Although Al Unser (born 1939) may not be ranked as the greatest race-car driver of all time, he is the most successful racer in the history of the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway. During his three-decade career Unser had four first-place finishes, three second-place finishes, four third-place finishes, one fourth-place finish, one fifth-place finish, and two other top-ten finishes in the race.

Alfred Unser was born on May 29, 1939, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The youngest of four brothers, he grew up in a racing family. His father Jerry and uncles Louis and Joe were or had been race car drivers, and although they never made it to the Indianapolis 500 they were annual competitors in Colorado's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb starting in 1926. Joe Unser was the first member of the Unser family to lose his life racing, dying in 1929 following an accident in Colorado while test-driving a FWD Coleman Special.

A Family...