exposed by a fat girl - ugly, pool tables, dart boards, cigarette smoke and generous usage of the "f word" that fills the air.

When I portray Jimmy B's however, I should paint an accurate image. The crowd is actually a mix of society.

At lunch time and in the afternoon, there are a lot of folks who are much older (can that really be?) than me and they come to eat and drink. There are also several guys in my age group, who have one hell of a lot more money than I ever dreamed of, who come in to mix, play cards, tell stories to each other and relax on a daily and nightly basis.

Hey it's the U.S.A. in the year 2004 and this world is one strange place to live in. But Jimmy B's is my place - at least at this time in my life.

I'm not exactly clear in my head why that is.

But the waitresses know what I drink. They are even starting to call me Bob. I feel comfortable when I walk up to the bar. Maybe it's because it's so close to where I live and I am safer consuming alcohol because I can walk home if needed. I think about that whenever I see the Hamilton County sheriff cars in the Crystal Flash parking lot.

I'm not a heavy "boozer" though. It's more than likely I am lonely and going into my local bar gives me a temporary break from my solitary existence. I can count the times I drink more than one round on the fingers of one hand. But the place is good for thirty to 45 minutes of a busy day and along with my job, it's become the place where I connect with the rest of the world.

Otherwise I might become a recluse, with my only companion being this computer I am sitting in front of as I type these words.

I also get to look at the adorable Megan in Jimmy B's and that's a definite perk - believe me! She is so cute, a slender girl who fills her sweaters so well (does she ever) and in such a nice way. Someone told me she is from England. When I see Megan, I wish I was a young guy! Twenty, okay twenty five years ago, I would have tried to charm Megan. She seems to like her boy friend a lot however. I hope he knows what a lucky guy he is! Wow!

Ah - the laments of those who have lost their youth like me, it's like the wail of a lost and hungry creature who is losing the eternal struggle to survive!

When it's late like now, the secrets and mysteries of the opposite sex covers my mind with a broad brush stroke even more than usual and I long to be young and free again.

Whenever I see Uma Pemmaraju (those eyes!) on the Fox News cable channel, my youth re-emerges like a feeling I can hardly suppress, especially after two rounds (it really doesn't happen very often) at Jimmy B's on a Sunday night over Labor day weekend. Indian women look so beautiful.

Uma!

A few weeks ago, when I walked into Jimmy B's, there was a dark haired guy (probably in his early forties) sitting quietly by himself, looking like he had too much to drink. He wasn't bothering anyone though. After awhile, the quiet man walked out. Gary the bar tender mentioned this guy told one of the other patrons he had recently been released from prison, where he served sixteen years for being a professional hit man.

When I walked out of Jimmy B's, after my usual single round, the man was sitting on the sidewalk in front of the place with his head buried in his hands, obviously troubled. I walked by him as quietly and unobtrusively as I could. I didn't want to raise the guy's attention for fear he might ask me for a ride or money.

"I Love This Bar" is a good record! It has great lyrics and creates a familiar image. It sounds good when I hear the record played at Jimmy B's and that's about every time I make a stop at my local hangout. While I'm drinking a Wild Turkey 101 or Woodfords, along with a bottle of Heineken's or a Michelob Amber Bock on draft, talking to Gary about racing, baseball or life, Toby Keith's voice pipes out of the juke box and it makes me feel mellow for a few moments anyway.

"I Love This Bar" sometimes reminds me of the Garth Brooks song "Friends In Low Places" and the miserable summer of 1991 however.

"Blame it all on my roots
I showed up in boots
And ruined your black tie affair
The last one to know
The last one to show
I was the last one you thought you'd see there
And I saw the surprise
And the fear in his eyes
When I took his glass of champagne
And I toasted you
Said "Honey we may be through
But you'll never hear me complain"
'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay"

I finally gave up on Da(y)na (she added the "y" because she said it gave her a little extra sunshine) halfway through May, but then I accidentally ran into she and her son two weeks later, at the 1991 "Indianapolis 500." That was the last time I saw her although she called me in Chicago a couple times, two years later - after she passed from my heart, was replaced by Susan the school teacher from Center Grove and then Dana finally became irrelevant to me.

Looking back now, Dana was just another reason for a another bout with heartbreak. When I was young enough to love a woman it usually turned out that way.

I still "love" Uma Pemmaraju though - - - those eyes!

In some ways I am almost glad I am an old man now and nobody wants me anymore because I am tired of being hurt.

However Jimmy Buffet is only six months and two days (a Christmas baby) younger than me and he lives like a king. I wish I could talk to the singer and learn his secret for happiness. I'm sure a lot of Jimmy Buffett's pleasure comes from his money, success and popularity however and I possess none of these commodities unfortunately. Buffett carries a huge grin on his face and he appears to get every ounce of enjoyment he can out of the living experience and I listen eagerly to his records to try to learn the tricks.

By the way, Jimmy Buffett is the big discovery of the summer of my 58th year on this planet. More about that later.

But back when --- in 89!

Dana was a girl from the wrong side of the tracks and when I saw her for the first time in April 1989 at Quincy's, at the Adams Mark, where she was a cocktail waitress, my heart did somersaults and my hormones destroyed every bit of common sense I ever possessed.  

Dana was a tall, slender, gorgeous 26 year old female, with big round black button eyes, dark curly hair, graceful fingers and oh so lovely legs - clear up to there! The first time I saw her, I knew I had to have her. I spent the next month doing every thing I could to charm this gorgeous girl and after I succeeded, for two years she was my life.

I was hopelessly addicted! I couldn't stand being away from her. Nothing else mattered to me but being "with" Dana.

But she had a troubled soul and when I finally realized I wasn't the answer for her, I fled her trailer in Brownsburg and spent summer 1991 hiding from the world and missing her so badly, I wanted to die.

It didn't rain and it was hot in June, July and August, 1991. I came away from work most nights around 7 PM, with the temperature in the nineties and high winds blowing the dry air around like a blast furnace. Every day at work was a struggle. My employer PALLM, Inc. was gasping for breath, struggling for life and my six years of employment was slowly disintegrating and I didn't care. I was numb to everything but my broken heart.

Even though I did everything I could to avoid seeing Dana, I felt her presence everywhere as if she was sitting beside me. When I started wondering who she was with, it cut into me like a sharp blade and the pain made me want to scream in agony. Yes it was that bad!  

If the work week was difficult, weekends were even worse. I dreaded Friday and Saturday night like the plague. I didn't feel as if I belonged anywhere. But sometimes I would sneak over to a little corner tavern at Carson and Thompson, at the south edge of Indianapolis, a couple miles from my mom's house, where no one knew me.

At the time, I was sleeping on mom's living room couch. I was one sorry soul! I guess, for all intents and purposes, I still am.

I think the bar was called Carson Pub. It was a smoky spot, with a greasy kitchen and small dance floor. Overweight south side ladies crowded together to strut their stuff on weekends, when local country bands played. Sometimes fat female butts would innocently bump into each other. During breaks, someone would always play "Friends In Low Places" on the jukebox.

I always took a sharp hit when I heard the Garth Brooks' record, because the first time in April 1991 I became aware of the song was in Linda's (tavern) in Clermont, Indiana with Dana. 

What does that have to do with racing? Nothing. But it was my life. Racing is my life! "Indy 500" racing is my passion! But so was Da(y)na for two years!

It all fits together in some sort of uneven mosaic - at least for me.

When I walked into Jimmy B's about 9 PM on the 29th, the Dave Despain program "Wind Tunnel" played on some of the TV screens that line the walls. I couldn't hear what was being said, but video footage of Al Unser Jr. and Jeff Simmons was shown at the start of the program. Initially I thought Little Al was going to be a guest on Despain's show. But as I drank my whiskey and beer, I didn't see any more Unser Jr. images. That made me curious to follow up.

After I finished drinking, I came home and connected to the Internet. I linked to the Speed TV website. The first article that caught my attention was the following feature from Robin Miller, as in the dreaded lowlife, slug Robin Miller.

There it was! Al Unser Jr. was quitting. I was surprised at the report but not shocked. Still it made me sad I wouldn't get to see one of my all time favorites race again.

Damn, I didn't want Little Al to quit racing. I wanted to see him win again. I was especially unhappy there wouldn't be another "Indianapolis 500" victory for Big Al's boy!

All I have now is Tomas Scheckter and things aren't going well for the South African!

As provided by Curt Cavin, in The Indianapolis Star on August 28, 2004, here is a partial list of my current Indy car racing favorite's misfortunes during the 2004 Indy Racing League season:

 "• At Phoenix, Dario Franchitti ran into him during a caution period.

• Scott Dixon bent Scheckter's suspension during contact at Texas.

• Former teammate Mark Taylor ran into him at Richmond, Va.

• He had a self-induced crash at Nashville, Tenn.

• Gearbox failure cost him at Milwaukee.

• Tora Takagi bumped into Scheckter's crew on pit road at Michigan.

• Leading at Kentucky, his clutch slipped and led to a pit-road fire. "

Thanks Curt.

Jody's boy showed at Kentucky Speedway he's still the fastest stud around when he wants to be, even faster than Sam Hornish and Roger Penske, despite the fact he's driving a piece of shit Chevy/Cosworth for a Pennzoil Panther team that is obviously over extended running two cars, despite the addition of John Menard's money this year.

At Pikes Peak, Scheckter overhauled his way from thirteenth on the grid. Tomas charged to second on lap 160 and cut leader Dario Franchitti's advantage from 1.8 to .75 seconds within three laps. But a half shaft broke on the number 4 Pennzoil Panther Dallara when my guy pitted on lap 161.

Tomas Scheckter was fast at Kansas, challenging for the lead before running out of fuel. At Michigan, car 4 moved to second before being hit by Tora Takagi when Scheckter pulled in for his first pit stop on lap 36.

Scheckter is the only driver during the second half of this season who has shown he can race with the all powerful squadron of Honda powered racers on a regular basis.

I had big hopes for Nazareth and at the start of the race, Scheckter appeared to be in his groove. Tomas advanced from eleventh on the grid to seventh on the first of 225 laps. On lap two, the Pennzoil Dallara moved into sixth place. But that's as good as it got. About lap thirty, the yellow car fell off the pace. A pair of out of sequence green flag stops left the South African two laps behind and he ended up thirteenth.

Maybe success will come in one of the three remaining events on the 2004 Indy Racing League schedule. I sure hope so anyway. How much bad luck can a racer have?

Tomas Scheckter practices for the 88th "Indianapolis 500" on May 9, 2004

(Bob Jennings photos)

I didn't disagree with Little Al's expected retirement announcement. But it was a big surprise! I certainly didn't realize at the time, when I watched the Indy Racing League event at Richmond International Raceway on the night of Saturday June 26, that it was Al's final Indy car race. It was a sad way to end a great career! 

In the two plus months since Little Al's retirement announcement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on June 30, there were suggestions in the media that Unser was uncomfortable with the new Indy Racing League specifications introduced for the 88th "Indianapolis 500" in May.

The pre-race coverage, for the ABC telecast of the "Argent Mortgage Indy 300" at Kansas Speedway, presented video footage which showed Unser Jr. talking to car owner Pat Patrick in the pits, after he climbed out of his number 20 Dallara - Chevrolet in Richmond. Al only completed 119 (of 250) laps at Richmond and looked very unhappy, with a totally defeated expression on his face.

That footage told the story!

Little Al gave a solid reason for walking away from the cockpit in his press conference at IMS on June 30.

"It was time. I mean, like I've always said, you know, the day that I quit enjoying it, the day that I quit having fun driving cars is going to be the day that I get out. That day has come. There was no set reasons; there was no set time. I mean, I’ve got a great team with Patrick Racing. The guys really worked very hard, and they’ve given me a great car to drive and so on, and, you know, I've given them my best. So I just felt that it was time, that a driver knows when his heart's in it. Like I said, at this level of competition, the amount of commitment you have to have, the desire, sacrifice, the ability or whatever to drive it into those corners and make racing number one in your life, it has to be there. My hat's off to all the IRL drivers today. They're a young generation that are standing on the gas like there's no tomorrow, and that's the way you have to drive cars. Mario Andretti said it, there's a fine line between aggressive and being too aggressive. You have to be right there if you're going to win races. I just felt that it was time, that I’m not going to be that aggressive or too aggressive. It was just time."

I respect his decision. Al Unser Jr. has always been one of the smartest guys behind the wheel of a race car. He was smart enough to know he lacked the desire to put it on the line anymore.

That's time to get out. But I am still sorry things finished this way. I thought there was more to come!

It was obvious that something was wrong during May at the Speedway, as I watched Unser run lap after lap of practice in his red Patrick Dallara - Chevy number 20. Al's best practice lap of 218.272 mph came early Pole day May 15. That compares to the fastest practice lap of the month of 223.224 mph turned in by Tony Kanaan on the same day.

My initial analysis was that Patrick Racing was suffering the growing pains expected of a brand new operation in a very competitive racing series, with an ever increasing gathering of talent joining the fight. The level of quality this season in the Indy Racing League is incredible, to say the least.

Quality of competition is not a problem for the IRL and Indy car racing. The problem is the personalities or rather the lack of them. The talent is there in large quantities.

The primary dilemma for Tony George and company is to populate the sport with the kind of personality the average fan wants to watch. I'm talking about A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Tom Sneva, Rick Mears, Lloyd Ruby, Jim Hurtibise, Rodger Ward, Tony Bettenhausen, Bill Vukovich, Rex Mays and Al Unser Jr. - when he was winning.

Unfortunately the Foyts, Parnellis, Marios, Unsers, etc. of today are racing in NASCAR and their names are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.

J.J. Yeley, the USAC record setting sensation of 2003, should have a top ride in the IRL. Even if Yeley were to flop in the Indy cars, the expense would be worth it. Because if J.J. became a winner, the return on the investment would pay off like hitting the proverbial jackpot. Yeley's Nextel Cup debut at California Speedway on Labor Day weekend didn't go well, but I still believe J.J. deserves a true chance in Indy cars.

I appreciate that Roger Penske tried to unify the IRL and OWRS. However acquiring, consolidating, unifying (whatever you want it to call it) the two factions that comprise the world of big time open wheel racing in 2004 isn't the answer. At least it isn't the answer.

You want proof. The next time Donald Davidson does his "The Talk of Gasoline Alley" program on WIBC (AM 1070), listen to the questions from the people who call in to the show. They aren't asking about Helio Castroneves, Sam Hornish, Scott Dixon or Dan Wheldon. The callers are asking about the Novi, Duke Nalon, "Herk," Parnelli, Andy Granatelli's STP turbine, the Watson roadsters, Jimmy Clark, the Lotus-Fords and so on.

The most recent competitors to push the buttons of the traditional Indy car racing fans were Al Unser Jr. and Michael Andretti when both second generation stars were in their prime ten years ago.

Buddy Rice is gaining a lot of notoriety after winning the 88th "Indianapolis 500," beating Rahal-Letterman teammate Vitor Meira by inches in Kansas and then fooling the Andretti - Green team and Tony Kanaan about fuel mileage to win at Michigan.

Young P.J. Chesson, who has become the new sensation of the Infiniti Pro series (three consecutive wins in six races total), is someone the Indy Racing League is taking a close look at. It's been reported Mo Nunn is planning to put young Chesson in an Indy car in 2005.

Perhaps Al Unser III ("mini Al") will become an asset to Indy car racing in the future too.    

I'll cover that topic in another "chapter." It's very important to understand what people want to see today. I believe sincerely that racing in the Indy Racing League is the all time "greatest show on earth," unparalleled in the history of motor sports. But if Indy car racing wants to win back some of the fans it has lost to NASCAR over the past twenty years, it has to address the issue of personalities. The racing is already superb. But fans have to care about the guys (and gals) who are racing.

I see it all the time.

I write about Jimmy B's on this website.

I still don't know the names of most of the patrons when I walk into the place. But some of those people seem like the kind of Indianapolis area people who cheered and screamed for A.J. Foyt at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 1970s, filled the grandstands by the hundreds of thousands on Saturday "500" pole qualifying days, bought all the tickets on race day and jammed the infield to party like pagans, while cars raced on the track in front of the fans crowded into the seats that were located all around the 2.5 mile oval, both inside and outside.

Things have changed. Today they talk about NASCAR instead.  

Several weeks ago, at Jimmy Bs, I heard a group of six people standing around the bar, debating who the best driver in NASCAR was. I'm serious. This group was comprised of young and old, male and female. Every member of the group had a decisive, articulate opinion. Each member cared enough to know what they were talking about.

Anyway, time to get off the soap box and get back to Little Al.

Given the situation Unser was thrown into at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, after recuperating from his ATV injuries late last year, missing the first three IRL races of the 2004 season, a completely new racing team and inferior power from the Chevy/Cosworth V8 engine package, I thought Al was doing a reasonable job.

True, Little Al appeared to have regained some of the weight he lost when he came out of alcohol rehabilitation in summer 2002. His driving suit fit snugly. But he did spend a painful time on the mend from last year's injuries. So I guess Al's plumpness can be understood. 

Al Unser Jr. talks to the media in the garage area at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 10, 2004

(Bob Jennings photos)

Unser continued to express his desire to race, throughout May 2004 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I had no idea Al Jr. was considering retirement.

I recall there were stories circulating at the end of last season that Little Al wanted to do a farewell tour with the Kelley team in 2004. For that matter, Tom Kelley is the one who leaked that story to the media. When I read what Kelley was saying last fall, I was surprised because Unser still expressed a public desire to race.

Last season Al scored his third career Indy Racing League victory at Texas Motor Speedway in June, beating Tony Kanaan in a furious fight to the finish.

Unser was still fighting at Michigan International Speedway in late July 2003. Throughout the Michigan race, Junior was running wheel to wheel with the race leaders Sam Hornish, Scott Dixon, Tomas Scheckter, Alex Barron and Scott Sharp. Unser led four laps at Michigan last July, but a strategic mistake by the team, regarding fuel stops in the late stages of the event, dropped Al to ninth at the finish. 

After that, the Kelley team began to deteriorate and both Scott Sharp and Al Unser Jr. were victims of that decline.

I'm not sure what is going wrong with Tom Kelley's Indy car team these days. It could be that racing in the IRL in this new era of intense auto maker involvement and the return of most of the CART "powerhouse" competitors is too much for the guys at Kelley Racing. 

Tom Kelley brought in a partner to help fund his team early this year, but I can't recall the guy's name. Recently however, there have been rumors of some sort of partnership with Chip Ganassi for next season. Actually it sounds like Ganassi is ready to strike and steal the Delphi sponsorship package away.

The traditional Indy Racing League competitors appear to be fading from the scene.

Look at the major competition in the IRL four years ago. Ron Hemelgarn is all but gone. John Menard sponsors the number 2 car for the Panther stable, but the old Team Menard has disbanded. Foyt still runs grandson A.J. IV, but often car 14 is the slowest on the track. Scott Sharp appears to struggle at nearly every IRL event in Kelley's Delphi car. The Pennzoil Panther team is suffering this season with Tomas Scheckter. The South African's best result in 2004 was a fifth place in the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Dreyer & Reinbold car, with Felipe Giaffone, usually runs near the back of the pack. I think the two Red Bull Cheever Dallara - Chevrolets are the prettiest race cars this season in the IRL, but both of the blue cars are suffering from lack of Chevy horsepower too.

The two teams that are having the biggest impact on the 2004 season, Rahal-Letterman Racing and Andretti Green Racing, are both in only their second seasons of full time Indy Racing League competition. Adrian Fernandez won at Kentucky with an operation that was set to race the Champ car series at the beginning of this racing season.

The biggest factor for success in 2004 in the Indy Racing League is the three liter configuration of the Honda V8 Indy package, built by Ilmor Engineering.

So decisive has the Honda advantage been, the two primary teams during the 2003 season, Marlboro Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing have been relegated to mediocrity with only three events remaining in the sixteen race season. 

The game's the same. The names have changed!

In spite of his alcohol rehabilitation in the middle of the 2002 season, I thought Unser Jr. often looked like he was still in his prime.

In several races during 2002, Little Al's driving was superb.

Although he failed to win a race, he had two breathtakingly close photo finish losses (Jeff Ward at Texas and Sam Hornish at Chicagoland) and led seven of the thirteen events he competed in. I honestly believed Unser was on the way back to his former glory during the 2002 season.

But it didn't work out the way Al Unser Jr. fans wanted and now another all time great has called it quits. But what a career Al Unser Jr. had!

While he was in Indianapolis for the 1978 "Indianapolis 500," John Dailey was excited about Al Unser Jr. John had a home made video recording of Al Jr. scoring his first sprint car win at some "dustbowl" in Albuquerque, Phoenix or someplace like that.

I remember the first time I watched Little Al race. It was in an SCCA Formula Super Vee race at the Milwaukee Mile in June 1981. I was at Milwaukee, with my first wife Pat, to see the Indy cars run the CART race. The Super Vees ran the preliminary show before the 150 lap CART race.

Little Al was driving an all white Ralt chassis for Rick Galles, with blue and yellow piping. Pete Halsmer, who finished 24th in the "Indianapolis 500" two weeks earlier, was driving for Frank Arciero and was the primary competition. Other notables in the Super Vee contest were Roger Penske Jr., in the other Arciero car, and Dick Ferguson, who finished 30th in the 1980 "500." Ferguson was also racing a Galles entry.

My focus was on Al Unser Sr. that day. Big Al was driving the 1980 Formula One championship Williams FW07 look alike Longhorn LR02 for Bobby Hillin in Indy cars for 1981. 

I thought the Williams FW07 was the neatest looking F1 car of its time. The FW07 made its debut during the 1979 season. Australia's Alan Jones won the 1980 World title in the FW07. Big Al's Longhorn Indy car also looked pretty nice, painted in white, with blue, red and orange trim, looking not a lot unlike Jones' championship machine. Can you imagine a year old F1 car being the basis for an Indy car today, twenty-five years later? No way!

Al Unser Sr. actually had a relatively decent weekend in June 1981at the Milwaukee Mile. He qualified Bobby Hillin's Longhorn - Cosworth third on Saturday. Big Al worked his way into the lead during the second half of the race. I don't remember exactly what took place, but Al had a problem and spent some extended time in the pits, losing the race. Maybe it had to do with fuel consumption.

Unser Sr. ended up finishing fifth at Milwaukee.

Winner Mike Mosley brought Dan Gurney's yellow and white Pepsi Challenger Eagle, powered by a stock block Chevy V8 engine, from the rear of the 25 car starting field to victory. What a drive that was! Rookie Kevin Cogan finished second in Jerry O'Connell's Phoenix chassis. Mario Andretti's beautiful navy blue and red Patrick Racing STP Wildcat was third and Tom Sneva, driving a white and navy blue entry entered by George Bignotti and Dan Cotter, finished in fourth place.   

What I remember most from that day at Milwaukee was Al Unser Jr. and his butt kicking run to victory in the Super Vee race.

If I'm not mistaken, it was Little Al's first Super Vee win.

Later that summer, on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, preliminary to the second Indy car race of the season at Milwaukee, the younger Unser won again in Super Vees, this time even more decisively than in June.

I was also at Milwaukee in September 1981, on that overcast Labor Day weekend afternoon when CART returned to the nation's oldest race track for the second time that summer.

This time I went to Milwaukee alone. The first wife got pissed about my being in a hurry and not wanting to stop for doughnuts and jumped out of my car about four miles from our apartment in Riverdale, Illinois, on the southern edge of Chicago. I think Pat loved me, but she scared hell out of me with her sudden mood swing explosions.

Women! We still love looking at them and long for the days when we could touch too. But sometimes - - -.

Tom Sneva beat Bobby Unser's "Indy" winning Norton Spirit Penske PC9B - Cosworth, Patrick Racing teammates Gordon Johncock and Mario Andretti and Pancho Carter, in Alex Morales' orange and white Penske PC7, in the Labor Day Saturday race at Milwaukee.

Big Al Unser dropped out of that race after 29 laps with ignition problems.

But again, the primary thing I took away from the races at the old Wisconsin State Fair Park in 1981 was being impressed by Al Unser Jr.

It became obvious to me the freckled, boyish youngster had something special and was a big time champion in the making!       

The following season, Little Al and Rick Galles graduated to the SCCA Can Am series, in a chassis produced by a guy named Herb Friselle and christened a Frisbee. I would have to dig deep into some of my old racing books to recall statistics from that season in Can Am. I tried to search for Can Am racing series data on the Internet, but I only found one site that listed Can Am champions but no season by season records.

I don't recall exactly who Unser's primary competition was during the 1982 Can Am season. I believe Teo Fabi ran a Budweiser sponsored March, entered by Paul Newman. I'm sure Carl Haas had a full time Can Am entry, but I can't recall exactly who the driver was - maybe French Formula One veteran Patrick Tambay.

Whoever his competition was, Al Unser Jr. had a strong run to the Can Am championship. In addition to his Can Am title run during the 1982 season, Little Al managed to make his Indy car debut too. Driving a March - Cosworth for Jerry Forsythe's new Indy car team, Unser finished a strong fifth in the heat on August 29, 1982 at Riverside International Raceway behind race winner Rick Mears, Tom Sneva, Johnny Rutherford and Roger Mears.

I watched the race from Riverside on one of the early ESPN telecasts at Tim Pendergast's house. Those Indy cars races at Riverside were among the most arduous and somewhat boring I can remember. The races seemed to last forever and attrition was incredible. Once again however, Al Unser Jr. impressed the racing world and by the end of the year, he was the hottest young property in the sport.

About this time, I was living in Chicago, working for Polysystems, Inc., during the early years of the post Guy Nadeau era.

Those were great career days for me! I loved working at Polysystems.

I remember receiving a media press kit from John Dailey in late 1982, which Rick Galles put together in advance of his Indy car debut with Little Al, in 1983.

With money from Coors Light beer and Roman Wheels (who were they?), Al Unser Jr. showed up to race in an Eagle - Cosworth entered by the Galles operation at the CART season opener at the 1.5 mile high banks in Atlanta. In their Indy car racing debut as a team, Unser Jr. and Galles came away with a sixth place finish behind Gordon Johncock, Al Unser Sr., John Paul Jr., Pete Halsmer and Mario Andretti.

I also remember the cars Al Jr. raced that first time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 1983.

I thought the Galles association with Dan Gurney was somewhat odd, given the fact the customer March chassis would have been a better option. Perhaps the same motivation which led to the Galmer chassis, that carried Al Unser Jr. and Rick Galles to victory in the 1992 "Indianapolis 500," was in play when Galles chose the Gurney Eagle nine years earlier. He and Al Jr. wanted something unique and perhaps they thought the Gurney Eagle would provide an advantage.

At the Speedway, the Galles Eagle was painted white with maroon, gray and silver trim and it was an unusual look to say the least, presenting sort of a pastel image. Actually I thought it was very unattractive.

At various times throughout the 1983 season, the Galles car was painted in the old Super Vee all white with blue and yellow piping. In May 1988, I had an opportunity to ask Rick Galles about the variety of color schemes on Little Al's cars during 1983. Actually I don't recall receiving a definitive answer. My guess is that Coors was late with their sponsor payments when the Galles cars showed up to race in generic white.

In May 1983, Unser Jr. looked too young to have a driver's license, let alone fifth grid position (202.146 mph) in his first "Indy 500." I caught Little Al and wife Shelley in the garage area parking lot after "Carb day" practice for the 1983 "500" with my new Nikon FE camera. I need to dig out that photo from the archives and post it on this website. 

The exploits of Al Unser Jr. in the number 19 Coors Light/Roman Wheels Eagle - Cosworth during the 1983 "Indianapolis 500" is one of the legends of the "greatest spectacle in racing."

The 1983 "500" is one of the most memorable races in my personal 49 year history of attending the race. My all time favorite Al Unser had one of the greatest performances of his career.

It was Big Al's first season as number two driver on the "royal" Penske Indy car team. It was a terrific break for Al Sr.'s career, after three stagnant seasons with the eager but under funded Hillin Longhorn operation. Unser was finally getting his deserved shot with the most elite racing organization in American open wheel racing.

Al Unser Sr. made the most of the opportunity with Penske Racing too. Big Al, never a good qualifier, put his yellow Hertz Penske PC11 - Cosworth in the seventh spot on the grid (201.950 mph) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was an okay effort considering Al Sr. was not a good qualifier and the Penske PC11 was one of the all time "shit boxes."

The PC11 was so bad that Roger Penske gave up on the new Geoff Ferris design during the latter stages of the 1983 season in favor of the previous year's Penske PC10 model. Perhaps the PC11 wasn't that bad of a race car, but the 1983 March chassis, from the pen of Robin Herd, was so much better.

I believe the best way to measure Al Unser Sr.'s performance in the 1983 "Indianapolis 500" is to compare it to that of his Penske teammate Rick Mears.

In May 1983, Rick Mears was the acclaimed king of Indy car racing. But Mears, who started on the outside of the front row for the 1983 "500" at 204.300 mph, had problems coping with his yellow Pennzoil PC11 during the race, ending up third after leading two laps early in the event. 

Al Unser Sr. had a much better run in his companion yellow Hertz PC11, leading a total of 61 laps. Big Al had a quick final pit stop on lap 172 when he only added fuel during the stop. This enabled Unser to regain the lead on the next lap.

Tom Sneva's Texaco Star March looked like the fastest car in the second half of the 1983 race, but the three time "Indy" runner up (1977, 1978, 1980) fell several seconds behind Unser during their final pit stops after receiving both fuel and fresh tires from the Bignotti Cotter crew. 

That was a strategic call by Roger Penske to skip fresh tires during the pit stop. But Penske probably made that call because he realized Unser's PC11 was no match for Sneva's March on the race track and it was the only opportunity for Al to win.

This is how the legend of Al Unser Jr. and the "Indy 500" began.  

I was beside myself with joy as I watched Big Al leading the 1983 "Indianapolis 500" during the final stages of the race. I was in grandstand E, outside turn one, with my good pals, Guy Nadeau, Tim Pendergast, Bill Correll and Dave Willmuth, among others. I let my delirium carry me away for a few moments because it began to appear my all time favorite was going to get his fourth win in the "500."

Still I realized Sneva was faster and there were enough laps remaining for Tom to catch the number 7 Penske car. But Little Al, who was several laps behind the leaders, riding around in tenth place, found himself running behind his dad and an oncoming Sneva.

Here is how Unser Jr. described the situation in the closing laps of the 1983 "500," during the press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when Little Al announced his retirement:

"Well, first off, I wasn't blocking for my dad. If I was blocking for my dad, my dad would have won that race. I'm that infamous lapped car that just gave Tom Sneva fits. I guess along those lines, you know, I introduced myself to the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and all of its fans. You know, I can tell you that I'm very proud of the fact that I'm on a number of those paintings in that museum without winning or being the winner of the race. When you’ve done that, that means you've made an impact somehow, the people knew that you were there that year. So, you know, in '83, the first father-son to race against each other, it came down to kind of a dramatic finish there when I was trying to help dad out and so on, but he just didn’t go fast enough, really. That's what I blame that on. He was supposed to go faster than what he did." 

Junior remembers correctly. His father's car wasn't fast enough and even though Little Al did try to help Big Al, Sneva was able to catch and pass the Penske car on the backstretch on lap 191. Throughout the final laps, the Hertz PC11 began to fade. Sneva pulled away, leading Unser to the checkered flag by 11.174 seconds. 

To be honest, Tom Sneva deserved to win the 1983 "Indianapolis 500" more than Al Unser Sr. I still enjoyed the drama at the finish however and the fact Big Al could compete so effectively in such a poor racing car. Someday I'll rank my favorite years for the "500." I'm sure the 1983 race has to rank somewhere near my personal top ten.

After the 1983 "500" concluded, Big Al accompanied his son to the United States Auto Club offices to defend Little Al's actions on the race track. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the Big Al - Little Al - Sneva issue and it was a lot of fun. The story played for days after the "500" was over. The 1983 race put Al Sr. back among the major players and the race also placed Al Jr. in the same group.

Most of the people who will read this offering are familiar with Al Unser Jr.'s career, especially during the glory days in the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s.

We remember the street racing style which brought so much success to Al Jr. at Long Beach.

We all recall Little Al's battle with Emerson Fittipaldi in an intense battle for victory in the 1989 "Indianapolis 500," which resulted in the Unser car crashing against the third turn wall after bumping wheels with Fittipaldi on lap 199.  

We also remember Al Jr.'s run to the CART championship in 1990, after winning six races during the Indy car season.

No one will ever forget Unser's battle to the finish in the 1992 "500" with Scott Goodyear and the record closest .043 seconds that separated the two cars at the line. The 1992 finish is my own personal favorite Al Unser Jr. favorite racing memory. Someday I will expound on that topic.

Then Little Al became the third member of his family to race for Roger Penske in 1994. The pairing seemed inevitable.

That was the season the secretly built Ilmor Engineering pushrod turbo V8, designed especially for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was unveiled to the media, carrying the Mercedes Benz badge - and the revelation shook the world of Indy car racing - just a few weeks before the start of practice for the 1994 "Indianapolis 500." What a surprise!

Good fortune fell Little Al's way in May 1994. Emerson Fittipaldi was obviously quicker, but Unser won his first and only "Indy" pole position at 228.011 mph. When the 1994 "500" started, Al was able to beat front row mates Raul Boesel and Fittipaldi into turn one. The number 31 Marlboro car managed to stay in front until his first pit stop on lap 24. On the way out of the pits however, Unser stalled his car.

From that point on however, the 1994 race belonged to Emmo. To be honest it bothered me when Fittipaldi was able to put Unser Jr. one lap down with about twenty laps to go. I couldn't understand why Fittipaldi was so much faster than Little Al, since they were driving the same race car model.

What was it? Emmo turned something like 127 of the race's 148 fastest laps. But when Al Jr. was able to unlap himself from Fittipaldi on lap 184, I think it rattled the Brazilian a bit and he lost concentration long enough to hit the wall coming off turn four on lap 185. That handed the win to Unser, giving him two "Indy" wins in three years.

I recall thinking to myself the day following the 1994 "500" that since Al Unser Jr. was with Roger Penske and was only 32, he was an almost sure bet to become the first five time "Indianapolis 500" winner, the true heir to the Rick Mears' legend in the "Captain's" race cars.  

The following weekend, I was at Milwaukee again for the CART race. This, in my opinion, was when Little Al took control of the Penske Marlboro team. Although Unser only qualified eleventh, he quickly overhauled the field, including his two Penske teammates Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy, to lead a one - two - three finish for the Marlboro cars.

1994 was Al Unser Jr.'s career season. He won a total of eight races during the sixteen race Indy car season (Long Beach, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Portland, Cleveland, Mid Ohio, New Hampshire and Vancouver) on the way to a second CART championship.

I was at Elkhart Lake on September 11, 1994, to see Little Al gather second place at Road America to wrap up the 1994 CART title.  Al Unser Jr. was at his peak on that sunny September afternoon in Wisconsin.  The red head was number one on the Penske team and the biggest racing star this side of NASCAR and Formula One.

Then came 1995. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Championship Auto Race Teams were quickly moving to an impasse over who should control Indy car racing. Gold became garbage. Being top of the racing world quickly became being on the bottom.

After the 1994 "Indianapolis 500," Roger Penske worked hard to get his new pushrod V8 engine legalized for CART competition but failed. Undaunted, Penske marketed his "Indy" only power plant to Rick Galles and Jim Hall for 1995. Then IMS and USAC notified Penske his new engine would not be legal for the 1995 "500" late in 1994.

So, the Marlboro cars were relegated to the conventional Ilmor (formerly Chevrolet D, Ilmor, then Mercedes turbo V8) turbo power package. The combination wasn't fast enough and though the Penske team abandoned their original entries in favor of spare Lolas from the Rahal Hogan team and even a year old Reynard chassis leased from the Pagan brothers, neither Unser Jr. nor Fittipaldi were able to qualify in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That had to be a heartbreaking development for Roger Penske, Emerson Fittipaldi and Al Unser Jr. From first place and domination to the disgrace of not qualifying for the race, over a twelve month period, it was a time for the lowest of lows. 

Unser and the Penske team regained form after the disappointments at Indianapolis, winning four CART races (Long Beach, Portland, Mid Ohio and Vancouver) and finished second to Jacques Villeneuve for the 1995 CART championship. But that's as far as it went for Little Al to win CART races. The win in Vancouver in 1995 proved to be the final win in a career which totaled 31 victories.

Unser Jr. still ran competitively at times during 1996 but failed to win an Indy car race for the first time since 1987. The original commentary I wrote for Bob Jennings' World O' Racing was about Al Jr. "Little Al Versus the World" came during the first season of the Indy car racing civil war. It was a confusing time for everyone who loves the sport.

After 1996, the Al Unser Jr.'s career went sour. Finally Roger Penske released Little Al after the 1999 season in favor of Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves.

But Tony George and the Indy Racing League welcomed Junior with open arms. I suspect most  Unser Jr. fans were ecstatic about his return to the "Indianapolis 500" and switch to the IRL. Tony George's series needed a new "poster boy" to compensate for the loss of Tony Stewart to NASCAR and Arie Luyendyk to retirement. Al seemed like the logical replacement.

I remember seeing billboards advertising Indy Racing League events in 2000, with images of Unser's number 3 racer, advertising local IRL events.

I recall how excited I was about Al Unser Jr.'s IRL debut on the morning of the 2000 season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway, in late January. Although the race in Florida was a somewhat inauspicious debut, Unser Jr. took Rick Galles' G Force to victory in only his third series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in April.

Throughout the spring of 2000, Al Unser Jr. kept expressing his excitement about returning to the "Indianapolis 500." The fans in the seats behind the pits gave Little Al a rousing ovation when his car was rolled out for Junior's first laps in May at the Speedway since 1995.

May 2000 was somewhat mediocre for Al and his "500" return was basically disappointing. But Unser had some decent runs in some of the other IRL events at Texas and Atlanta. The next victory for Unser and Rick Galles came in August 2001 at Gateway International Raceway, when Al beat Sam Hornish in an epic battle.

However when an expected sponsorship deal with Budweiser fell apart at the end of 2001, Rick Galles was without money and Unser Jr. found himself without a ride for the 2002 season. Tony George stepped in and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway marketing department found a sponsor for Little Al. Unser got into his new ride Kelley Racing, the Corteco Dallara - Chevrolet, at the IRL opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

I really was enthusiastic about Al's return to form during the 2002 Indy Racing League season. Considering the season was interrupted while Unser missed two races, when he was in alcohol rehabilitation, I thought Junior was ready to resume his earlier successes.

Sadly it didn't turn out that way, but I'm grateful for the thrills I experienced when I watched Al Unser Jr. race over the years. Even with some of the disappointments and unfortunate distractions, it was a great run.   

Adios Little Al.

Thanks for the memories.    

career statistics - Indy Racing League - Al Unser Jr.