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As Unser shapes up, so do his 2002 prospects

The veteran has a new ride and carries about 20 fewer pounds.

By JOANNE KORTH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 2, 2002

He answered to the nickname for so long, few noticed in recent years that when it came to Al Unser Jr.'s figure, the moniker had become strictly figurative.

Little Al, not so little.

Facing the start of the 2002 season without a full-time job, Unser Jr. spent the winter working on his physique in hopes of regaining his mystique.

Hired last week, he opens the Indy Racing League season today in Homestead nearly 30 pounds lighter.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do to win the Indy 500 again and to win the IRL championship," said Unser Jr., who will drive Kelley Racing's No. 7 entry as a teammate to 1996 IRL co-champion Scott Sharp. "My fire still burns just as strong as it ever has."

Unser Jr., who turns 40 in April, is one of the most successful drivers in open-wheel racing. He established himself in the early 1990s, winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1992 and '94 and the CART championship in 1990 and '94.

Then, everything changed. From 1996-99 he did not win and rarely was a contender.

But that was not the worst. In February 1999, his 12-year-old daughter, Cody, was paralyzed from the waist down by a rare spinal cord inflammation.

She remains in a wheelchair but leads an active life as namesake of Cody's First Step Foundation, created in September 1999 to increase awareness of the illness.

About the same time, Unser's career took a turn for the better, too, when he moved to the rival IRL. Reunited with friend and owner Rick Galles, with whom Unser Jr. won the first of his two Indy 500s, Unser Jr. won at Las Vegas in 2000 and Gateway International in 2001.

He had one more year on his contract with Galles when the team lost its primary sponsor at the end of last season.

With few prospects, Unser took to heart some stinging advice from IRL driver-owner Eddie Cheever. People's perceptions of Unser in the garage, Cheever said, were that he won when he felt like it. Cheever suggested Unser get in shape.

"I think a trained, re-disciplined and refocused Al Jr. would be very hard to beat in the IRL," Cheever said.

Cheever recommended Saddlebrook trainer Paul Etcheberry, a Chilean javelin thrower in the 1964 Olympics. Etcheberry has worked with tennis stars Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis, among others, at the resort north of Tampa.

Each of the first three days, Etcheberry's conditioning workouts caused Unser Jr. to throw up. But he stuck with it. His two-a-day workout routine included treadmill work, biking, swimming and lifting weights.

When he began, Unser Jr. weighed more than 190 pounds. Today, he is closer to 170.

"I'm in the best shape of my life," Unser Jr. said.

So is the IRL.

Expanded to 15 events, the IRL goes into its seventh season with some of open-wheel racing's biggest names, including longtime CART owners Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi.

Drivers with name recognition include defending series champion Sam Hornish Jr., defending Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and two-time CART champion Gil de Ferran.

And, of course, Unser.

"The Unser name has been synonymous with racing for a long time," team owner Tom Kelley said. "But Al Jr.'s accomplishments stand alone. We're proud to have him."

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