INDY DIARIES: Know when to fold 'em

Over 99 runnings, the Indianapolis 500 has become the most famous event in motorsport. That iconic status is built on a bedrock of hundreds of small stories, and to celebrate the centennial race, RACER.com has asked some of the people who are part of Indy's fabric to share a few of those stories with us. Check back every day between now and race day for a new 'Indy Diary' entry.

Bobby Unser quit on top, wishes some of his rivals had done the same, knows exactly what Indianapolis did for him and wishes it could return to its old form.

"My eyesight was perfect, my reflexes were still good and I was just as fast as anybody but when I quit it was to spend time with my youngest son, Robby, because I had missed that with Bobby Jr.," explained the three-time Indy winner on why he retired after the 1981 season.

"I wish my brother, Mario and A.J. had done the same thing, because they all hung on too long and we all know it."

Asked why people still gravitate to himself and those heroes of the 1960s and 1970s, Unser replied: "I think it's because we had to drive those cars, shift the gears and it was dangerous. And we didn't have spec cars like today. We helped develop our cars back then and made things happen.

"Fans don't like spec race cars and we need IndyCars to look like race cars, not like something from outer space."

As the oldest Indy winner (47 just like brother Al was in 1987), Uncle Bobby made 19 starts, twice won the pole and is ninth on the all-time lap leaders list.

"Indianapolis in a lot of ways is my life," he reasoned. "If I'm not a poor man, and of course I'm not, it's all because of this place. If you didn't win Indy, you'd never be well known and it's just a big part of who I am."