Al Unser Jr statement

"I'd first off like to thank everybody for being here today. Most of you know what Indy means to me, but for those of you who don't, this is my church. It's only fitting that this begins here today, and with the good Lord's help, I'm going to accomplish the task that is in front of me now.

"I'm here today filled with a variety of emotions. I will express those to you along with my plans moving forward. I won't take any questions today, and I will ask you to rely just on my remarks. I know I said I couldn't comment while my incident was being investigated by the prosecutor's office, and some of you will be disappointed that I won't be answering them today either.

"My emotions today begin with embarrassment and remorse. I am deeply sorry and embarrassed by the situation that occurred last week and my poor judgement I've shown in the past regarding my life choices and decisions I've made. I have apologised to all those I have hurt by my actions, but I realise that saying you're sorry doesn't matter when the damage is already done. I take total responsibility for my actions. I have never blamed anybody but me for the choices I have made.

"A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking how pleased I was about this season and this point in my career. I thought about how I have been so fortunate to achieve what I have on the race track and the legacy of the Unser family name in racing. I thought about how lucky I was to be a driver for Kelley Racing and to be sponsored by one of the finest companies I've ever been associated with - Corteco. And I thought about how fortunate I am to do what I love for a living, which is a great privilege no matter what your profession is.

"A week later all that changed. I made some very poor choices and spent the night in jail. That is something that I never want to do again. I have a problem with alcohol abuse. Nearly every poor choice I've made in my life occurred under the influence of alcohol. I don't understand why I have the problem, but I know I have to straighten it out. And now I'm ready to do so.

"I sat down last week with Greg Gyllstrom from Corteco and Tom Kelley for one of the most difficult meetings I've ever had in my life. As you might imagine, they were upset and disappointed with me. They told me what I already knew, about how I had let down so many people who supported and counted on me. It would be easy for Corteco to insist on a driver change, but Greg and Tom told me that they weren't going to give up on me. They said I was part of their family and they would treat me like a family member. Greg said that Corteco would treat me like any employee who had the same problem - with support and action. I told them I wanted to seek treatment for my problem, and Corteco has made arrangements for me to enter a nationally recognised substance abuse centre that will help me straighten out my problem. My treatment program will also allow me to maintain my physical conditioning so I can remain in racing shape. I hope to return sometime in August, but that will all depend on how my treatment goes.

"I mentioned earlier that I am here today with a variety of emotions. I am embarrassed and sorry for any behaviour of mine that has hurt others in the past. I know I have a problem and it needs to be addressed and I now have a plan to do that. I'm ready to enter a substance abuse centre and look forward to the help that I know that I need. I'm personally touched by the support and actions of Corteco and Kelley Racing and I will forever be grateful for that. I also appreciate the support from my mom and dad and I hope I can have all the support from my fans to fix this problem.

"As I mentioned, I won't take any questions today and I'd like to thank each of you in advance for respecting the confidentiality of the treatment that I receive as I move forward. I'm actually leaving immediately after this news conference to begin my treatment and I look forward to seeing you next month. I can assure you that I will answer your questions at that time. Between now and then, I have many questions myself and I look forward to learning the answers that will help me as I look forward in my life. Thank you."