Al Unser

Al Unser, New Mexico and Albuquerque’s native son, passed peacefully at his ranch in Chama, NM on December 9, with this wife by his side.  His valiant 17-year battle with cancer had ended his incredible life.  Born May 29, 1939 to Jerry and Mary Craven Unser, Al was the youngest of 4 boys seemingly destined to make their marks in automobile racing.  

Jerry’s Garage, on Route 66 half-way up Nine-Mile Hill, was the first stop in Albuquerque for travelers heading east and the last stop in town for those heading west.  Among those travelers were race drivers like Jim Rathmann, Johnnie Parsons and Tony Bettenhausen headed for racetracks across the Southwest.  As a young man, Al remembered listening to stories and watching these men who stopped to have his father help them with a part or just to visit on their way to another racetrack.  They became his childhood heroes; he wanted to watch them race, then he wanted to compete with them.  His father had to sign waivers to let him drive at Speedway Park because he was so young and along with his older brother, Bobby, they began winning against the local men and their careers began.  Suddenly he was racing against his childhood heroes and winning.  Oldest brother Jerry, Jr. had already set his sights on Indy and Bobby and Al were headed to the big track as well.  Mom Unser was well known in Indy for making the best green chili stew and other drivers figured it was the chili that made the Unser boys go so fast.

Al’s racing career is well documented and some records have held for decades whether it was Championship Dirt cars, Sprint cars, Indy cars, NASCAR, or IROC cars.  His opportunity to see his son, Al Jr. start racing and eventually win at Indy was, no doubt, the highlight of his racing career.   When he wasn’t racing something with wheels, Al loved riding and racing snowmobiles in the mountains of northern New Mexico.  He was one of the original Colorado 500 participants, a dirt bike trip through the rugged mountains of Colorado. Al made sure his houseboat on Lake Powell had enough jet skis for everyone. 

Retiring from driving race cars in 1994, Al stayed active in Indy Car as a driver coach, traveling to racetracks in the USA, Japan, Argentina, Australia and England.  His home in Albuquerque, across from his father’s garage, was filled with trophies and awards which he wanted to share with his fans from New Mexico and with the help of the State of New Mexico and the Village of Los Ranchos, the Unser Racing Museum was created and opened in 2005 on Montano Blvd.   The campus grew to include the Cottonwood Classical Charter School and the Challenger Learning Center. 

Shortly after the opening of his museum, Al was diagnosed with a form of cancer in his liver that was a result of a hereditary blood disease, hemochromatosis.  Because of this he was not a candidate for a liver transplant, and thus began his 17-year battle to control the tumors as they appeared.  We are eternally grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff at the University of Colorado, the NM Cancer Center and the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center for their unwavering support.

Al’s 25-year adventure with Susan took him off the racetrack to Africa to meet the gorillas of Rwanda, to St. Petersburg to see the Russian ballet, to Alaska, France, Sweden and England.  He was determined not to let his disease keep him from enjoying life.  Al’s beloved ranch in Chama was his touchstone and he could be found on his tractor mowing, hauling gravel or sitting on the porch with his dog.  He always met life head-on and will be greatly missed by his family, friends and fans.   

Al is survived by his wife, Susan Unser, his son, Al Unser Jr. and stepson, Darin Pine; grandchildren Al Unser, III, Cody Unser, Shannon Unser and Joey Unser, Jason Tanner, Deborah Tanner and Dillon Tanner; nephews Jerry Unser, III, Johnny Unser, Robby Unser and nieces Cindy Unser and Jeri Unser.  Preceding him in death were his daughters, Deborah and Mary, his brothers Jerry, Jr., Louis and Bobby and nephew Bobby Unser, Jr.

A public celebration of his life will be held in the spring.

The Family of Al Unser has entrusted the gentle care of their loved one to Rivera Family Funeral Home in Espanola NM.