Al Unser, Jr. is in a heap of trouble this time. He already has a DWI charge from 2007, and a prosecutor out in New Mexico got a judge to upgrade the DWI charge severity this time. You may remember back in September Al allegedly got all liquored up (twice the legal limit is what the blood alcohol test showed) and was drag racing in an SUV, which hit speeds of over 100 before the cops got him. March 5 is the date of the trial.
This sordid chapter remains extremely disheartening to those of us who just love the Unsers along with all of their quirks. Little Al had the world by the balls for a long time. Many Unsers, despite being 
married to some really wonderful ladies, are said to have always enjoyed life on the wild side, including liquor and occasionally time between the stanky loins of brazen harlots endowed with mammoth chests. Hey, who among us do not share some of those experiences?
It is my continuing opinion that Al, Jr’s tumble into the abyss was precipitated by the pointlessness of ‘the split.’ Al was forced by his car owner to stay away from Indy until his career was well past its prime. This was especially traumatic considering the entire team screwed up their May at Indy the year before ‘the split’ after Al won it in ’94. Not to mention even Dick Simon managed to get four cars into the ’95 race. No wonder Al high tailed it across Georgetown Road to watch low self-esteemed young ladies flop out their mammary glands while he pickled his liver and blackened his lungs.
The pompous self-exile of the cart contingent for the next few years screwed race fans more than anyone. That arrogance led those whose life centered around the 500, regardless of politics, into a very dark place. Al’s troubles off the track are very sad but may have been prevented. It is, of course, pointless to discuss ‘what if’ in this point in history.
Al, Jr. not only screwed up the end of his career behind the wheel, but also a sweet Indy Car gig coaching drivers and working in Race Control. It is the hope of thousands of racing fans that Little Al finally hit the bottom and will work really hard to recover. Not for us. For him.
Defender of IndyCar 
‘Al was forced by his car owner to stay away from Indy until his career was well past its prime.’
Hogwash. Al wasn’t forced by anyone to do anything. If he wanted to race at Indy, three simple words would have let him do just that. ‘Roger, I quit.’ With his talent, driving record, and pedigree he’d have had his pick of teams in a series (IRL) desperate for a marquee name. Hell, even if he was a no-talent hack, simply having the last name ‘Unser’ would have pretty much guaranteed him a seat. Al stayed in CART because Al wanted to stay in CART. (One reason might have been his skill set; he was a far better road racer in CART (26 wins) than an oval track racer (6). He wasn’t called ‘The Mayor of Long Beach’ for nothing.’).
Al not racing at Indy was one man’s choice, and one man’s decision. Al Unser, Jr.’s.
Editor’s Note: …along with Roger Penske.
Again, hogwash. All Little Al had to do was quit Penske. You don’t think that John Menard wouldn’t have jumped at the chance to sign Unser away from CART? Or Ron Hemelgarn? Or AJ Foyt? It’s generally assumed that Tony George was funnelling money to the teams to supprt the series; you honestly believe that given the chance to poach a two-time 500 winner and two-time CART series champ from a legendary AOWR family, TG wouldn’t have written a check then and there?
I’ll say it again. Roger Penske made the choice not to take his team back to Indy. Al made the choice to stick with Penske and CART. He had the freedom to leave any time he wanted to. He didn’t.
Editor’s Note: That’s right. Who cares about pesky ‘ol contracts? They mean nothing. LOL
‘Fraid you’re right one there about Little Al, Disciple. I too, always thought it was the split that undid him, because it WAS traumatic, even more so to the dynastic families than anybody else. Witness Mario and Michael Andretti, who badmouthed the IRL for the first few years until their faces turned blue but finally came back and were grateful to once again to be in the fold. Al Jr. probably didn’t have the money to form his own team that was the saving grace for Mikey, so he had to settle for what he could get, which wasn’t a top-notch team anymore. I wish I could say Al will bounce back, but what does he have now? It IS very sad, and unless a miracle takes place, will probably have a sad ending.
Dear Defender:
I wish Little Al solace and peace in his life and hope that he can banish the demons that drive his destructive behavior….he is a champion and deserves the support of the entire racing community has he heads down the difficult path to sobriety and maturity….now, onto my bashing of the brain dead leadership at Indy Car…why in the world would Ropin’ Randy and his merry band of fools in charge want to schedule a finale in Fort Lauderdale…at the height of hurricane season!!! Don’t get me wrong, I would welcome the return of the series to South Florida and, who knows, the race may draw more than the 5K who showed up for the last event at the Homestead oval…but you do not want to schedule any outdoor events in South Florida during hurricane season….too damn hot and too much rain….when the relative humidity is 99% and the surface temperature is 90, it’s too much for the fans and the drivers….of course, the idiots who have run both series into the ground frequently scheduled races during hurricane season, perhaps to punish us faithful fans….if Randy reads this blog….schedule the event now when the weather down here is beautiful!!!
Editor’s Note: Beats the crap outta me, Neil. One would think Indy Car management would have evolved beyond the kind of self immolation that has nearly wiped them out so many times in the past. Repeating past mistakes still seems to be a hallmark of the series.
Only a tried and true moron would equate “the split”, with Unser Jr’s drinking problems.
Editor’s Note: Your denial of history is impressive.
A man has control of himself and what he does with his life, so any problems that he has, are his own. He has had several chances to get his life back together again, and has falied each and every time. Absolutely no sympathy here for the man. Disciple, you really need to grow up.
Editor’s Note: Falied? LOL.
Hahahahahahah you sure conjure up some weird ideas. Your desperation is sad.
Editor’s Note: If you are not willing to contribute anything of substance or intelligence, why not just read and not bother to offer the kind of typed graffiti you have?
You are a stupid imbecile. Still rehashing the split as you cry for others to “move forward.” You act like like Al Unser Jr. was held against his will away from Indy in May and this contributed to his substance abuse. Like others have said, he could have left the Penske ride if he was that unhappy. Back in 1996, you and the rest of your fellow bootlickers proclaimed that many of the drivers in CART would force their owners to run Indy, or otherwise leave. That never happened either. When are you going to grow up and move forward?
Editor’s Note: Hey Troy, the year end blog statistics show that you were number one in terms of comments left. Thank you for your obsession. I see your level of class has not been elevated in 2012. ‘Stupid imbecile?’ ‘Bootlickers?’ You could do better. As for Little Al, I firmly believe the nonsense cart forced onto the sport contributed to his issues. That seems obvious to those of us who can think. As for moving forward, I have. Every single time the evolutionary needle has moved.