Al Unser Jr. Enters Indy Vintage Race
The SVRA, America’s premier vintage racing organization, is creating a return to competition for veterans of the Indianapolis 500 with a 40 minute race of American muscle cars on the Speedway’s 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course on June 8. Unser joins Lyn St. James, Willy T. Ribbs and Mark Dismore as confirmed participants.
“I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to really racing again at Indy," said Unser, a two-time IndyCar champion and the winner of 34 IndyCar races including the 1992 and 1994 Indianapolis 500s. “Vintage racing is emerging on a whole new level as a wonderful sport and it’s the real deal when you are going up against the likes of Lyn, Willy T. and Diz. I can’t wait to see the fans – they’re the greatest in the world."
The cars for the Pro-Am will be 1967 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs of “Group 6," with an engine displacement limit of 355 cubic inches. The Indianapolis 500 veterans will be paired with amateur drivers, each taking a 20-minute stint. Five minutes will be allotted for driver change.
The Brickyard Invitational weekend will be the largest gathering of race cars ever assembled for competition in America. The SVRA has 11 groups of cars spanning 100 years of vintage machines and all will be in action at IMS. The exciting array of entries include exquisite examples of select pre-war machines, classic sports cars, Formula One and Le Mans prototypes as current as 2008.
The storied 2.5-mile oval will be utilized as well with exhibition runs by a wide variety of cars including several of the crowd-favorite 1950’s-vintage Indianapolis 500 roadsters. Race fans can enjoy every minute of the action by taking advantage of overnight camping inside the Speedway.
“It just doesn’t get any better for vintage racing than to have a superstar Hall of Fame driver like Al Unser Jr. race in an SVRA race," said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. “I am overwhelmed by the interest of Indy race fans as well as the drivers. We will be making some additional exciting announcements soon."