Rear View: Al Unser's improbable fourth Indy win

The Vegas odds of Al Unser winning the 1987 Indianapolis 500 were off the charts, literally and figuratively, because the three-time winner had no ride during the first week of practice.

"It was the first time I'd ever come to Indy without a ride and I was just hanging around but it was boring, and I told myself if I didn't have a ride by a certain day then I was going back to Albuquerque," he recalled 30 years later. "And then Danny got hurt."

After Danny Ongais piled into the wall on May 7, the day before qualifying began, he suffered a concussion and was expected to be on the sidelines a few days but was ruled out of action six days later by the IMS medical staff.

So, like he did in 1985 when Rick Mears was recovering from his 1984 injuries, Roger Penske went to the bullpen and called in his ace reliever who had captured the '85 CART championship.

Of course they had to find Big Al a car and that required going to Reading, Pa. and pulling a year-old March off the floor of a motel where it was on display. And since there were no more new Chevrolets available in The Captain's stable, an old Cosworth was fitted into the No. 25 Cummins Special.

Unser qualified 20th and barely drew a second glance from anyone in Gasoline Alley because all eyes were on Mario Andretti and his Lola-Chevy. He'd won the pole position by two mph and nobody figured to have a chance.

Al's race was almost over before it started as Josele Garza (No. 55, pictured) spun right in front of him on the opening lap and somehow he avoided contact. "I had to decide whether to lock it up and spin or try and out-race him to the short chute, so I did and thankfully he missed me," he continued.

Andretti led 170 of the first 177 laps, owned a one-lap lead over second-place Roberto Guerrero and was two laps clear of Unser, whose usual pick 'em off one at a time pace had thrust him into third.

"I got my car working pretty good but let's not kid anyone, Mario had us all covered," he declared afterward.

• Rear View: Mario Andretti's 1987 Indy domination

But Andretti's ignition failed with 23 laps to go and that left Guerrero only one pit stop away from drinking the winner's milk before a faulty clutch caused the car to stall not once, but twice, and by the time he rejoined the action he was a lap behind Unser. The kid from Colombia who was so good so fast at Indianapolis roared back to unlap himself but was 4.4 seconds behind the old man at the checkered flag.

Big Al joined A.J. Foyt as a four-time winner and it easily one of the most improbable triumphs ever – but not because of the driver.

"It was the best one," he admitted after becoming the oldest (48) winner ever. "Not so much because it was #4 but because I was older and because of the crazy circumstances of the month.

"I still have trouble believing I won that one."