Atlantic
Unser returns for Road America, Montreal
'Just Al' Unser To Run Toyota Atlantic Events at Road America and Montreal with Brooks Associates Racing INDIANAPOLIS (August 3, 2004) -- Brooks Associates Racing announced today that Al Unser, son of legendary racer Al Unser Jr. and grandson ...
Published: Aug 5, 2004, 3:01 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
'Just Al' Unser To Run Toyota Atlantic Events at Road America and Montreal with Brooks Associates Racing
INDIANAPOLIS (August 3, 2004) -- Brooks Associates Racing announced today that Al Unser, son of legendary racer Al Unser Jr. and grandson of racing icon Al Unser, will compete for the team at two upcoming races in the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama.
Unser, who's come to be known as "Just Al," will test for the Brooks squad on Wednesday, August 4 at the 4.048-mile Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The 21-year-old native of Albuquerque, New Mexico will then pilot the #10 car during this weekend's Argent Mortgage Toyota Atlantic Championship of Road America, Round 9 of 12 on the 2004 Atlantic schedule. Unser will also drive for the Brooks team later this month at the Molson Indy Montreal Toyota Atlantic race, August 27-29, at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve road course.
Unser, who made his Toyota Atlantic debut in the season-opening race at Long Beach this year, will join teammate Tonis Kasemets (#6 Flexovit Abrasives/MK ind./TMI/Redline Oil) on the Brooks Associates Racing team this weekend as Kasemets returns to the track for his first action since Cleveland in July.
"Having an unexpected seat open mid-season, the discussions with Al and his family have just continued and it's really been more about balancing his schedule than 'when' he'd come on board. This move simply lets Al gain some experience in another formula," said team owner, John Brooks. "Clearly, this Road America deal is last minute, so our goals for Al will be a bit different. Learning the track, making the transition back into Atlantic and a solid run in preparation for Montreal is our focus. I need to recognize my team also for their incredible patience -- we've missed a couple races and it's been a bit hard on everyone and I appreciate their continued support and first class effort."
Unser has never competed on the legendary Road America track, but he remembers many of his father's Champ Car races on the circuit and he knows what he's in for.
"It's one of the toughest road courses around and it will be a brutal test for me," said Unser. "I'm looking forward to (running an Atlantic car). At my level of experience, I think this will help me grow immensely as a driver. I'm a racer and I want to race anything I can."
In 2002, Unser earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Skip Barber Western Racing Series and he also finished seventh in the Formula Dodge National Championship that year. He competed in the Barber Dodge Pro Series last season and earned four top-10 results as he finished 12th in the series championship. In his first try in an Atlantic car, he became involved in a Lap 1 accident that resulted in a finish of 21st for P-1 Racing at Long Beach this season. Unser has also run in four Infinity Pro Series events this year and has produced three third-place efforts and a pole position last weekend at Michigan.
"While Al is in the early stages of his career, we wanted to be sure to give him every opportunity in motorsports," said Shelly Unser, who is helping manage her son's career. "He ran in Atlantic at Long Beach, did some NASCAR minor series races, and is currently competing well in the Infiniti Pro Series. We've been talking to John Brooks for some time about putting Al back into an Atlantic car. The combination of running road course events and competing with a seasoned group of drivers in the Toyota Atlantic series will be a great experience for Al."
-ccws-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Road America: Round nine preview
Next article Road America: Josh Hunt preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Al Unser Sr.
The top Indy 500s ranked: Andretti, Foyt, Mears and more
IndyCar
IndyCar
The top Indy 500s ranked: Andretti, Foyt, Mears and more
Penske, Mears, Foyt, Parnelli Jones pay tribute to Al Unser
IndyCar
IndyCar
Penske, Mears, Foyt, Parnelli Jones pay tribute to Al Unser
Four-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Sr. dies aged 82
IndyCar
IndyCar
Four-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Sr. dies aged 82
Latest news
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Talladega II
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Talladega II
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Talladega Chase race
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
30 min
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Talladega Chase race
How will Kimi Antonelli become F1 world champion at Mexico GP?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
34 min
How will Kimi Antonelli become F1 world champion at Mexico GP?
Kyle Larson wins wild Talladega NASCAR Cup race after charging from 11th on final lap
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
51 min
Kyle Larson wins wild Talladega NASCAR Cup race after charging from 11th on final lap
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe