Jerry Unser (born November 15, 1932 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA – died May 17, 1959 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana, USA) was an United States driver. He was killed while practicing for the 1959 Indianapolis 500.
Career[]
Before Formula One[]
Unser raced in USAC Stock Car and later became the 1957 1957 USAC Stock Car champion. He was the older brother of drivers Bobby and Al Unser.
1958[]
The first lap accident at the 1958 Indianapolis 500.
Unser competed in his first Formula One race in 1958 when he started the Indianapolis 500. He was unable to complete the race after being involved in a massive pile-up on the first lap and flipping over the outside wall. This is the same accident in which Pat O'Connor was fatally injured.
1959[]
Unser again entered into the 1959 Indianapolis 500, but would not be able to compete because of a fatal accident during practice.
Death[]
While practicing for the 1959 Indianapolis 500, Unser lost control of his car, causing it to spin and hit the wall in turn 4. The car was sent somersaulting down the front straight away and caught fire. Unser died of burns two weeks later in the hospital.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Pts. | WDC Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 |  Roy McKay
|
Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
| Sumar/Chapman S. Root
| ||||
| H. Duncan
|
Kurtis Kraft-DeSoto | |||
| 1959 | Helse/H.H. Johnson
|
Kuzma-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 2 |
| Starts | 1 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 0 |
| Distance Raced | 0 km (0 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pts | Pos | ||||||||||||
| 1958 | 
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||
| Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959 |
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||||
| DNQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]