Jeremy Michael Unser Jr. (November 15, 1932 – May 17, 1959) was an American

racecar driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

. He was the 1957 USAC

Stock Car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

champion. Jerry was the first of the Unser family to compete at Indianapolis. In his only start, in 1958, 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 Drivers ...

, leaving behind a widow, Jeanne Unser, and two sons, Jerry and

Johnny Unser Johnny Unser (born October 22, 1958) is a former race car driver. He is the son of open wheel driver Jerry Unser Jr., cousin of Al Unser Jr. and Robby Unser, nephew of Al Unser and Bobby Unser, and first cousin once removed of Alfred Unser. Un ...

. His brothers Al and

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

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, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varia ...

and nephew

Robby Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob or Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given name Robbie *Robbie Amell (born 19 ...

have also competed in the race.

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 Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

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.

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