30 Days in May: No. 21, Al Unser, 1977 American Racing Parnelli/Cosworth

Welcome to our monthlong countdown celebrating notable drivers and cars from the history of the Indianapolis 500!

 

Photo credit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Al Unser Sr. was consistently strong in the Indianapolis 500. In addition to his
record-tying four victories, he had 15 top 10 finishes in 27 starts.

30 Days in May: No. 21, Al Unser, 1977 American Racing Parnelli/Cosworth. 1977 was Al Unser’s last year with the Vel’s Parnelli Jones team, an association that dated back to 1969. (Unser missed Indianapolis that year after breaking a leg in a motorcycle mishap in the Speedway infield, then returned to win the next two 500s.)

As the 1970s wore on, VPJ faded somewhat, then began a bit of a renaissance as development on the then-new Cosworth engine started to pay off.

In 1975, Unser and teammate Mario Andretti practiced in a new chassis built for the Cosworth before opting for the proven Eagle/Offy combination. In 1976, Unser put the first Cosworth in the 500 , starting fourth and ending up seventh in the rain-shortened race.

In 1977, Unser did a little better, starting third and finishing third. For many drivers, such a result would be a career highlight, but for Unser at Indianapolis, it was just another day at the track. In addition to his record-tying four victories, Big Al had an additional SEVEN top-three finishes in 27 Indianapolis 500 starts!

Unser is the all-time lap leader in the 500 at 644, a record that could be in jeopardy this year. Scott Dixon is third at 563 – 81 behind - so it’s definitely within reach.

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