Al Unser Jr. Never Gets Into Race

Everything was going according to plan for the Chevrolet Spice team Sunday. The Camel Grand Prix of Greater San Diego was about 30 minutes old and a yellow flag came out.

Perfect, thought Chris Pook, president of Del Mar Race Management, which paid Al Unser Jr. to race at the fairgrounds for the first time.

Perfect, thought Unser, who immediately put on his helmet and readied to switch positions with teammate John (Jay) Cochran, whose contract provided that he begin the race.

All Cochran needed to do was reach the pit area and get out of the car. He never did.

The Chevy that Unser was getting ready to board crashed alongside Turn 5, where Ruggero Melgrati, driving a Ferrari Alba, ran Cochran into the wall after 26 minutes of racing.

Unser shrugged when he heard the news.

“I’m just awfully sorry for the Spice team and for Jay,” Unser said. “From what Jay said . . . there was nothing he could do. He was running conservatively and consistently.”

Cochran, who has never won a GT Prototype race, had a six-second lead when it happened. He knew the crowd of 37,000 came to watch Unser, not him.

“I feel sorry for Chris Pook and Al,” Cochran said. “The car was brilliant.

“Hopefully everyone will see what happened and that it wasn’t my fault.”

Cochran was on the inside of Melgrati, who turned left on the chicane and left Cochran without any options. Melgrati finished fifth in the race.

“He probably tried to pass me on the left; it’s neither one of our faults,” Melgrati said. “I’m just a Camel Lights driver and he’s a GTP driver, so he’s right and I’m wrong.”