racing facts & figures; various statistics
April 22, 2006
Al Unser is interviewed after qualifying seventh for the 1985 "Indianapolis 500" at 210.523 mph.
photo by Bob Jennings
Big Al was my all time favorite racing guy. Al Unser has given me more great racing memories than anyone. Of all the drivers I've cheered for, over the years, the only one who's career satisfies me completely is the career Al put together. One of the primary reasons that I dislike the CART concept of Indy car racing so much is because that concept more or less relegated Al Unser to "Indianapolis 500" part time status, long before he was finished as a driver. Al was still a competitive race driver, who knew how to win races, right up through the 1993 "Indianapolis 500," which he led. Had the Indy Racing League existed in Big Al's time, I have no doubt that he would've been one of it's big stars.
Over the years, I've taken several hundred photos of Al. This particular photo is one of my favorites. I was in turn one shooting action photos, standing on the edge of the creek when Al made his qualifying run. After Al finished the run, I rushed up to the area, at the south end of the pits, where the drivers do their post qualification routine, in time to catch Al being interviewed for the ABC coverage. I may be mistaken, but I believe the ABC interviewer was Jack Arute, when he had hair.
Pole day 1985, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was one of those rare times, in recent history, when the weather was near perfect, with sunny blue skies, mild temperatures and almost no wind, for the opening day of qualifications.
Thinking back now, Pole day 1985 may have been one of the final two or three times when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw crowds in excess of 100,000 people for "500" qualifications. Perhaps 1985, 1986 and 1988 were the final times the "big" crowds came out for Pole day. There have been so many "500" Pole days interrupted by rain over the past 20 years and that may have helped to lessen the appeal as much as the passing of time and the changing of people's entertainment preferences.
Roger Penske replaced Al with Danny Sullivan for 1985, but asked Al to remain with the team for Indianapolis and the other two 500 mile races, at Michigan International Speedway and Pocono.
The battle for the 1985 "Indianapolis 500" Pole Position was one of the most wide open in years, with Rick Mears, who was making his return to racing, after his Sanair injuries, the previous September, included in a group with Sullivan, Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Don Whittington and Emerson Fittipaldi as the leading Pole contenders.
The competition among the top teams, for the Pole, was so intense that Penske hired a plane to circle the Indianapolis area to advise his team of any change in local weather conditions, while qualifying was taking place.
The star of Pole day 1985, however, was the Buick V6 turbo engine that had made its Indianapolis debut the previous year.
Scott Brayton set the one lap record, at 214.199 mph, with a four lap average of 212.354 mph, to take second spot on the grid, in his family owned March - Buick V6. Pancho Carter set the four lap record, with a run at 212.583 mph, in Rick Galles' Valvoline March - Buick V6, to win the Pole.
The two Buick Powered cars were followed, in order, by Bobby Rahal (211.818), Mario Andretti (211.576), Emerson Fittipaldi (211.322), Don Whittington (210.991) and Unser (210.523). The runs of both Sullivan and Mears were disappointing. Danny qualified next to Al, in eighth, at 210.298 mph, and Rick qualified tenth, at 209.796 mph.