“When I was informed that Purdue had the first motorsports engineering program in America, I couldn’t think of a better place for Al to loan his name to a scholarship,” said Susan Unser, Al’s wife of 21 years.

Susan has worked with Purdue to establish the Al Unser, Sr. Legacy Scholarship. The scholarship gives a full ride to selected Purdue students enrolled in the country’s only accredited motorsports engineering degree program. “Hopefully these students will go on to be a part of motorsports, or airplanes, or snowmobiles, or speedboats,” Susan said. “Anything that had a motor was important to Al.”

An Incredible Legacy

Al Unser, Sr. grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a family of race car drivers. His first Indianapolis 500 victory came in 1970, and was followed by additional victories in 1971, 1978, and 1987. His brother Bobby won the race three times, and his son Al Unser Jr. won it twice.

Susan met Al after both had retired. “We met on a blind date, believe it or not,” she said. “I did not come from the motorsports world. But the first time he took me out on a snowmobile, we raced down a runway, and he asked me, ‘Are you OK?’ and I responded, ‘Is that as fast as you can go?’ That really sealed the deal!”

The Unsers traveled extensively, which showed Susan the extent of Al’s fame. “He had fans everywhere we went — from Argentina to Rwanda,” she remembered. “He was such a humble man, growing up on the mesas of New Mexico. But he was invited to the White House; he dined with lords and princesses; he rubbed shoulders with captains of industry and celebrities. He lived quite a life.”

"Big Al" Unser's face appears on the Borg-Warner Trophy four times. Susan wanted to continue Al's legacy by donating a scholarship in his name to deserving Purdue University motorsports engineering students. (Photo courtesy Susan Unser)

Boiler Up and Hammer Down

Purdue University’s racing pedigree is just as impressive. Boilermakers have been designing, building, and racing their own cars for decades. The Purdue Grand Prix go-kart race just finished its 67th running with more than . Engineering students have raced everything from single-seat dune buggies to mini-Formula cars, and even solar-powered electric vehicles that travel across the country without ever stopping to charge. Boilermaker alumni are found in the garages and pit boxes of NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, and many other competitions around the world.

“There is no better place for this program to be than the epicenter of the motorsports universe,” said Chris Finch, a Purdue mechanical engineering professor who has led the motorsports engineering program in Indianapolis since 2014 and has decades of experience as a race engineer in IndyCar and IMSA. “Graduates have a well-rounded understanding of what it takes to win races. They’re as comfortable working in the shop with their hands as they are behind a laptop.” 

In addition to the world-class engineering education Purdue is known for, motorsports engineering students have access to an extensive network of industry partners where they can gain real-world racing experience. “The curriculum is created with direct insight from industry professionals,” Finch said. “In fact, every American team in this year’s Indy 500 has at least one Boilermaker.”

The Al Unser, Sr. Legacy Scholarship coincides with Purdue’s program expanding into the Dallara Building, located just steps from the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Al Unser had so much success. During a recent visit, Susan Unser encouraged a group of her scholarship recipients to also think big. “I want to see one of you in the pit box with Roger [Penske],” she laughed, “one in the pit box with Chip [Ganassi], and one in the pit box with Michael [Andretti], and all of you going head-to-head to win the Indy 500!”

She continued: “I see this as being a really great future for Purdue, for my husband’s name, and for these young people to get into motorsports at a level they can be competitive.”

Susan Unser meets with Purdue motorsports engineering students at their headquarters in the Dallara Building in Speedway, Indiana. (Left to right) Aidan Ameis, Lily King, Susan Unser, and Cavan Cameron. (Purdue University photo/Jared Pike)

Writer: Jared Pike, jaredpike@purdue.edu, 765-496-0374