Al Unser Jr. Wins At Vegas

Al Unser, Jr. got back on track in an Indy Car last weekend, as he cruised to victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Las Vegas 300. Unser, a two time Indy 500 winner, averaged 136.691 m.p.h. as he crossed the finish line 12.531 seconds ahead of Mark Dismore. For Lil Al, it was his first victory in 5 years in an Indy Car, and set the stage for qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.

Unser's return to the IRL circuit may prove to be the key to the IRL having a successful season. The Las Vegas race drew 30,000 fans last weekend, compared with over 100,000 who attended a NASCAR race there earlier this year. This trend of lower attendance has caused the IRL to rethink its schedule. With Unser's return to IRL racing, however, it is hoped that fan interest will build and attendance will increase as well.

The IRL is lacking in big name drivers, most of whom have moved to CART or NASCAR, and the addition of Unser is a welcome site to most IRL fans. It is important to remember, however, that this is not the same Al Unser, Jr. who last ran the Indy 500 in 1994 and failed to qualify in 1995. This season, Unser is in 21st place in the CART point standings. Still, his name might attract other teams from CART to make an attempt to begin healing the split that has torn Indy Car racing apart in recent years.

While critics of the IRL point out the lack of drivers who are recognized by the fans, the small attendance in Las Vegas may simply have been bad planning by the IRL. It should have been obvious that holding a race on Easter Weekend would have had an affect on attendance, and with the limited schedule that the IRL runs, a better, more profitable date might have been chosen. As it was, the race fans appear to have spent their Saturday at home with their families, rather than at the track. Whatever the reason, IRL management needs to do something to beef up attendance and sponsorships in order to remain on a competitive footing with CART and other sanctioning bodies.

As he climbed out of his car at the conclusion of the race, he received phone calls from several of the CART drivers, including Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vassar and Bryan Herta. Andretti, who had the day off due to the schedule told Unser that he and his father, Mario, were watching the race and just wanted to congratulate the winner. It was significant, however, since this puts the IRL and CART in contact with each other on at least one level. Many fans feel that if there isn't a dialogue between the two groups, open wheeled racing in the United States is doomed.

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