Bobby Unser

At 90 years old, Bobby Unser physical status not available right now. We will update Bobby Unser's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Robert William "Bobby" Unser (born February 20, 1934) is an American former automobile racer.

He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louis Unser, the father of Robby Unser and the uncle of Al Unser Jr. and Johnny Unser.

The Unser family has won the Indy 500 a record nine times.

He is one of ten drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 three or more times and one of only two (followed by Rick Mears) to have won the 500 in three different decades (1968, 1975, 1981).

Bobby has also been a spokesman and advocate of many commercial products.

Early life

Unser was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the son of Mary Catherine (Craven) and Jerome Henry Unser, the third oldest of four brothers. When he turned one, his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where his father started a garage on U.S. Route 66. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the United States Air Force and became a top competition sharpshooter in military matches.

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Racing career

In 1949, a Modified at Roswell Speedway began racing. He won his first championship in Southwest Modified Stock Cars in 1950 at the age of 15. Bobby and his brothers Jerry and Al Unser decided to pursue racing careers in the United StatesC in 1955. Jerry Unser, his brother, died in a 1959 Indianapolis 500 accident.

He debuted on Pike's Peak in 1955, dubbed "Unser's Peak" in honor of his family's mountain climb history. He came in fifth place last year, behind his two brothers. He captured his first championship at Pikes Peak a year later. He has won six straight titles from 1958 to 1963. In 1964, his younger brother Al won the race, but his streak came to an end.

With 10 overall victories, he leads the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb champion's list, having set a new track record of eight times. Michele Mouton smashed Unser's record, so Audi approached Unser, asking if he'd like to reclaim the time. In 1986, after a 12-year absence from the Pikes Peak race, he became the first person to drive an Audi Quattro for the tenth time. He ran a new record by 16 seconds over Mouton's time. The win also ended the tie between him and Uncle Louis Unser for nine overall victories each. The 1986 win brought Unser's total number of Pikes Peak victories to 13, including two in 1989 and 1974) as well as a single sports car class victory (1963).

Unser comes from a family of racers. Throughout his career, he earned three Indianapolis 500 titles, including three in Indianapolis. When asked in 2008 about his potential to move from midget and sprint cars, Unser replied, "I never considered Indianapolis because I didn't think I was strong enough." Rufus (Parnelli Jones) told me he was going to bring me a ride, but I would always be indebted to him."

In 1962, Unser made his IndyCar debut (excluding the Pikes Peak races, which were part of the IndyCar season in the 1950s). He competed for Andy Granatelli between 1963 and 1965 with a Novi engine. In 1963, Unser ran in his first Indianapolis 500. He crashed early and ended up 33rd. In the 1964 Indianapolis 500, Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald died on the second lap. Bob Willke's IndyCar from 1966 to 1970 was converted into a Bob Willke-owned IndyCar. In 1967 at Mosport, Ontario, his first IndyCar victory came. Unser won his first Indianapolis 500, breaking the first driver to race over 170 mph at Indianapolis a year ago. With victories at Stardust International Raceway, Trenton Speedway, Indy, and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Denny won his first USAC National Driving Championship in 1968.

Unser began working with Dan Gurney's All American Racers crew and a John Miller Offenhauser engine in 1972. At 195.940 mph (35.335 km/h), he set another Indianapolis 500 record for the fastest qualifying time at 35.335 km/h (315.335 km/h). For the first time, teams were allowed to bolt on a wing, and speeds increased dramatically (the previous record speed was 178.696 km/h)). Unser has taken nine pole positions (in ten races) and four of the races. He won his second USAC National Driving Championship in 1974. Unser won four times, came second four times, and finished in the top five twelve times in 13 races. He claimed his second 500 in the 1975 Indianapolis 500, despite torrential rains. In 1976, we were awarded twice. He remained on Gurney's staff until 1979.

Unser competed in the CART series for Team Penske from 1979 to 1981. Roger Penske wanted to include Rick Mears, a veteran. Unser beat Mears' three victories six times in a row, but Mears claimed the championship and Indy 500. He was the first driver to win the California 500 four times in 1980. In 1980, Unser won four times and finished second in the season championship to Johnny Rutherford. Following a turbulent victory at Indianapolis, his career came to an end in 1981.

At the 1981 Indianapolis 500, Unser was at the center of one of the most controversial finishes in Indy 500 history. In the No. 67, Unser took the pole. 3 Roger Penske-owned car and led the most laps (89 laps).

Unser and Mario Andretti made their pit stop and returned to the track on lap 149, after a caution period. During the warning, Unser passed eight cars, while Andretti went two. Unser finished the race in 5.18 seconds but was forced to leave it the following morning in favor of second-place finisher Andretti. Andretti was the only other vehicle on the lead lap at the end. Unser was re-awarded the award in October 1981 after a five-month litigation and a Penske demonstration. Unser was then fined $40,000 ($119,000) in today's money for his infraction. Unser was fired during off-season testing at Phoenix for Pat Patrick.

Unser was driven by his words that the debacle was politically motivated and that USAC disqualified him (and Andretti's Andretti's president and owner of Patrick Racing) in order to demolish CART. Patrick's staff did not protest the finish, according to him, and Patrick was on Unser's side of the scandal. We did not speak to each other for years until we learned on his YouTube channel that Andretti came out to wish him the best after Unser became sick.

He was the 1975 International Race of Champions (IROC) champion and 1993 Fast Masters championship champion.

Dan Gurney was pushed by Unser to improve the results of his 1971 USAC vehicle, which culminated in the creation of the Gurney flap. In 1993, Unser set a new Bonneville Salt Flats record of 223.709 in a D/Gas Modified Roadster that lasted for 18 years.

In 2003, he published a book entitled Winners are Driven: A Champion's Guide to Business and Life.

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Awards

• Unser was selected as one of Sports Illustrated's "Top Five Athletes" in the popular magazine's first twenty years, along with the Martini & Rossi and Olsonite "Driver of the Year" awards in 1974.
• He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1990.
• He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
• He was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1997.
• He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
• He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994.
• He was presented with Indy 500 Front Row Award in 1999, for being a nine-time front row qualifier (1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981).
• He was selected fourth in The Greatest 33 list of Indianapolis 500 drivers in 2011.