His Status as a Rookie in Off-Road Doesn’t Bother Indy Champion

The man wearing the Indy 500 championship ring, complete with an engraved checkered flag, sat at a table at Riverside International Raceway the other day and talked about being a rookie, about trying to break through three months after winning America’s biggest race for the fourth time.

Welcome to Al Unser’s latest challenge. He is one of the biggest names in auto racing but the 48-year-old driver from Albuquerque, N.M., hopes his initial run on the off-road circuit takes a turn for the better here this weekend in the Stroh’s SCORE World Championships.

For someone who isn’t used to being a face in the crowd, he doesn’t seem to mind the role. “It’s so different from the regular racing that I do that it’s an enjoyable change,” Unser said.

Enjoyable in the opportunity to drive off-road, not so enjoyable in the results. His has been a checkered first season in these races, which is not to be confused with that black and white flag. Two stadium events--at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., in March and at the Rose Bowl in May--resulted in mechanical problems in heats, denying him chances to race in the main events.

“The first time I ever saw one of these things (off-road cars), I said, ‘These guys are crazy,’ ” said Unser, who followed up his win at Indy by finishing second at the Michigan 500 and 15th last Sunday in the Pocono 500. “But the first time I ran one, I said, ‘This is fun.’

“It’s such a different type of racing that you have to adjust yourself to it. . . . You just don’t go out and show these guys around because that won’t happen.”

Unser has had success at Riverside, however, winning International Race of Champions titles in 1977 and ’78 and a Formula 5000 race. But this will be his first attempt on the specially constructed 1 1/2-mile off-road layout. Likewise for his son and Jeep teammate, Al Unser Jr.

Among the 32 classes that will run this weekend--they practice from 7-11 a.m. and start racing at noon today and Sunday--the Jeep Mini-Metal Challenge, for mini-pickups and small four-wheel-drive vehicles, is the most prominent, and not just because of the Unser-Unser team. These are the headliners in most every competition: Roger Mears and Spencer Low of Nissan, Ivan Stewart and Steve Millen of Toyota, Walker Evans of Dodge, Glenn Harris, Jeff Huber and Rod Millen of Mazda and Larry Ragland and Danny Thompson of Chevrolet.

Stewart, 41, of Lakeside, Calif., will be seeking his fourth title in five years. After winning three straight, one sponsor was so confident of No. 4 that he taped a $1,000 check to the hood of Stewart’s Toyota as a challenge to the other drivers.

Stewart’s engine blew on the fourth of eight laps, however, and Harris ran away with the race and the check. He used the money to pay a penalty fine he had incurred a few weeks earlier.

The other featured event is the Hungus Heavy-Metal Challenge, for 4,000-pound pickup trucks, unlimited production sedans and heavier four-wheel-drive trucks.

Don Adams, Curt LeDuc, Rod Hall, Frank Arciero Jr. and John and Mike Randall are the top four-wheelers. The pickup drivers include Steve Kelley, Dave Shoppe, Frank Vessels, Stan Gilbert, Randy Salmont and Evans. Wes Moser and Larry Schwacofer are the production car standouts.

Mears, who holds the record with 20 SCORE world championship wins at Riverside, is going after three titles this year, for Class 7 desert trucks, Class 1 single-seat buggies and the Mini-Metal Challenge. With Roger Mears Jr., entered in the Mini-Metal and Class 7, the Mears’ are one of three father-son participants, joining the Unsers and Bob and Rob Gordon.