INDYCAR: Al Unser Jr. Arrested On Drunk Driving Charges

IndyCar

INDYCAR: Al Unser Jr. Arrested On Drunk Driving Charges

Al Unser Jr's unfortunate battle with the bottle continues.

Marshall Pruett | Posted September 29, 2011

One of Indy car's greats continues to find trouble as he fights to maintain his sobriety. (LAT)

Al Unser Jr's unfortunate battle with the bottle continues.

After his second arrest for drunk driving since 2007, this time in his home state of New Mexico, the two-time Indy 500 winner was arrested Thursday morning in Albuquerque, according to the Associated Press.

The AP story went on to report "Bernalillo County sheriff's spokeswoman Jennifer Brown confirmed that the 49-year-old was arrested. Authorities say Unser was drag racing another car in his Suburban and was going over 100 mph. He was charged with reckless driving and aggravated driving while intoxicated."

Unser Jr. was arrested in Nevada in January of 2007 for nearly identical drunk driving offenses, and was also arrested in Indiana in 2002 after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend turned physical.

After officially retiring as a racing driver in 2009, and with a sense of order restored to his life, Unser Jr. made the transition from racer to mentor as a driving instructor for the IndyCar Series. With the arrests and struggles with alcoholism seemingly left behind, Unser Jr. had been flourishing in a number of expanded roles.

Late in the day on Thursday, INDYCAR, which serves as the sanctioning body for the IZOD IndyCar Series and employs Unser Jr. for a variety of services, including as a driver of its two-seater Indy car promotional vehicle, and also as a member of it collective of stewards who oversee every IndyCar Series race, released the following statement:

"INDYCAR is aware of the charges and will not be commenting at this time. Al Unser Jr. has been suspended indefinitely and relieved of his duties in Race Control, pending further investigation."