History in the making source: indycar.com / Dave Lewandowski Al Unser Jr. was 3 years old when his father made a splash as an Indianapolis 500 rookie in an A.J. Foyt Racing car. A few years later, Unser made an impression on Foyt, when he intentionally splashed him in a muddy racetrack infield. Now, 40-plus removed, two of the most famous surnames in racing history are joining forces again. Unser, a two-time winner of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," will join A.J. Foyt Racing and its fulltime IndyCar Series driver, Darren Manning, for the 91st Indianapolis 500. Unser will tote a lot of history when the No. 50 Foyt Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone makes its qualifications attempt for the AAMCO Transmissions Pole Award on May 12. The No. 50 car is in recognition of Foyt's 50th anniversary in Indy car racing. The May 27 race will be Foyt's 50th in a row as a participant (four-time winner as driver and once as a team owner). Unser will be the 50th different driver to run for Foyt since he began owning race cars in 1965. It was that year that Al Unser made his 500-Mile Race debut in a Foyt car, qualifying 32nd on Bump Day and finishing ninth. The last of his four victories came in 1987, tying Foyt's record. "It's a real honor to be driving for A.J., especially during his 50th anniversary season, and especially at Indy," said Al Unser Jr., who turned 45 on April 19. "A.J. has so much history at the Speedway, and the Unsers are a part of that history. A.J. played a big role in getting my dad started at Indy in '65, so when A.J. called me to drive for him I felt honored and very proud. "He's been a hero of mine since I was a little boy. We're going to go out there and give it everything we got." Unser, who will seek to make his 19th start, qualified fifth in his rookie season but ran out of fuel late in the race and finished 10th. In addition to his victories in 1992 (Galles Racing) and '94 (Penske Racing), he has recorded five top-5 finishes.
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