Two of Sport's Biggest Names Return
Andretti, Unser Jr. Back At Indy 500 After Layoffs

By Dan Steinberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 26, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS, May 25 -- Even in a sport that encourages longevity, racecar drivers eventually must find something else, a pastime that doesn't involve hurtling themselves around asphalt ovals at high speeds. For Michael Andretti, the next step was team ownership, so last May he shepherded Dan Wheldon to an Indianapolis 500 victory, wiping away his own legacy of frustration at America's most famous open-wheel race. For Al Unser Jr., the next step was relaxation, and so he enacted a self-imposed 12-month hiatus from racetracks and instead spent last summer golfing, boating, fly fishing and taking his youngest son water skiing.

Pleasant enough diversions, no? Why, then, are two men in their mid-forties climbing back into the driver's seat on Sunday, preparing for yet another 500-mile excursion at speeds well over 200 mph?

"Both of us couldn't make the clean break," said Unser, who said he's giddy to be preparing for his 18th Indianapolis 500 despite a car that has run well off the pace in practice sessions this month. "I thought I could make a clean break away from it. And I realized that basically you can take the boy out of the racin' but you can't take the racin' out of the boy. That's what I found and felt, and so we're back at it."

Such feelings are hardly unusual in professional sports, certainly not in racing, where the sport's biggest names pop up on starting grids well into middle age. NASCAR icon Mark Martin spent the entire 2005 season bidding farewell to his fans before agreeing to return for another full slate this year. Another IndyCar owner, 48-year-old former 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr., will be in Sunday's race after a three-year break, although he never officially retired.

But the focus of this year's reunion race has been Andretti and Unser, longtime open-wheel rivals and scions of two of the most famous racing families in the country who, bizarrely, were sent through the track's rookie orientation earlier this month.

They met when they were in grade school and their fathers, Mario Andretti and Al Unser, were the stars. They occasionally raced on dirt bikes or snowmobiles with other restless sons-of-drivers, and would "terrorize everybody at the track, cause as much trouble as we could," Unser said. They battled in the old CART series, combining for three titles and eight second-place finishes over a 12-year span. They endured the messy split between CART and the Indy Racing League in the '90s, bouncing back and forth between the two circuits.

Then they retired. Andretti's exit was blurry; he stepped away after the 2003 Indianapolis 500 but stayed involved as a co-owner of Andretti Green Racing, winning two straight series titles. Unser, 44, quit after several poor performances in the 2004 season, citing a lack of passion and a lack of enjoyment, and vowing not to visit a track in 2005.

Andretti, 43, was asked last May whether he might return as a driver and laughed at the question, but when 19-year old son Marco became a full-time driver for AGR, the father changed his mind. Michael Andretti will become the third father to face a son in this race, joining his own father and Al Unser Sr.

"I felt like if I didn't take advantage of that opportunity that I'd regret it the rest of my life," he said yesterday. "There are times where I'm like, 'Wow, I'm really glad I'm here,' then I'm like, 'What am I doing here?' When you have a close one and almost hit the wall you're like, 'What the hell am I doing here.' But then you put in a good qualifying effort, which I think I did, and you're like, ' Man , this is good.' "

A huge billboard featuring Andretti's face was erected across the street from the speedway's headquarters in honor of his return. And in a racing series that has been criticized for a dearth of recognizable personalities, fellow drivers have described these continuing dynasties in positive terms.

"It's bringing very big names back to the 500," said Scott Dixon, a better bet to win than either legend. "There's people that have been coming to the speedway here for 50 years that like seeing those guys back."

Andretti said he's not sure whether this will be his last race, while Unser hopes to be back next May, saying he never worries that a poor showing here would diminish his legacy. He knows all about the John Elway of open-wheel circuits, Gil de Ferran, who left racing in 2003 after winning both the Indy 500 and his final race.

"The perfect way to retire," Unser called it.

But Unser is too busy thinking of all the other races he wants to try now that he's a free agent: Grand-Am races, NASCAR Nextel Cup races, NASCAR truck races. His car on Sunday is entered in conjunction with the American team from the A1 Grand Prix, and Unser might drive in several races for that team next season. He would love to race against his oldest son Al at next year's 500. And retirement?

"Ask my father -- if he could do it, he would be doing it right now," Unser said. "I'm not doing this for a living. I'm doing this because I love racing, and that's what I want to do."