AL UNSER JR. (#50 AJ Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone):
Talk about your run and your experience:
“Well, the run was pretty good. I’m what, a tenth slower than what I ran last Sunday for the four-lap average. You know, the conditions were a little bit worse today. Turn 1’s a little bit loose. Then, Turn 2, the way the wind’s blowing, it’s washing the front end out over there. So, it took the run to get my bars set, and really, the last lap, we let it loose and opened it up and it ran a good lap. So I was happy. We were getting faster every lap. At least we’re going the right direction. We’re not going the other direction. It was good; it was a good run. I’m glad it’s in. I was a little bit careful with it. ”
Would you have liked this opportunity in ’95 to re-bump your way back into the race? :
“In ’95, we were out of the (field of) 33 in the garage, and that’s the difference. I think it was’87 I was a second-weekend qualifier. My rookie year, I was a second-weekend qualifier, but it was because the first weekend got rained out, and so I qualified fifth, but it was still the second weekend. With the way qualifying is set up, we barely missed being in the top 22 last weekend, but we knew in the garage that we were one of the fastest 33. ”
Regarding Uncle Bobby Unser’s comment that with Al Unser Jr. ’s experience, every lap brings it back and by the time the race gets going, he’ll be ready to go:
“Definitely, we’re ready to go right now. Uncle Bobby, he has his theories about drivers. He told me a long time ago, ‘The thing about your dad – and I see it in you – is the longer the race, the better you’re gonna do. ’ That’s why my dad’s won so many 500-mile races versus 200-mile races. He compared me a lot to my father. The more laps there are and the longer the race, the quicker I end up going and so on. But again, that’s Uncle Bobby, who fell out of a lot of races by driving really super-hard. In my opinion, I think he’s right. Something my dad kept telling me as I was growing up and learning this business is there’s only one lap you want to lead, and that’s the last one. I’ve tried to apply that, and if we can do that, we’ll go home a winner. ”
How much does it help to have those two victories under your belt and all of this time at the track when you just get back in? :
“It helps a little bit, the experience. The victories don’t help at all. That was then, and this is now. There’s a lot of similarities, but there’s a lot of differences. We just enjoy racing. I love the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I love the Indy 500, and this year has been really special because of who I’m driving for. You, know, ‘The King’ is working on my car, and I’m getting to talk to him, and we’re having a lot of fun. That’s what racing’s about is having a good time, having fun and enjoying yourself. With A. J. Foyt working on my car, that’s exactly what it is. ”
Regarding John Andretti being away from the Indy 500 for 13 years:
“I think he’s going to enjoy it. I think John Andretti is going to enjoy the formula of the cars we’re running. They do handle better in traffic than the cars that he ran back in the early ‘90s. For John, he’s going to have a good time out there and enjoy himself. You can feel these cars. You can feel when they’re going off. There are no real surprises to you. They’re safer in every aspect. If the conditions are anywhere mediocre to nice, then John’s going to have a good time. ”
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