IRL driver arrested again

UPDATE A lawyer for Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. entered a not guilty plea on Unser's behalf Wednesday to charges including driving under the influence in a January crash on a southern Nevada freeway. Unser, 45, of Henderson, did not appear in person before Justice of the Peace Stephen George, who set trial for July 11.

"There's a chance it might get resolved before that date," Unser's lawyer, Andrew Leavitt, said following the brief court hearing. Leavitt declined to address circumstances surrounding Unser's Jan. 25 arrest.

The Nevada Highway Patrol said Unser failed field sobriety tests before he was charged with driving under the influence, misdemeanor hit and run, failure to render aid in an accident and failure to report an accident. The patrol said Unser was driving a black Ford Excursion when it sideswiped a Mazda sedan that crashed into a cement median on the Las Vegas Beltway. AP Story

01/26/07 IRL driver Al Unser, Jr. is in trouble in Henderson, Nevada. NHP troopers charged him with DUI, hit and run, failure to help, failure to report, and unsafe lane change. Troopers say he hit a car with his SUV, and took off. A witness followed the SUV, and Henderson cops caught up with Unser, Jr. a block from his home. NHP gave him a field sobriety test and then arrested him. This is not the first time he has been in trouble with the law. He has had substance abuse problems for years. He is currently unemployed as a race car driver. KTNV News