Indy's Top Racing Family Opens Museum
hays...@hotmail.com
By TIM KORTE, AP Sports Writer
September 18, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- When one family wins the Indianapolis 500 a
whopping nine times, there's bound to be plenty of souvenirs in the
attic.
Now, the Unsers -- Al, Bobby, Little Al and a few other relatives --
have a place to display all those fast cars, shiny trophies and racing
knickknacks.
Even better, they're sharing with fans.
The 13,000-square-foot Unser Racing Museum opens Monday, a five-year
project spearheaded by Al Unser Sr. -- a.k.a. Big Al, a four-time
winner at Indy.
``We've got people coming in from all around to take a look. It sure
makes us feel very proud,'' he said.
The $8 million museum was funded with private donations and $2.8
million from the New Mexico Legislature. It's located in the heart of
Albuquerque, hometown of the Unsers.
It's filled with cars, of course. The signature exhibit features the
Johnny Lightning Special, which Big Al drove to victory at the
Brickyard in 1971.
``We wanted that car to be the first thing that hit you when you walk
in,'' said Clay Gish, lead designer on the exhibits.
The museum also features cars driven by Bobby Unser, a three-time Indy
500 winner and two-time Indy 500 champion Al Unser Jr. Then there are
hundreds of trophies, racing suits, helmets and photographs.
``I'm just super-excited to see the thing open,'' Bobby Unser said.
``I've never seen everything of what Al has saved over the years or
what Little Al has saved. They haven't had a chance to see everything
that I've saved.
``Now, everybody can see a lot of our things together in the same
place.''
The museum isn't exclusively a shrine to the Unsers' accomplishments at
the Brickyard.
There are exhibits on the famed Pike's Peak Hill Climb in Colorado,
where 12 members of the Unser family have competed since Louis Unser
Jr. won the inaugural race in 1934.
``There are Indy cars, championship dirt cars and sprint cars,'' Bobby
Unser said. ``Then there are lots of things are just simple
memorabilia.''
There's also Jerry's Garage -- a tribute to family patriarch Jerry
Unser. He opened his first garage in Albuquerque along historic Route
66 in 1936, and the museum wing documents how the Unser boys learned to
race dirt cars on the West Mesa.
Visitors also will learn about Jerry Unser Jr., who died in May 1959
after crashing during practice for the Indy 500.
``We put out everything we had to honor my brother's memory,'' Big Al
said. ``He was killed just as he got going in racing.''
Another wing has a design and engineering gallery, charting the science
and evolution of racing, plus a look at the history of open-wheel
racing.
In deciding how to present exhibits, museum designers asked the Unser
drivers, mechanics and family members to tell their own stories. The
result is that exhibits come across with a conversational tone, giving
visitors the feeling of an afternoon at the Unser home.
``It's not just a car museum, lined up with cars, cars and more cars,''
Big Al said. ``Heck, I have 15 more race cars at home. We wanted the
exhibits to tell the Unser family story.''
Gish first met the Unsers last spring when she arrived from New York to
research the project. She spent three days with Big Al, Bobby, Little
Al and others, listening to tales from decades of racing.
``I wanted to give visitors the same experience I had,'' Gish said. ``I
was so amazed by these people, by their drive, their fierce
competitiveness. Clearly, they are some of the top racers in the entire
world. Yet off the track, they're so nice -- really down-to-earth
folks.''
There's not enough space for all the Unser artifacts, so some exhibits
will be rotated. The museum is also something of a living history
project. After all, two of Big Al's grandsons -- Jason Tanner and Al
Unser III -- are aspiring racers.
``We left some room to keep adding names,'' Gish said. ``We thought
about that a lot. It was meant to be something that can change.''
Robert Lorenzini
> Top racing family opens the attic
> By TIM KORTE, AP Sports Writer
> September 18, 2005
>
> ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- When one family wins the Indianapolis 500 a
> whopping nine times, there's bound to be plenty of souvenirs in the
> attic.
Forget the attic they should bring Louie out of the closet. If you
don't know what I'm talking about, it is not about sex.
Bob
Mkimbo
>Top racing family opens the attic
<snip>
Is it true the Andretti's will open their museum in the mens room of
the Slippery Noodle Inn?
It would nicely compliment their accomplishments in Indy.