IRL Unser Jr. stays on comeback trail with first win in nearly two years

Regrouping after a bout with alcohol, Al Unser Jr. finally gained victory lane.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Al Unser Jr. never considered that his racing career was over. But after admitting an alcohol problem, the champion driver knew he had to rebuild his image.
Since leaving a treatment center last summer, Unser has been clean and sober.
And now he's gotten back to victory lane.
Unser won his first race in nearly two years, leading 54 laps -- including the last-lap shoot-out after a late caution -- to win the Indy Racing League's Bombardier 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night.
Benchmark
"This event is just as important as all the others behind me, maybe even a little bit more important for what I've been through personally," Unser said. "All that hard work has paid off, and it's going to continue to pay off. We're just starting here on a good thing."
Both on and off the track.
A year ago, Unser finished second at Texas, just .0111 seconds -- a matter of inches -- behind Jeff Ward. A month later, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner admitted his alcohol problem after accusations he hit his girlfriend and left her stranded along a highway.
Prosecutors didn't pursue criminal charges, and Unser entered a treatment center, missing two races.
Admission
"There's never been a time that I ever thought about doing anything else but drive race cars," he said. "I had to get through public opinion. That's where my court was. During that time on July 9, I let not only myself down, but my family down, a lot of children in America down and so on."
Car owner Tom Kelley stuck by Unser, as did his friends, family and girlfriend.
"It was my friends, my family and, most of all, my girlfriend Jena who supported me," he said. "Without those people it would have been virtually impossible to get through it."
The Texas race was Unser's fourth straight top-10 finish and 34th win in an open-wheel race. It was his third IRL win, first since Gateway on Aug. 26, 2001.