Bobby Unser

Related Biography: Racecar Driver Bobby Unser, Jr.

Bobby Unser, Jr. was the first son of Bobby Unser and Barbara Schumaker. Although he grew up in a racing family, Bobby, Jr. was not immediately interested in the sport. As a teenager he was more interested in drums than cars. He enjoyed racing motorcycles and snowmobiles and then eventually started racing go-karts. In 1976 Bobby, Jr. made his debut at the Pike's Peak Hill Climb with his father coaching him. Bobby, Jr. did not have the same kind of success as his father at Pike's Peak and in 1978 he even ran off the road. While Unser was supportive of his son, it was difficult for him to watch someone other than an Unser win that particular race.

Bobby Unser, Jr. was very conscious of his family's history at Pike's Peak and on the racing world in general. "I used to have these weird complexes that I had to do well because of the name," Bobby, Jr. wrote in The Bobby Unser Story. "My dad and uncle have won so much it makes it hard on me. It's a good name for a race driver to have but by the same token I don't want to ride on it." Bobby, Jr. won the Western World Sprint Car Championship in Arizona and also won the Toyota Father Son Championship twice with his father. However, Bobby, Jr. did not make a career of racing. In 1989 he started a stunt driving company called Unser Driving. He has also worked in real estate development and has done some commentating for ESPN. Bobby, Jr. resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife, two daughters, and son, Bobby Unser, III.