Unser Jr to announce retirement

Following a dismal performance last Saturday night at Richmond, the 42-year-old veteran called car owner Pat Patrick on Sunday and told him he didn't want to continue. The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner will be replaced by Jeff Simmons this weekend at Kansas City.

Unser's 22-year career will be remembered for its early excellence, sustained brilliance and eventual erosion due to drugs and alcohol.

"Not many of us can call ourselves Snow White and I sympathise with the difficulty of Al's situation the past few years but he doesn't have to justify what he did in motorsports," said Bobby Rahal, Unser's friend, former team-mate and rival in CART. "I prefer to remember him as a great champion and that's how people should remember him.

"Al was the consummate racer who could drive anything and win in anything. He was also one of the fairest racers. He didn't block you or chop you, he always drove with a lot of class."

Unser made his debut at the CART race in Riverside in 1982 and was nothing short of sensational - charging into the lead before finishing fifth after gearbox problems. After consistently winning races, Unser finally broke through with his initial CART championship in 1990 and followed that with his first win at Indy in 1992.

"When we were teammates at Galles/Kraco in 1990-91, I think we pushed each other and I know there was nobody I'd rather beat than Al and I think he felt the same way," said Rahal.

But Unser's perfect pairing came in 1994 when he joined Team Penske. He won eight of 16 races that year, including his second Indy 500, on his way to his second CART championship. He nearly captured the crown again in 1995, finishing runner-up to Jacques Villeneuve, although he suffered the indignation of becoming the first defending champion to fail to qualify at Indianapolis.

When the CART/IRL split started in 1996, Unser stayed with Penske and didn't go back to IMS until 2000 - when he joined the IRL full-time and was reunited with Galles.

Off the track, Unser had serious problems. He checked into a rehabilitation clinic in July 2002 after an altercation with his girlfriend and admitting to alcohol and drug abuse. Unser missed two races but came back strong and nearly won at Chicago, losing by a few feet to Sam Hornish Jr. A year ago he wound up sixth in the IRL standings after scoring his third and final IRL win at Texas, but was then was injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident in New Mexico, fracturing his pelvis.

This season he didn't have a ride this year until Pat Patrick formed a team and they debuted at Indianapolis. Unser started and finished 17th. He was uncompetitive at Texas and the slowest car for most of last weekend at Richmond.

"Al's not stupid and he never went into racing just to be there, he was in it to win," said Rahal. "He's reached the age, which I was at one time, that you don't want to drive just for the sake of driving. If you don't have the proper resources to succeed and you're not happy, you don't have to race."

Unser's final totals will be 34 wins (31 in CART), a pair of Indy triumphs, a pair of CART championships, a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona and a two-time IROC champion.

"He was a great driver, a good guy and a friend," said Rahal. "I've got all the time in the world for Al Unser Jr."