Al Unser, an Indy car legend, beat the good ol` boys of stock car racing on their own track Friday in winning the first race of the 1986 International Race of Champions.
The annual four-race series matches stars from three branches of auto racing–NASCAR, Indy car and road racing–in identically prepared Z-28 Chevrolet Camaros.
Unser, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and the 1978 IROC champion, held off late challenges by NASCAR aces Cale Yarborough and Bill Elliott to take the checkered flag by a 40-foot margin over Yarborough.
Yarborough and Elliott, hanging second and third off the pace going into the 40th and final lap of the exciting 100-mile race, tried to slingshot past Unser in typical stock car style.
But Unser held his ground and blocked them out on the third and fourth turns, then sped to victory.
”They should penalize the stock car drivers one lap because they`re so familiar with this track,” Unser said with a laugh. ”I had to brush up on my drafting technique.”
Unser didn`t need drafting technique, but he needed all of his driving skills when Harry Gant`s car suddenly stopped on the track after his fuel pump quit. For a moment, Gant, who had led the first 30 laps after starting on the pole, was a hazard to other traffic.
”If Cale hadn`t held up his hand to warn me, there would have been some sheet metal flying,” said Unser, who was in close pursuit. ”When he held up his hand, I dove to the inside.”
Unser said he had no particular game plan on the last lap except to ”run the car wide open. I figured Cale and Bill had a trick or two up their sleeves, but I didn`t know what to do about it.”
”I wanted to set up a slingshot pass but I couldn`t get around Al,”
said Yarborough, who moved into second as Unser took over the lead on the 31st lap after Gant lost his fuel pump.
Road racers Hurley Haywood, Klaus Ludwig and Hans Stuck finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Stock car stars Darrell Waltrip and Gant were next in order, followed by Indy car star Rick Mears, who bounced off both walls on the 25th lap. He casually brought his car to a halt and climbed out, like a harried commuter on the Kennedy Expressway.
The remaining three drivers in the race–Jochen Mass, Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Rahal–were knocked out of the race in a multicar wreck on the fourth lap that started when Mass, coming out of Turn 4, went low trying to pass Haywood and spun.
Stuck and Waltrip then spun and Al Unser Jr. chose to go into the wall rather than hit Waltrip. Rahal, who was trailing, hit the slowing Unser.
”Everybody started spinning and I had no place to go,” Unser said. ”I had the choice between tagging Darrell in the rear or going for the wall, so I went for the wall.”
Mass broke his right shoulder blade and tore ligaments in his left leg. He was released from the hospital at his own request and flew back to West Germany.
