INDIANAPOLIS – It was “An Evening with the Unsers” that no one will soon forget.
On Monday night, former “Voice of the 500” Bob Jenkins played host as “Uncle” Bobby Unser and Al Unser Jr. shared memorable stories in front of 100 very appreciative fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
“How in the world did the Unser family became involved in racing?” Jenkins asked.
“Well, that started a long time ago. When did the people go west for the first time?” joked Bobby Unser, a three-time Indianapolis 500 champion.
Admitting their beginnings dated to 1915 at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado, it didn’t take long for the conversation to turn toward the 1968 edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” That’s when Bobby Unser overcame running with only fourth gear to beat the greatly hyped turbine-powered cars and win his first Indianapolis 500.
“In the old days, the clutches weren’t worth a hoot in the car,” he declared.
Starting on the front row with pole sitter Joe Leonard, who was running one of Andy Granatelli’s turbine-powered cars, there was some debate about the how the race began.
“When the race started, I purposely laid back just a little bit so Leonard could get in front and I could see how he was going to run,” said Bobby Unser.
“Not at the start,” argued Al Jr., his nephew and two-time winner.
“Yes, I did,” rebuked Bobby.
“The original start?” Al Jr. asked.
“Yeah, the first one,” said Bobby.
“You almost led going into (Turn) 1,” Al Jr. replied.
“But I didn’t,” said a smiling Bobby.
It was a waiting game from there as Bobby Unser recalled following Leonard closely in the early laps, but had the perfect idea in mind on how to get the lead.
“On the eighth lap, I can remember that one because I never thought I’d go past him, but Granatelli is in the pits,” Unser said. “Now, he had just offered me $1 million to drive his turbines and being the stupid person I am, I said, ‘No.’ That was really dumb.
“So I’m behind Leonard and I know where the pits (are), I know Granatelli’s in there, I’ve driven for that guy for three years. So I said, ‘What the hell, I’m going to pass Leonard right in front of Granatelli just to see the look I get.’”
The conversation turned when a member of the audience asked about Formula One. Unser Jr. admitted that he was courted early in his career to race in Monaco instead of Indianapolis.
In December 1985, before his Indianapolis 500 wins, Al Jr. confessed that a conversation with Bernie Ecclestone, then the Brabham team owner, who was offering three times the money to be for Unser Jr. the No. 2 driver alongside Nelson Piquet.
“I said, ‘Thank you very much, but my heart is at Indy,” Unser Jr. recalled.
Following his first Indy 500 win in 1992, Unser Jr. tested for Sir Frank Williams’ F1 team at Autodromo do Estoril in Portugal. He said he outran test driver and eventual 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill and No. 2 driver Riccardo Patrese, but the results didn’t seem to matter.
“I went back to England with Frank, sat in his office and go, ‘OK, I’d love to drive your cars. Let’s make a deal,’” said Unser Jr. “And he looked at me and he goes, ‘Wait a minute, we were only interested in you. We’re not thinking about you driving for us or anything. We’re just only interested.’
“Poof, it went just like that and that was that.”
Befitting of the night, a fan followed the story by raising his voice in appreciation of Al Unser Jr.
“We’re glad you stayed here.”
The entertaining evening was part of the IMS Museum’s Distinguished Speaker Series and took place adjacent to the museum’s newest exhibit, "The Amazing Unsers: From Albuquerque to Indianapolis." The display features 25 cars driven by the iconic Unser family, including eight Indy 500 winners, and runs through Oct. 28.