Bobby Unser, who cut his teeth building cars at his dad’s shop along Route 66 in Albuquerque before becoming a legend with his brothers in the auto-racing world, died of natural causes Sunday in his hometown. He was 87.
Unser won 35 major races during a nearly 30-year career, including the Indianapolis 500 three times. (The Unser family had a knack at Indy — it won the race nine times total.) He also won the hair-raising Pikes Peak International Hill Climb an incredible 13 times.
The surviving Unsers put out this statement about Bobby’s death:
The Unser Family is saddened to announce that Bobby Unser passed away last night at age 87 surrounded by family. The last few laps of his life were difficult, beset with mechanical problems, but in true “Uncle” Bobby fashion he finished his final race in high gear, a champion to the end.
“He was my older brother,” said Al, “and he gifted me with thousands of memories; hunting rabbits and catching rattlesnakes on the west Mesa as a boy; working on cars in our dad’s shop; watching him race at Speedway Park; following him to Pikes Peak and then on to Indy and Daytona, where his friends became mine; trying to outbuild and outrace each other in dune buggies and snowmobiles; teaming up for mountain search and rescue; being in and out of businesses together; harrowing trips with him in his airplane; and competing hard with him on the track and pulling pranks on each other off the track. He made me laugh, made me angry, made me try harder and was one of my biggest fans. Anyone who has fallen victim to Bobby’s “advice” can appreciate how many hours of brotherly advice I received on everything from raising children to packing wheel bearings. I learned many lessons from my older brother, am proud to have been Bobby’s little brother and am so thankful for his presence in my life”.
Several obituaries for Bobby — including this one by the Associated Press — mention his roots on Route 66, working in a garage his father built in 1935 in Albuquerque.
He never really left those Mother Road roots; he continued to live near the fabled highway at his Unserville complex virtually all of his life on Albuquerque’s west side.
About four years ago, he talked about his Route 66 roots to Autoweek:
Q: You live on Route 66, one of the country’s most famous highways. That seems appropriate.
A: My dad started his garage and filling station near the house here. When he retired, I took it over. I had an engine-rebuilding plant next to it. Made a foreign car parts and service place out of it and did pretty well. I raced on the weekends. I did a lot of sprint-car and midget races. I shut the shop down in April 1968—I was too busy racing—and won the (Indy 500) in May.
Sports Illustrated wrote that Bobby and Al once flooded Route 66 in Albuquerque when a valve stuck open on a water truck they borrowed from the city. The mischievous boys had a habit of commandeering any sort of equipment if the keys were left in the ignition. It was a different time.
The Unser Racing Museum also is in Albuquerque, though it will remain closed until fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UPDATE: Pat Bremer flagged this new video from Indianapolis Motor Speedway that shows the Albuquerque garage Unser’s dad owned:
(Image of Bobby Unser at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed by PSParrot via Flickr)