(1958-10-22) October 22, 1958 (age 65) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Retired
2001
Related to
Jerry Unser (father) Al Unser (uncle) Bobby Unser (uncle) Al Unser Jr. (cousin) Robby Unser (cousin)
Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Years active
1996–2000
Teams
Project Indy Byrd-Cunningham Racing Hemelgarn Racing
Starts
15
Wins
0
Poles
0
Fastest laps
0
Best finish
24th in 1996–1997
Previous series
1993–1994
CART
Johnny Unser (born October 22, 1958) is a former race car driver. He is the son of open wheel driver Jerry Unser Jr., cousin of Al Unser Jr. and Robby Unser, nephew of Al Unser and Bobby Unser, and first cousin once removed of Alfred Unser. Unser's father, Jerry, died in a racing accident when Unser was seven months old. He made 5 starts in CART in 1993 and 1994 with a best result of 15th. He joined the Indy Racing League in its inaugural 1996 season but had a transmission failure during the pace lap of what would've been his first Indianapolis 500 and was not credited with completing any laps. In 1997 he made his first start in the Indy 500 starting in the 35th position after League and Speedway owner Tony George added his and Lyn St. James' car to the field because slower cars than theirs were guaranteed starting positions because of prior races. He went on to finish 18th, his best "500" result in 5 starts. Unser drove the majority of his IRL races for Hemelgarn Racing and in his 14 career IRL starts he had a best finish of 9th in his very first series start in 1996 at Phoenix International Raceway. His last major open wheel race was the 2000 Indy 500.
On January 14 2008 Johnny Unser was named as the race director for the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Championship.[1] He is currently a driver coach and adviser to the Mazda Road to Indy and racing adviser and spokesman for Cooper Tire. He is an official for Indycar in Race Control and is also the owner of Unser Racing, Karting and Entertainment track in Denver, Colorado.
^Johnny Unser named Atlantic Race Director, TSN.ca, January 14, 2008
JohnnyUnser (born October 22, 1958) is a former race car driver. He is the son of open wheel driver Jerry Unser Jr., cousin of Al Unser Jr. and Robby...
of Louis Unser, brother of Al, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser and the uncle of Al Unser Jr. and JohnnyUnser. The Unser family has...
(Bobby) and child (Al Jr.) as fellow Indy 500 winners. Al's nephews Johnny and Robby Unser have also competed in that race. In 1971, he became the only driver...
Louis): Jerry Unser Jr. (1932–1959) Bobby Unser (1934–2021) Al Unser (1939–2021) Third generation: JohnnyUnser (born 1958), son of Jerry Al Unser Jr. (born...
Louis Unser Jr. (March 16, 1896 – October 18, 1979) was an American racing driver. He was the patriarch of the Unser family of American auto racers. He...
by CART under the name "IndyCar". The season consisted of 16 races. Al Unser Jr. was the national champion, his second CART title, and the rookie of...
(Al Unser Jr.'s cousins) Robby and Johnny also drove in the Indianapolis 500. Often considered the third generation of the famous Unser racing family...
Robby Unser (born January 12, 1968) is an American former Indy Racing League driver and nine-time winner of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. He...
due to take over Jim Guthrie's back-up car. Like the Canadian, JohnnyUnser and Johnny O'Connell run laps over 200 mph, also taking to the track for the...
through the 1998 CART season. Their only appearance in the IRL was with JohnnyUnser for two of the three races of the 1996 season and the two 1996 races...
than a single race. It also saw the beginning of the jump from CART as Al Unser Jr. moved to the series full-time and Chip Ganassi Racing came over to run...
Billy Boat 91- Buddy Lazier Failed to qualify: 27-Niclas Jönsson and 92-JohnnyUnser Points leader Ray was the only championship eligible driver to finish...
March 22, Project Indy announced that JohnnyUnser would drive the No. 64 entry at Phoenix and Indianapolis. Unser had run five Indy Car races in 1993 and...
League. CART and IRL drivers Buddy Lazier, Jaques Lazier, Robby Unser, and JohnnyUnser found success in the AIS. The series was reborn with new management...
1996–2003; 2008 Chris Menninga 2001 Brad Murphey 1996–1997 Lyn St. James 1997 JohnnyUnser 1997–1999 Stan Wattles 2000–2001 Justin Grant 2017-present Austin Nemire...
most serious incident of the day involved JohnnyUnser, who crashed in turn 4. Damage was moderate, and Unser was not injured. Rain stopped the session...
Buick engine at Indianapolis and failed to qualify at Indianapolis. JohnnyUnser 7, 9, 11, 13 32 Éric Bachelart 4 Used the Buick engine at Indianapolis...
Solorzano Cameron Steele Danny Sullivan Mickey Thompson Jūgatsu Toi JohnnyUnser Jimmy Vasser Frank "Scoop" Vessels Gus Vildósola Tavo Vildósola Paul...
move placed JohnnyUnser (216.316 mph) now on the bubble. Claude Bourbonnais, Dan Drinan, and Lyn St. James all fell short of JohnnyUnser's speed, and...
683 mph, the fastest lap thus far for the month. Crashes were suffered by JohnnyUnser and Tony Stewart. Both drivers were uninjured. Greg Ray was back on top...
the series manager, while another two former drivers, Joel Miller and JohnnyUnser, were hired as race stewards. For the series' inaugural season, competitors...
Unser took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti finishing second. After the conclusion of the race, USAC officials ruled that Unser had...
(2003) Ricardo Sperafico (2005) Brian Till (1994) Paul Tracy (1991) JohnnyUnser (1993–1994) Michael Valiante (2005) Tristan Vautier (2015, 2017) Dennis...
Franck Freon. The team returned to the Indy 500 in 2000 with an entry for JohnnyUnser who started 30th and finished 22nd in the team's first Indy Racing League...
Johnny Rutherford qualified on the pole, with Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Rick Mears, and Tom Sneva making up the rest of the top five starters. Johnny Rutherford...
Global Information
American