Saturday, May 27, 2006
Retirees-turned-racers are giving the Brickyard another whirl.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Al Unser Jr.'s weathered face lit up at the mere suggestion. What would it be like to come down to the final laps of the Indianapolis 500 in a side-by-side duel with Michael Andretti?
"Wouldn't that be cool?" Unser said, sounding like a kid again. "Wouldn't that be super cool?"
Andretti is equally intrigued by the idea. Even though he was lured out of retirement so he could race alongside his 19-year-old son, Mikey wouldn't mind going wheel to wheel with Little Al as they bear down on the checkered flag Sunday.
"My biggest dream is me and Marco on the last lap," Andretti said. "My next biggest dream is me and Al."
Not that it's likely to happen. These are two 40-something drivers who just can't fade away, joined in the Indy senior division by another racer-turned-retiree-turned-racer, 48-year-old Eddie Cheever.
Out of retirement
The trio has created a lot of thrilling memories at the Brickyard, but these stories usually don't have a happy ending. Muhammad Ali should have stayed in retirement. Michael Jordan wasn't the same when he gave up the second of his self-imposed exiles. Willie Mays was a pitiable figure at the end of his playing career, stumbling around the outfield.
Unser has been away for nearly two years. He's 44 now, with plenty of wrinkles and a reddish head of hair that isn't having much success fending off the encroaching gray.
Andretti is six months younger -- he'll turn 44 in October -- and hasn't raced since the 2003 Indy 500, which was supposed to be his swan song as a driver and the launch of his career as a full-time car owner.
But when Marco made it to the Indy Racing League much faster than projected, taking a vacant spot in his father's powerful four-car team, Michael couldn't resist the chance to race alongside his son at the Brickyard. After all, he came up racing against his own father, 1969 Indy winner Mario Andretti.
"I felt if I didn't take advantage of this opportunity, I would regret it the rest of my life," Michael said. "I never thought I would have the opportunity to race with Marco. I thought there would be too much of a gap from when I got out of it to when he got into it. But he's here way quicker than I imagined."
Cheever gave up his racing career after the 2002 season. Like Andretti, he devoted himself to being a car owner, while letting go of the rigorous routine he maintained as a driver. He worked out less and ate more, putting on 25 pounds after climbing out of the cockpit.
Caught the fever
But Cheever, who captured the biggest victory of his career at the 1998 Indy 500, couldn't stay away, either. He hastily put together a deal to compete in the first part of the IRL season, culminating with Sunday's race, even though this bright, debonair man finds it hard to explain why he wanted to take another spin at the Brickyard.
"The only way to win a 500 is to be in it," he said. "I never thought four years ago that I'd be back. I stopped driving for a number of reasons. But when the opportunity came to come back and drive in the 500, I jumped on it."
Unser is realistic about his Indy comeback. He qualified 27th in the 33-car field, with a speed that was nearly 10 mph slower than pole-winner Sam Hornish Jr.
Andretti is certainly due at this place. No other racer has led so many laps (426) without actually winning. But he finally got a sip of milk last year as a car owner, celebrating in victory lane when Wheldon won for Andretti-Green Racing.
"I think we have a good shot," Andretti said. "We've had a nice, smooth month. If you look at my history, that's typically the way it is. We're quiet but confident. We'll see."