Jeremy Michael Unser Jr. (November 15, 1932 – May 17, 1959) was an American
racecar driver. He was the 1957
USAC Stock Car
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southe ...
champion.
Jerry was the first of the Unser family to compete at
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
. In his only start, in
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
, he was caught up in a 13-car pileup on the first lap and flew over the turn three wall, emerging unhurt. He died in a practice crash before the
1959 Indianapolis 500
The 43rd International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 30, 1959. The event was part of the 1959 USAC National Championship Trail and was also race 2 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Driv ...
, leaving behind a widow, Jeanne Unser, and two sons, Jerry and
Johnny Unser.
His brothers
Al and
Bobby and his nephew
Al Jr. have won the "500". His son
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John (given name), John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly ...
and nephew
Robby have also competed in the race.
Death
On May 2, 1959, on the second day of qualifying for the 1959 Indianapolis 500, Unser lost control of his car coming out of turn 4 on a practice lap. The car hit the wall after spinning, then went end over end down the front straightaway, leaving behind a trail of parts. The car burst into flames as a result. Track officials estimated his speed just before the accident to be about 133 mph. He was conscious during his rescue, yelling "My legs are on fire. Call my wife." Before he could be pulled from the vehicle, the fire had to be put out. Unser was taken to Methodist Hospital with a broken neck and 3rd degree burns over both legs and one arm. In critical condition, he suffered burns over 35 percent of his body, and was in a coma. Unser died from his injuries and pneumonia two weeks later on May 17, 1959. Following the accident, it became mandatory for drivers to wear fire-resistant driving suits. Most drivers already wore the suits, but some drivers at the time wore t-shirts.
Indianapolis 500 results
World Championship career summary
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Jerry Unser participated in 1 World Championship race but scored no World Championship points.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(
key) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
1932 births
1959 deaths
Indianapolis 500 drivers
Sportspeople from Colorado Springs, Colorado
Racing drivers from Colorado
Racing drivers who died while racing
Sports deaths in Indiana
Unser family
USAC Stock Car drivers
{{US-autoracing-bio-stub