it’s my privilege today to introduce to
you one of the greatest drivers of all
time
a two-time Indy 500 champion
Al Unser jr. thank you so much for
taking the time to come out here and
spend some time with us my friend Tom
has I’ve always been a fan of speed you
know cops in LA can tell you you know I
have my license in trouble once the cops
in Albuquerque I have a problem with
that and my wife says I feel like I have
a record like I almost want to get a
speeding ticket in every state I go into
when we were in Tuscan Italy we’re
driving in and I come back and I said
wait a minute how do I have a ticket
from Italy so I have to go to Karma are
you kidding me so speed is a fascination
for me so to be able to sit with some
other like you who competed at the
highest level it is a privilege and an
honor so it’s good to have that and so
well I love your shirt too dude he was
great great for the mood yeah great for
them what I wanted I want to do I
figured you would like that if I put
this on like Tom told me Tom said Pat no
suit at a time you got to dress up
because the dress up is what you got to
wear some driving
clothes so so I listened to that but so
look I want to get right into it and my
questions are completely different than
maybe the typical interviews like and
maybe you have done so many interviews
that you’ve gotten all the questions but
what I’m curious about is okay here’s Al
Unser jr. you have the nickname of
little al you won you created your own
identity you know you you you went out
there and you did it as well you won
twice your Uncle Bobby won three times
your father the family’s one total eight
times so you’re in this family here what
I want to know is you know what was it
like being a 2 3 4 5 6 7 year old son in
that family was it all about racing was
it always thinking about the fascination
of speed like would dad come woman you
see how was Audrina I was a race you
know watching a video of that racing and
I’m curious about that part like how was
it for you seen your dad racing all the
time
was exactly like was it really that’s
what I figured I we were the family’s
been very competitive okay with my Uncle
Bobby and my dad being brothers okay and
so they were the first brothers to race
against each other at the Indy 500 in
that in their history and so they’ve
been very competitive their whole lives
and so no matter what it was they were
competitive on it I remember when I was
eight years old seven eight years old my
uncle Bobby had a Chevy pickup truck my
dad had a Ford pickup truck and they
live on the west side of Albuquerque
which on Central and there’s a big hill
they call it nine mile hill which starts
at the Rio Grande but they’re the last
mile okay last mile and a half of this
this big hill
so what they would do is to find out who
had the faster pickup truck line him up
out on sidwa and go up the hill that’s
who we got the two of them the two of
them and so when I was very young again
seven eight years old the offseason for
my dad my uncle Bobby’s the wintertime
okay cuz they raced in the summer so the
wintertime is the offseason and so they
they got places up in northern New
Mexico avid snowmobilers they got on
their snowmobiles and so who had the
fastest snowmobile I mean it just it
went on and on and on about about racing
so it didn’t matter what it was they
were racing it was it speed mainly
around speed or was there anything they
could compete or honestly anything okay
they go they go deer hunting and it was
who has the biggest deer or elk in flood
that competitive edge you know was there
the grandfather was there I think my
mother my grandpa
okay and then
I kind of think it was themselves you
know there’s four brothers drunk there’s
Jerry Louie Bobby and Al okay Jerry and
Louie were twins Uncle Bobby was a year
younger and then my dad was six years
younger than Uncle Bobby so there was a
gap there between and so the brothers
were just competitive and anything they
did they were competitive with wouldn’t
one’s racing as well or no oh yeah oh
yeah sure the whole family was race the
first unser to get ten Annapolis was my
uncle Jerry and I did that in 1958 in
1959 he was at the Indy 500 again during
practice he had a big accident ended up
getting burned really bad and then about
three months later he passed away in in
the hospital with pneumonia from from
the burns Wow
so the first unser to get to in
Annapolis actually gave his life to the
Speedway they did that at all the debt
at all cause I don’t know maybe your
grandmother to come in and say no more
racing that’s gotta stop my from what I
understand I’m not even born yet okay
but from what I understand my
grandmother came in and told the boys
all of them to follow your heart to go
if you don’t laughs it’s a big deal
don’t let his death stop you from your
dreams and so you know it didn’t stop
him at all they loved racing they wanted
to go to the the pinnacle in America
which is the Indy 500 and they did and
they and they became successful
so so when was the first time you drove
a car actual car but what how old were
you with for some you drove a car home
when I drove a car so curious yes we
have no idea which I want to know this
is Mike my dad owned a 24-hour wrecker
service okay in in Albuquerque
my grandpa was foreign auto repair shop
okay and so across the street he started
my dad in for an auto repair shop with a
24-hour wrecker service so the first car
actually drove was on my dad’s lap and
it was a wrecker and I was driving the
wrecker and I remember going through
this going through a corner now I’m
probably 5 years old and I didn’t have
the strength to turn the wheel so I
would stand up on the floorboard and get
on one side and bull that’s that so how
old are you at this time probably about
four or five six years old yeah four or
five or six years old how old were you
when he drove on your own no nobody
there with you oh gosh I started racing
go-karts when I was nine cousin so it
was a little bit before that I asked my
dad if I could get a car running in his
wrecking yard and he said sure you know
and he told me if you can get it running
you’re gonna get it running by yourself
if you can get it running then you can
drive it and so I went out and it was a
I picked out a tall 49 Chevy that that
straight six-cylinder that I got running
that’s great so so I visualized this you
tell me if I’m wrong like I visualize in
a regular family I’m 16 years old I come
home with my tail between my legs you
know I’m just kind of very disappointed
in Barris and I say mom dad I’m sorry to
say you know I got a speeding ticket and
mom and dad say you’re grounded you’re
in trouble I kind of visualize in your
family he came home and he said that I
got a speeding ticket your dad saying
son I’m so proud of you look like what
was it when you got your first speeding
ticket
are you kidding me why would you be
groundless girl so what was so it’s not
like recklessness it’s controlled but
speed is that not amazing so yeah I was
grounded I was curious about that I was
curious about that so then you start
racing and you know how much how much
pressure was there you know how
sometimes you know I have a friend whose
sons you know his father is a pastor and
not just a small paths are very very
very prominent pastor and so there is
that pressure of you know he’s the only
sound so are you gonna also end up
becoming a pastor and you know take the
rain over and you know do this and do
that how much of that was there on you
as a 13 14 15 year old kid you’re in
school elementary junior high school
high school how much of it wasn’t for
you to wear expectation was little I’ll
better go out there race was there is
that or was it more what your grandma
told the kids after Jerry’s death about
listen just follow your heart
what was that connection with you it was
it was a lot like what my grandmother
had told my father and his brothers my
dad really did it in a way that that I
wanted to race I and so I had to work
hard to go go kart I had to bring home
good grades in school I had to be good I
mean I had to follow the rules not just
in racing but in life itself and so he
just did it in a way and the reason why
I know this is because I never felt any
pressure to go out and perform okay
I I had a really fast go-kart because my
dad made it fast okay now and I say I
had to work on my go-kart what he would
the only thing I was really allowed to
do was keep it clean okay that’s what I
had that was my job I had to clean it up
after the race and that sort of stuff
but my dad really is the one that that
made it handle made it go fast he worked
with me on on my racing line you know
and and and that sort of stuff and and
so when we would actually go race I
would win and so winning is fun you know
and so that I wanted to do it more and
more and more
and so yeah and so then actually it was
when I went from a go-kart to a sprint
car and a sprint car is a is a it’s a
real automobile it has a small-block
Chevy in it 400 cubic inch it produces
between six and eight hundred horsepower
and races on the dirt on little ovals
quarter miles and half miles six to
eight hundred and yeah yeah oh you are
chilly not very fast they probably run
just a little over or honoured maybe
definitely no more than 130 on because
the tracks are so small God okay and
it’s on the dirt and so when I that’s
when I went from being a kid to being a
grown-up it happened to me overnight
okay and so that was when I went
professionally it’s turned professional
hmm and I was 16 years old
and so that put me in front of the press
okay and so the press there in
Albuquerque they were starting to ask
those questions that you just asked do
you feel pressure to outrun your dad
and I kinda was gone oh you know and and
I think my dad kind of saw it in me that
that I really didn’t know how to answer
that
and so my dad saw it right away right
away and so he he took me after one of
the first ever press conferences I ever
get when we got home that night he goes
he took me aside and he goes Ali goes
look I don’t care what you do for a
living you can be a doctor a lawyer
whatever I don’t care what you do the
only thing I care about is that you try
your best at whatever you’re gonna do
before the interview already said it’s
after the after that interview he saw
what was going on with the pressure and
so once he said those words to me I went
yeah okay he doesn’t care what I want a
race and so he doesn’t care what I do as
long as I try my best so what I’m gonna
do is I’m gonna try my best
that’ll make my dad happy and go racing
and so I never felt any pressure to from
the outside world hmm
to be better or the same as my Uncle
Bobby or my dad or anything like that
that people try to pin you against each
other or no media cuz media is gonna try
to do that absolutely the media tried to
compare our records and they still do
today okay
compare the records of so how do you add
a bad loves it because he hit he’s got
four indie wins easy competitive about
it are you kidding just a couple of
interesting to me just a couple years
ago we were doing an interview together
and one of the guys said so who’s the
better driver and my dad goes well I am
of course I’ve got four wins and he’s
that’s so because I figured media’s
gonna try to figure out a way to do that
and sometimes that creates a certain
level of division between a father son
and others that father-son riff that
explosion I know in my heart my dad
loves me
more than more than anything in this
world my and my two sisters you know his
his children and unfortunately my two
sisters there they passed on but but my
dad he loves me no matter what I do he
loves me at the end of the day unreal so
you know how in horse horse races I’m a
big Kentucky Derby fan there is some
fascination I don’t know there’s ever
been
you got a glove together it’s one of
those things the American tradition I
would say fourth of July you got to be
in DC one time it’s unreal million
people show up right in front of Lincoln
Memorial you see it a couple million
dollars of fireworks you get emotional
because it’s you know the country yes
it’s just very emotional another one is
Derby the last race a hundred fifty
thousand people cheering again there’s
some special about that right so in
horse races they breed you know Derby
champions for instance right in in
baseball I would figure you know a Ken
Griffey senior son ken griffey jr. you
know that that takes place you know you
figure out a league is four that’s
that’s what Little League auntie sofa in
in football Archie Manning you
you know the rest Payton and you got Eli
and younger brother so was there any
like what is the breeding process of
racing like is there a breed because
like I guess you say go kart and he said
sprint so is that really the the start
off I say my kid like speed let me have
him do go car so how does that start
absolutely absolutely is that exactly
how does with the go car first with the
go fish
absolutely the go kart is it’s a machine
that has super quick steering and so
even if you go to these local rental
go-karts and you and you you do it you
know there’s plenty there’s lots of
indoor places now and and all that kind
of stuff across the country yes they’re
there they’re real precise there you
have to be really smooth you have to
keep up the momentum in the corners and
all that kind of stuff you have to learn
how to brake and throttle with both feet
okay and so it’s it definitely is a the
perfect starter for for kids I started
when I was nine my cousin Robbie he
started when he was seven okay and and
so yes today’s stars Danica Patrick
Sam Hornish a Leo Castroneves all of the
all of the the of today’s stars
definitely started in go-karts when they
were younger
now I think because the go karts are of
almost a new age okay when I say new age
my generation okay
Michael Andretti and myself
we’re really the first race car drivers
to be bred as race car drivers hmm
you know because back in the 50s and 60s
race car drivers that raced at the Indy
500 were considered Daredevils they were
considered crazy men 50s in the 50s and
60s that’s right and then in the 70s you
know also but the cars started getting
safer in the 70s you know there was in
the in the 50s and 60s even in Formula
one speaking with Emerson Emerson
Fittipaldi is a really good friend of
mine and he came over to Indy and he
told me about em flying because I was
real curious it’s an interesting guy
Emerson’s a awesome very interesting yet
the youngest Formula one champion ever
you know now today I think maybe Lewis
Hamilton or something is is he still a
big smack talker a little bit watch some
of the videos I mean he’s just non-stop
yeah he’s a good guy really he used to
get on Senna’s a you know nerves right
at one point you know they’d they had a
little bit of a act actually they were
extremely close friends Emerson and
they’re behind behind the camera behind
Chloe that’s right god they were really
close friends yeah yeah so so anyway
back in the 70s I mean we were the we
were I feel the first generation to
really be bred has and now they they’ve
done it ever since you know as
generations have come to today
yeah all your all your most successful
racecar drivers today I would say even
Lewis Hamilton started in a go-kart and
raced go-karts
even he did yeah show your opinion this
is just you know just curious you know
what you’re gonna send what you’re
saying
aside from the unser family in your
opinion top three greatest drivers of
all time
who would you say ah three greatest gosh
this is like a bar conversation you know
I would instantly go to okay
there’s disciplines in racing okay so
when I mean by disciplines in racing you
have sprint cars you have stock cars
turn you have rally cars you have your
single-seat open wheel cars which is the
Indy 500 and Formula One okay and so
Formula One I would say hands down
Ayrton and Michael Schumacher hands down
and hands down now is there is like one
one eight or one ahead of the other one
they’re both just I knew is right there
yeah shot of a hundred race you would
put him split 50-50 absolutely you
wouldn’t say fifty one forty nine sent
over Schumacher Schumacher Brazil Wow
absolutely not I mean and really the
reason why I say this is because in the
80s when I was at in Annapolis and I’m
looking at Formula One Alain Prost if it
was to the top mm-hmm you know the
professor he he was methodical he’d he’d
you know in super fast rather he was in
a new Renault or McLaren whatever team
he went to he was fast period and then
came along Arrington
and you know Ayrton and Elaine there
were teammates and they got it on
together and and then it was Arrington
and then Michael came along and what I
really paid attention to is is when it
rained in the rain that is the great
equalizer of equipment of the car you’re
driving okay that’s the great equalizer
because it takes it takes away their
their handling what do you mean by the
car meaning it’s not the drivers to car
or it’s the driver not the car in the
rain it’s the driver not the car got it
in the dry it’s the car more so than the
driver while in the dry and that’s where
sena excel when it rained
you had Ayrton and Michael just go over
here in a different world from the rest
of the food absolutely you know it so in
stock cars in NASCAR in America Dale
senior without a doubt he was he was the
best they went out there and the reason
why I say this is because I never really
only ran one NASCAR race okay but I ran
a lot of I rock races and when I would
come and I’d race the IROC car it was
pretty much Dale senior and I racing
against each other and the best play
that the the only place that was safe
was right behind Dale okay if you were
in front of Dale he’s gonna bump you
then all hell’s gonna unless you
can get far enough away if you can get
part of a way then and he couldn’t reach
you did he have that absolute reputation
that that’s gonna happen if he’s behind
you just charges he just got he’s he’s
you know it’s that it’s
mentality of what I believe all the
greats have you know I have to win it’s
not I need to win or you know maybe
today I’m not going to because I’m not
feeling well or the car is not doing
that well I does not matter if it’s
raining if it’s sunny if the car is good
if the car is not good I have to win let
me ask you so when you when you guys are
racing with these guys so there’s one as
the skill set right one part is the
skill set okay so if we have the skill
set aside from the skill set when you
when you met them after a race when you
met them in a meeting at an awards
ceremony what you guys are mingling
together all the time right when you met
them who was the one personality that I
mean you just saw him you’re like this
guy has the killer instinct he’s so
focused it’s unbelievable where no one
can distract whose personality and
absolute focused determination was at a
complete level than everybody else I’m
not talking skill and recklessness maybe
Senna you know who’s the gentleman that
interviewed him that said you too
reckless you get into too many accidents
what was his name
uh Jackie Stewart in the interview the
famous Jackie Stewart interview with
Santa but whose personality was I am
determined when I met that guy I looked
at his eyes I know that guy’s gonna win
who was that guy well I I never had the
gift to meet irritants and I never did
meet him and so I only met Michael
Schumacher at a function over in Europe
one evening and so excuse me there was a
lot of people around and so it was a
handshake and and that was about it you
know
but the the one person and I have to
take I I’m gonna save my Uncle Bobby
okay he’s just driven just just driven
on anything just driven and my dad’s
right there – okay just not as not as
determined as my Uncle Bobby but very
determined okay even though he won one
more than Bobby Bobby was more oh yeah
with well with anything okay my Uncle
Bobby you never let anyone do his taxes
he wants to beat the IRS no matter what
okay
my dad he had somebody that’s a
professional did not my own father
he’s got he wants to bury the government
he’s he’s in competition with okay but
okay you take those two out and it would
be Mario Andretti Mario Andretti
no matter where you’re at you could be
at his home you could be any anywhere at
the racetrack at a function
Mario is focused he’s determined he
never breaks never breaks so as an
entrepreneur anybody who starts a
business there is a risk of losing
everything I’m talking savings your 401k
your house you refinance the money out
of your house all your credit you could
be either here or you could be here and
you lose ten more years hypothetically
that happens a lot to entrepreneurs for
everyone incredible story we hear
there’s a graveyard of thousands of
people that failed miserably right how
did you how did you deal with the risk
of here you are going 180 to 220 230
miles an hour and you hear stories of
you know your uncle you hear stories of
sena 94 you hear stories of how does a
how do you stay focus and not have the
creative imagination of your mind take
you to a place of be careful understand
I know you brace timid and then
something happens you go over a bump or
how do you deal with that risk in your
own mind it’s it’s real simple I love
what I’m doing I just love driving cars
developing cars sure I I knew the risk
you know my uncle I you know I drove
through that there was one year there
was an accident in practice and I was
coming down the front straightaway at
Indy and I’m really trying to get my car
working and and so I’m really trying and
right as I turn into turn one I see this
puff of white smoke out of my corner of
my eye which is around the corner on the
on the racetrack mm-hmm and so I get out
of the throttle and I come around there
I’m still running 200 okay and there’s
pieces everywhere on the track this this
car it just disintegrated right in and
so now I’m driving through trying not to
run over any pieces because I don’t want
to get involved in the round okay it
happened to be a driver by the name of
Jovi Marcelo he lost his life in that
way in that rack in that wreck he lost
his life so I drove through that you
know and it didn’t really I didn’t know
that he was
that he had lost his life right then you
know I what happened with me as I ran
over some pieces and I brought it back
into the pits and and we’re sitting
there and you know I told my crew I’ve
run over some pieces look over the car
one of the mechanics pops up and says oh
we’ve got a hole in the radiator because
it was leaking fluid there’s a hole in
the radiator radiator and and I was mad
I was I just instantly went well you
know because now I gotta get out I got
to go back I got to change the radiator
it’s gonna cost me time on the track
because not knowing the severity of
what’s going on out on the racetrack you
know they’re gonna take a few minutes
they’re gonna clean up the racetrack and
we’ll be practicing again well that
wasn’t the case for me
I had to go back to the garage and
change the radiator and you know I’m
down for an hour or so okay so ended up
Joey Marcello lost his life right then
and so that evening you know this really
played on me you remember this movie the
absolutely you know and going wow how
could I be so coarse
how could I be just so-so no feeling you
know but the reason why is because I
want to succeed
okay and now once I found out that he
had lost his life then you know that the
empathy really hit me
you know I was very very sad because he
was a very personal young man but it’s
what we do it’s what we do and and jovi
Marcello was doing what he loved to do
when he asked and so with that you know
we all know every driver that puts his
helmet on and gets in the car
understands the risk and you know thank
God that the technology of the cars have
gotten so much better than they were in
the 50s and 60s or in the 50s and 60s
one out of seven died in a year
okay so emerson fittipaldi he knows this
all too well in the 60s and 70s day
racing cars was extremely dangerous
extremely dangerous and so we did seven
one out of seven so if there’s 20 guys
and 21 guys in a race three of them
weren’t gonna see the end of that year
and so it’s what we’d love to do and so
we understood the risks and so you go
and you do everything you can that you
can prepare for to keep it safe to to
not have the risks of bankruptcy and
when you be in the entrepreneur you know
you you know you everything that you can
control okay and then what you can’t
control
you know that’s that’s up to God and and
and so you know you got to give that to
go ahead and and have faith that he has
your back
that things are gonna gonna be for a
reason you know that if you do if you do
fail or things don’t work out the way
that you wanted them to mmm
nine times out of ten or ten times out
of ten
there’s a reason why and so you know I
go back to that that saying you know
when one door closes another one opens
up and you have to believe in that in it
and there may be some time between there
you know to to understand this kind of
stuff but it eventually will and so yeah
just with faith the big part of that
when you were racing even when you were
racing with me faith was a very because
faith was a big part of Senna when when
he talks about how he was Li that took
the load off a little bit of the risk of
what could happen mm-hmm is that kind of
what it was camp said it several times
now you got to kind of leave it to God
you’ve said that four times now you do
so faith was a big part of it they
aren’t interesting so so okay so here’s
here’s the other part that I’m really
curious because you know I’ll sit there
and I’ll talk to the young guys in our
company okay and sometimes the leaders
in a company will see me the final
product and they’ll say oh my gosh you
know Patrick you know you must be this
and you must be that and I say no let me
take will mistakes that man I used to
party very hard I used to do this I used
to do that I used to do this I think
sometimes they see the final product and
they think the final product has to be a
perfect product right and they don’t see
the fact that we’re all humans and we’re
all gonna do certain things actly I mean
in the Army I I used to do things that
if they showed on a video right now it
so I guess my question would be so you
have all this limelight there’s all this
pressure there’s all this you know cover
up newspaper magazine girls you know
power attention money
accolades all of that comes how do you
hold it together how do you hold it
together to save your sanity how do you
hold it together to not either let it
get you or not because too often you see
it so many times that we’re going
through it we’re going to listen it
seems like every single time it’s either
we need to go through fall because it’s
needed for us to go through it but what
would you say for yourself when you’re
going through it how do you make sure
that you don’t let a lot of this
limelight and the victories get your
head when you’re going through that
somebody’s as an entrepreneur someone’s
used to making 40 grandeur next thing
you know their business starts doing
very well they’re making eight hundred a
year so how do you how do you still stay
grounded how do you do that you just you
just said it to to remain grounded and
and and how you do that is not
forgetting where you came from you know
that that’s I think that’s one of the
key things having good partners and in
your life having you know myself I had a
wonderful wife I have four beautiful
children you know when I was 20 years
old is when my first born was was born
okay and so eight I called him little
out he’s little out to me he’s he’s al
the third to the world the press and so
you know going out and driving race cars
and then coming home and
changing diapers and and you know living
life okay and with a baby and that sort
of thing was was I think real key that
kept me grounded you know that sort of
stuff and and then you know for for me
racing you know all’s I had to do was go
to the next race and in the first
practice session I’m ten twelve fifteen
you know and it seemed like whenever
whenever I started thinking that I was
really good you know
the very next race
I was I was shown that I wasn’t that
interesting you know kind of things
there’s a constant reminder that stay
humble someone’s better than you
remember that I raced over 300 IndyCar
races and I won 34 okay so one out of
ten it’s you know there’s a lot of hard
work and you always had to be thinking
about it you know it’s it my industry
because change happens so fast and you
know success happened very quickly but
failure happened even quicker okay and
so you really had to stay on your toes
and you really had to think about it all
the time kind of thing and so you know
with with being an entrepreneur you know
I would I would say that you never know
what’s around the corner
you know and and so same as me as a
racecar driver I never knew you know if
we were gonna win the race or not but
the thing to do is go out there and do
your best
that day and and then go to the next you
know and as long as you tried your best
then the best will come to you and so
you know it may not happen right away
like when in the Indy 500 for me it was
my tenth year that I won the race it’s a
very good point and I had cars that
could do it my second year my actually
my rookie year I had a really fast car
that day I just didn’t have the
experience to make it a winner as a
driver I died ended up I had a flat tire
we were running really good I was
probably running about fourth or fifth
something like that and I had a right
rear tire go go down slowly okay and it
almost put me in the wall and so I came
in the pads they changed the tire it’s
scared that you know what out of me okay
and so they change the tire because I
didn’t know speed what what’s your speed
up everyone running over 200 okay
and I did everything I thought I was
gonna hit the wall and I did everything
just barely missed and I come in change
tires it took me almost almost the whole
race to get back up to speed again to
have the confidence in myself and the
car that it’s gonna stick but it’s gonna
you know and so it was a big learning
thing for me because you know really
failure slapped me right in the face
and I didn’t really know how to respond
and so but I stayed out there and I
stayed trying and I and I took my steps
real slow and
within a half an hour or 45 minutes of
being out there I started getting my
confidence back in the car in my in my
team and so you know that’s a large part
of it you know as is you know staying
grounded remember where you came from
remember those those times that were
hard when when you’re successful to
remember those times they were hard and
and to never let that go and then you
know just to keep trying yesterday we
were with a friend Robert Greene who
wrote the book 40 laws of power and he
said the only way to get out of a
problem is to go through it he said
Hannibal said that one time so that that
kind of reminds me of that because
you’re saying you were driving in your
have some fears whether the tires gonna
stick when I still got to get through it
and the 30 minute steady the confidence
is back up it didn’t come right away
that’s the thing so yeah let me ask you
this let me ask you this you know how
sometimes behind closed doors when
somebody ends up becoming a big achiever
there is a chip on the shoulder that I
have to prove this person wrong or there
is somebody that believes in me right
orders both and we got the chip and we
got somebody believes how was the
conversation with you and your father or
your Uncle Bobby how was the
conversations coming up the ranks like
when you’re coming up was it more you
know how you can do this how you can win
the Indy owl you’re doing a good job al
you’re getting better I’ll try to do
this I’ll think about doing this part
out was it a lot of feedback constantly
being given to you was it somebody
injecting belief in you how was that
part behind closed doors behind the
camera Pat I was really lucky gifted
because I had my Uncle Bobby who was all
about you should have done this better
you should have done that bad sounds
like he would what are you doing you
know you need to do this you need to do
that and then I had my
father who was going you did good you
did good you need to maybe tried this
maybe you know but it’s okay it’s it’s
you know you did a great job
Wow we’re gonna we’re gonna just go to
the next race and and you’ll learn some
more and and that sort of thing so so I
had to opposites that was you know the
the one just driving you in just da da
da you got a do you have to do this and
on my dad it was why don’t you try this
and see if that works out for you
it’s that that amazing so you had the
best of both worlds so they had so the
feedback and the criticism you had so
much you hear someone way Brett Farr was
playing for it was who was green based
coach when he was playing for them it
was Hogan ISM and then they would say
they had a problem together but he had
the quarterback coach window to be
coming to visit Mariucci
who was the one that was a QB coach and
you know he would have somebody that
Mariucci was like your father and Mike
was like your uncle and it made Brett
Farr who he became as that and you hear
that a lot with a lot of places it’s
almost like a winning formula you need
though you need there’s somebody that is
for me is that what interest is honestly
my Uncle Bobby
his whole mindset was the cars weren’t
very reliable in their careers okay and
my dad’s and my uncle’s generation the
cars would they were lucky if they went
500 miles okay for mechanical okay so
uncle Bobby’s mindset was if the car is
gonna break I’m gonna be leading the
race
so my Uncle Bobby qualified out
qualified my dad a lot he was he’s he’s
in the record books as being on the
front row at Indy more times than
anybody my Uncle Bobby my Uncle Bobby
wants to lead that first lap he wants to
lead
from lover slap to the last my father on
the other hand was the kind of person
that said I want to work my way into
leading the last lap because that’s the
lap that you want to lead because that’s
the winner of the race and so I don’t
have to be out there leading okay now
the the whole curve in this whole
situation at the Indy 500
my dad has led more laps at the Indy 500
than anyone in history know and number
two is Ralph de palma who raced in the
20s okay so my dad he drilled in me okay
you only lead the race if it’s easy if
it’s easy to lead the race then lead it
you know but don’t don’t risk everything
to lead the race and my Uncle Bobby
would risk everything to lead the race
so would it be like a Senna and Prost it
seems like you yeah a lot it seems a lot
of similarity there with the personality
yeah my Uncle Bobby I’m telling you he’s
driven
no matter what he does so so okay so
here’s the last thing and then so okay
you you know it doesn’t matter what the
world where a basketball football sports
a pasture run ago you know fifty
thousand member church a great CEO like
Jeff Bezos building an incredible
conglomerate somebody like you when in
the Indy 500 twice at the highest level
when the greatest race car drivers of
all time you when you see all of it if
you were to put things into three things
okay when there’s 50 different things
it’s unfair question sometime because
there’s so many different moving parts
to getting to the highest level I’m not
talking about just make it into the
arena so you know the 8020 rule you know
80% of the go car drivers will never
make it to the Sprint so the Sprint 80%
so don’t make it to next level and then
you know out of the 80% that make it to
the highest level never ever even win a
race the 20% that do only 20% win
you’ve gone another 20 of the 20 of the
20 of the 20 of the 20 you’re in this
small little very minimal category of
people that have wanted to multiple
times we’re not talking a lot of people
so there’s you know a hundred and
thirteen billion people born only a
handful of people have wanted multiple
times in 95 when you’re sitting right
here okay so three things to make it at
the highest level in any endeavor
what would you say those three things
are the first thing I would say is faith
believing in a higher power that that
controls what you can’t control you know
I would say that that’s number one
number two would be never forget where
you came from because we’ve all been
little boys at they have gotten in
trouble and you know half the parents
come to you and say you know did you do
this and and it was bad and of course
well me I lied then I got in more
trouble because I lied but never never
forget where you came from and then
honestly to to have the confidence in
yourself that you can go out and and you
can become whatever you want to be and
so you know with that is being grounded
you know having a
firm foundation and that goes back to
faith and so on and and and and good
partnerships you know a wonderful
wonderful wife rather vide male a female
doesn’t matter you your life partner
that that you both are pulling in the
same direction I think is is you know
they don’t give that enough credit you
know
because being alone is not not the way
so interesting so faith was one faith is
yep the highest one is what you say
Athens the hinds second one was ground
reminding yourself a world war you were
you know why you don’t forget where we
came from China
yeah and then three being humble being
humble and then three was grounded being
grounded and yeah you know having
confidence in yourself you know that
there you can do this where does that
confidence come from I think it comes
from having faith goes back to faith you
know what was your work schedule life I
guess that would be something around
that area was the work schedule Twitter
driving was at a lot of hours and to
getting to that point was it studying
was it studying or cracked for myself um
actually it was it was it was constantly
thinking about how to be better how to
be better and it wasn’t it wasn’t work
to me I didn’t see it as work I never
felt driving race cars was work I was so
fortunate that
what I’d love to do my calling was they
actually paid me money I was I was so
fortunate that I could do that 24/7 and
and so on and I was just very fortunate
in my life and then so I was always
thinking about racing I was always
thinking about how do I make my car
better how do I make my engine run
better how do I Drive the track better
how do I relate what the cars doing to
my engineer better how can I you know
explain to him what’s going on and with
the engine and the you know whatever
obstacles that were thrown at us because
every day there’s a different obstacle
one day it could be the fact that the
engines not cooling well had that
happened because yesterday it was
cooling today it’s not cooling what’s
that about well get in there and don’t
worry about the fact that it was
yesterday it was that was yesterday
today it’s not cooling so let’s let’s
get into why why is it not cooling and
let’s get it fixed and let’s get back
out on the track and so sort of details
and matters at that level absolutely
details are are huge huge unbelieving at
any level I would say any level you know
I just I just came from from a Penske
dinner he’s fifty years in in racing and
the the words you know the Rogers had so
many people partners people work for him
with him and they were in or you know
that they were asking these people in
one word describe Roger you know and the
one word that just kept popping up was
integrity
integrity kept popping up and in and
that’s what Roger is and and so you know
I got to thinking about that an
integrity there’s a lot that goes along
with that word you know forgiveness if
if somebody does you wrong in the in the
in in whatever world somebody does you
wrong
it takes a lot of integrity to forgive
that person and to move on you know and
and so he just he’s just it oozes out of
him is you know that the integrity in
and then he got up and started talking
in and attention to detail was one of
the things that Roger said the other
evening and and and which is true I
watched this man I mean he he is into
everything and wants to know is very
curious a lot like yourself Pat very
curious on on what makes this this way
and what makes that that way and and why
okay and then even to a point where you
know I’ve watched him walk up to the
race car one day and he’s looking at the
back end of it and he goes you know we
need some heat shielding here because
the exhaust is coming right out on this
axle and the suspension piece and if it
gets too hot it’s gonna make it weak and
so we needed some each yielding one
right here you know as long so that’s
the way Roger is with anything he does
in business I mean its its attention to
detail and noticing if if some1 one of
his partners employees is having an
issue or having a problem he he’ll come
up and go are you okay is you know is
there anything on your mind what would
you you know what’s going on in your
life and and so that he gets that it and
and you can trust Roger and and so I
integrity you know when when when
somebody can trust you you have
integrity and because you that Trust is
not just given its it’s earned well I
can sit here for a couple more hours
just I’m literally fascinated I am but I
know you have another event you have an
event to go to them with the 1500 or
awards and I appreciate you doing that
with Tom that’s kind of been fun but
thank you so much for taking the time to
just come to the suite here and have a
good chat here and and I know a lot of
the entrepreneurs that are watching this
you know there’s so many similarities
between what you did and what level you
got to and where they’re at so again
thanks for something thank you so much
for your time I appreciate your time definitely thank you
you one of the greatest drivers of all
time
a two-time Indy 500 champion
Al Unser jr. thank you so much for
taking the time to come out here and
spend some time with us my friend Tom
has I’ve always been a fan of speed you
know cops in LA can tell you you know I
have my license in trouble once the cops
in Albuquerque I have a problem with
that and my wife says I feel like I have
a record like I almost want to get a
speeding ticket in every state I go into
when we were in Tuscan Italy we’re
driving in and I come back and I said
wait a minute how do I have a ticket
from Italy so I have to go to Karma are
you kidding me so speed is a fascination
for me so to be able to sit with some
other like you who competed at the
highest level it is a privilege and an
honor so it’s good to have that and so
well I love your shirt too dude he was
great great for the mood yeah great for
them what I wanted I want to do I
figured you would like that if I put
this on like Tom told me Tom said Pat no
suit at a time you got to dress up
because the dress up is what you got to
wear some driving
clothes so so I listened to that but so
look I want to get right into it and my
questions are completely different than
maybe the typical interviews like and
maybe you have done so many interviews
that you’ve gotten all the questions but
what I’m curious about is okay here’s Al
Unser jr. you have the nickname of
little al you won you created your own
identity you know you you you went out
there and you did it as well you won
twice your Uncle Bobby won three times
your father the family’s one total eight
times so you’re in this family here what
I want to know is you know what was it
like being a 2 3 4 5 6 7 year old son in
that family was it all about racing was
it always thinking about the fascination
of speed like would dad come woman you
see how was Audrina I was a race you
know watching a video of that racing and
I’m curious about that part like how was
it for you seen your dad racing all the
time
was exactly like was it really that’s
what I figured I we were the family’s
been very competitive okay with my Uncle
Bobby and my dad being brothers okay and
so they were the first brothers to race
against each other at the Indy 500 in
that in their history and so they’ve
been very competitive their whole lives
and so no matter what it was they were
competitive on it I remember when I was
eight years old seven eight years old my
uncle Bobby had a Chevy pickup truck my
dad had a Ford pickup truck and they
live on the west side of Albuquerque
which on Central and there’s a big hill
they call it nine mile hill which starts
at the Rio Grande but they’re the last
mile okay last mile and a half of this
this big hill
so what they would do is to find out who
had the faster pickup truck line him up
out on sidwa and go up the hill that’s
who we got the two of them the two of
them and so when I was very young again
seven eight years old the offseason for
my dad my uncle Bobby’s the wintertime
okay cuz they raced in the summer so the
wintertime is the offseason and so they
they got places up in northern New
Mexico avid snowmobilers they got on
their snowmobiles and so who had the
fastest snowmobile I mean it just it
went on and on and on about about racing
so it didn’t matter what it was they
were racing it was it speed mainly
around speed or was there anything they
could compete or honestly anything okay
they go they go deer hunting and it was
who has the biggest deer or elk in flood
that competitive edge you know was there
the grandfather was there I think my
mother my grandpa
okay and then
I kind of think it was themselves you
know there’s four brothers drunk there’s
Jerry Louie Bobby and Al okay Jerry and
Louie were twins Uncle Bobby was a year
younger and then my dad was six years
younger than Uncle Bobby so there was a
gap there between and so the brothers
were just competitive and anything they
did they were competitive with wouldn’t
one’s racing as well or no oh yeah oh
yeah sure the whole family was race the
first unser to get ten Annapolis was my
uncle Jerry and I did that in 1958 in
1959 he was at the Indy 500 again during
practice he had a big accident ended up
getting burned really bad and then about
three months later he passed away in in
the hospital with pneumonia from from
the burns Wow
so the first unser to get to in
Annapolis actually gave his life to the
Speedway they did that at all the debt
at all cause I don’t know maybe your
grandmother to come in and say no more
racing that’s gotta stop my from what I
understand I’m not even born yet okay
but from what I understand my
grandmother came in and told the boys
all of them to follow your heart to go
if you don’t laughs it’s a big deal
don’t let his death stop you from your
dreams and so you know it didn’t stop
him at all they loved racing they wanted
to go to the the pinnacle in America
which is the Indy 500 and they did and
they and they became successful
so so when was the first time you drove
a car actual car but what how old were
you with for some you drove a car home
when I drove a car so curious yes we
have no idea which I want to know this
is Mike my dad owned a 24-hour wrecker
service okay in in Albuquerque
my grandpa was foreign auto repair shop
okay and so across the street he started
my dad in for an auto repair shop with a
24-hour wrecker service so the first car
actually drove was on my dad’s lap and
it was a wrecker and I was driving the
wrecker and I remember going through
this going through a corner now I’m
probably 5 years old and I didn’t have
the strength to turn the wheel so I
would stand up on the floorboard and get
on one side and bull that’s that so how
old are you at this time probably about
four or five six years old yeah four or
five or six years old how old were you
when he drove on your own no nobody
there with you oh gosh I started racing
go-karts when I was nine cousin so it
was a little bit before that I asked my
dad if I could get a car running in his
wrecking yard and he said sure you know
and he told me if you can get it running
you’re gonna get it running by yourself
if you can get it running then you can
drive it and so I went out and it was a
I picked out a tall 49 Chevy that that
straight six-cylinder that I got running
that’s great so so I visualized this you
tell me if I’m wrong like I visualize in
a regular family I’m 16 years old I come
home with my tail between my legs you
know I’m just kind of very disappointed
in Barris and I say mom dad I’m sorry to
say you know I got a speeding ticket and
mom and dad say you’re grounded you’re
in trouble I kind of visualize in your
family he came home and he said that I
got a speeding ticket your dad saying
son I’m so proud of you look like what
was it when you got your first speeding
ticket
are you kidding me why would you be
groundless girl so what was so it’s not
like recklessness it’s controlled but
speed is that not amazing so yeah I was
grounded I was curious about that I was
curious about that so then you start
racing and you know how much how much
pressure was there you know how
sometimes you know I have a friend whose
sons you know his father is a pastor and
not just a small paths are very very
very prominent pastor and so there is
that pressure of you know he’s the only
sound so are you gonna also end up
becoming a pastor and you know take the
rain over and you know do this and do
that how much of that was there on you
as a 13 14 15 year old kid you’re in
school elementary junior high school
high school how much of it wasn’t for
you to wear expectation was little I’ll
better go out there race was there is
that or was it more what your grandma
told the kids after Jerry’s death about
listen just follow your heart
what was that connection with you it was
it was a lot like what my grandmother
had told my father and his brothers my
dad really did it in a way that that I
wanted to race I and so I had to work
hard to go go kart I had to bring home
good grades in school I had to be good I
mean I had to follow the rules not just
in racing but in life itself and so he
just did it in a way and the reason why
I know this is because I never felt any
pressure to go out and perform okay
I I had a really fast go-kart because my
dad made it fast okay now and I say I
had to work on my go-kart what he would
the only thing I was really allowed to
do was keep it clean okay that’s what I
had that was my job I had to clean it up
after the race and that sort of stuff
but my dad really is the one that that
made it handle made it go fast he worked
with me on on my racing line you know
and and and that sort of stuff and and
so when we would actually go race I
would win and so winning is fun you know
and so that I wanted to do it more and
more and more
and so yeah and so then actually it was
when I went from a go-kart to a sprint
car and a sprint car is a is a it’s a
real automobile it has a small-block
Chevy in it 400 cubic inch it produces
between six and eight hundred horsepower
and races on the dirt on little ovals
quarter miles and half miles six to
eight hundred and yeah yeah oh you are
chilly not very fast they probably run
just a little over or honoured maybe
definitely no more than 130 on because
the tracks are so small God okay and
it’s on the dirt and so when I that’s
when I went from being a kid to being a
grown-up it happened to me overnight
okay and so that was when I went
professionally it’s turned professional
hmm and I was 16 years old
and so that put me in front of the press
okay and so the press there in
Albuquerque they were starting to ask
those questions that you just asked do
you feel pressure to outrun your dad
and I kinda was gone oh you know and and
I think my dad kind of saw it in me that
that I really didn’t know how to answer
that
and so my dad saw it right away right
away and so he he took me after one of
the first ever press conferences I ever
get when we got home that night he goes
he took me aside and he goes Ali goes
look I don’t care what you do for a
living you can be a doctor a lawyer
whatever I don’t care what you do the
only thing I care about is that you try
your best at whatever you’re gonna do
before the interview already said it’s
after the after that interview he saw
what was going on with the pressure and
so once he said those words to me I went
yeah okay he doesn’t care what I want a
race and so he doesn’t care what I do as
long as I try my best so what I’m gonna
do is I’m gonna try my best
that’ll make my dad happy and go racing
and so I never felt any pressure to from
the outside world hmm
to be better or the same as my Uncle
Bobby or my dad or anything like that
that people try to pin you against each
other or no media cuz media is gonna try
to do that absolutely the media tried to
compare our records and they still do
today okay
compare the records of so how do you add
a bad loves it because he hit he’s got
four indie wins easy competitive about
it are you kidding just a couple of
interesting to me just a couple years
ago we were doing an interview together
and one of the guys said so who’s the
better driver and my dad goes well I am
of course I’ve got four wins and he’s
that’s so because I figured media’s
gonna try to figure out a way to do that
and sometimes that creates a certain
level of division between a father son
and others that father-son riff that
explosion I know in my heart my dad
loves me
more than more than anything in this
world my and my two sisters you know his
his children and unfortunately my two
sisters there they passed on but but my
dad he loves me no matter what I do he
loves me at the end of the day unreal so
you know how in horse horse races I’m a
big Kentucky Derby fan there is some
fascination I don’t know there’s ever
been
you got a glove together it’s one of
those things the American tradition I
would say fourth of July you got to be
in DC one time it’s unreal million
people show up right in front of Lincoln
Memorial you see it a couple million
dollars of fireworks you get emotional
because it’s you know the country yes
it’s just very emotional another one is
Derby the last race a hundred fifty
thousand people cheering again there’s
some special about that right so in
horse races they breed you know Derby
champions for instance right in in
baseball I would figure you know a Ken
Griffey senior son ken griffey jr. you
know that that takes place you know you
figure out a league is four that’s
that’s what Little League auntie sofa in
in football Archie Manning you
you know the rest Payton and you got Eli
and younger brother so was there any
like what is the breeding process of
racing like is there a breed because
like I guess you say go kart and he said
sprint so is that really the the start
off I say my kid like speed let me have
him do go car so how does that start
absolutely absolutely is that exactly
how does with the go car first with the
go fish
absolutely the go kart is it’s a machine
that has super quick steering and so
even if you go to these local rental
go-karts and you and you you do it you
know there’s plenty there’s lots of
indoor places now and and all that kind
of stuff across the country yes they’re
there they’re real precise there you
have to be really smooth you have to
keep up the momentum in the corners and
all that kind of stuff you have to learn
how to brake and throttle with both feet
okay and so it’s it definitely is a the
perfect starter for for kids I started
when I was nine my cousin Robbie he
started when he was seven okay and and
so yes today’s stars Danica Patrick
Sam Hornish a Leo Castroneves all of the
all of the the of today’s stars
definitely started in go-karts when they
were younger
now I think because the go karts are of
almost a new age okay when I say new age
my generation okay
Michael Andretti and myself
we’re really the first race car drivers
to be bred as race car drivers hmm
you know because back in the 50s and 60s
race car drivers that raced at the Indy
500 were considered Daredevils they were
considered crazy men 50s in the 50s and
60s that’s right and then in the 70s you
know also but the cars started getting
safer in the 70s you know there was in
the in the 50s and 60s even in Formula
one speaking with Emerson Emerson
Fittipaldi is a really good friend of
mine and he came over to Indy and he
told me about em flying because I was
real curious it’s an interesting guy
Emerson’s a awesome very interesting yet
the youngest Formula one champion ever
you know now today I think maybe Lewis
Hamilton or something is is he still a
big smack talker a little bit watch some
of the videos I mean he’s just non-stop
yeah he’s a good guy really he used to
get on Senna’s a you know nerves right
at one point you know they’d they had a
little bit of a act actually they were
extremely close friends Emerson and
they’re behind behind the camera behind
Chloe that’s right god they were really
close friends yeah yeah so so anyway
back in the 70s I mean we were the we
were I feel the first generation to
really be bred has and now they they’ve
done it ever since you know as
generations have come to today
yeah all your all your most successful
racecar drivers today I would say even
Lewis Hamilton started in a go-kart and
raced go-karts
even he did yeah show your opinion this
is just you know just curious you know
what you’re gonna send what you’re
saying
aside from the unser family in your
opinion top three greatest drivers of
all time
who would you say ah three greatest gosh
this is like a bar conversation you know
I would instantly go to okay
there’s disciplines in racing okay so
when I mean by disciplines in racing you
have sprint cars you have stock cars
turn you have rally cars you have your
single-seat open wheel cars which is the
Indy 500 and Formula One okay and so
Formula One I would say hands down
Ayrton and Michael Schumacher hands down
and hands down now is there is like one
one eight or one ahead of the other one
they’re both just I knew is right there
yeah shot of a hundred race you would
put him split 50-50 absolutely you
wouldn’t say fifty one forty nine sent
over Schumacher Schumacher Brazil Wow
absolutely not I mean and really the
reason why I say this is because in the
80s when I was at in Annapolis and I’m
looking at Formula One Alain Prost if it
was to the top mm-hmm you know the
professor he he was methodical he’d he’d
you know in super fast rather he was in
a new Renault or McLaren whatever team
he went to he was fast period and then
came along Arrington
and you know Ayrton and Elaine there
were teammates and they got it on
together and and then it was Arrington
and then Michael came along and what I
really paid attention to is is when it
rained in the rain that is the great
equalizer of equipment of the car you’re
driving okay that’s the great equalizer
because it takes it takes away their
their handling what do you mean by the
car meaning it’s not the drivers to car
or it’s the driver not the car in the
rain it’s the driver not the car got it
in the dry it’s the car more so than the
driver while in the dry and that’s where
sena excel when it rained
you had Ayrton and Michael just go over
here in a different world from the rest
of the food absolutely you know it so in
stock cars in NASCAR in America Dale
senior without a doubt he was he was the
best they went out there and the reason
why I say this is because I never really
only ran one NASCAR race okay but I ran
a lot of I rock races and when I would
come and I’d race the IROC car it was
pretty much Dale senior and I racing
against each other and the best play
that the the only place that was safe
was right behind Dale okay if you were
in front of Dale he’s gonna bump you
then all hell’s gonna unless you
can get far enough away if you can get
part of a way then and he couldn’t reach
you did he have that absolute reputation
that that’s gonna happen if he’s behind
you just charges he just got he’s he’s
you know it’s that it’s
mentality of what I believe all the
greats have you know I have to win it’s
not I need to win or you know maybe
today I’m not going to because I’m not
feeling well or the car is not doing
that well I does not matter if it’s
raining if it’s sunny if the car is good
if the car is not good I have to win let
me ask you so when you when you guys are
racing with these guys so there’s one as
the skill set right one part is the
skill set okay so if we have the skill
set aside from the skill set when you
when you met them after a race when you
met them in a meeting at an awards
ceremony what you guys are mingling
together all the time right when you met
them who was the one personality that I
mean you just saw him you’re like this
guy has the killer instinct he’s so
focused it’s unbelievable where no one
can distract whose personality and
absolute focused determination was at a
complete level than everybody else I’m
not talking skill and recklessness maybe
Senna you know who’s the gentleman that
interviewed him that said you too
reckless you get into too many accidents
what was his name
uh Jackie Stewart in the interview the
famous Jackie Stewart interview with
Santa but whose personality was I am
determined when I met that guy I looked
at his eyes I know that guy’s gonna win
who was that guy well I I never had the
gift to meet irritants and I never did
meet him and so I only met Michael
Schumacher at a function over in Europe
one evening and so excuse me there was a
lot of people around and so it was a
handshake and and that was about it you
know
but the the one person and I have to
take I I’m gonna save my Uncle Bobby
okay he’s just driven just just driven
on anything just driven and my dad’s
right there – okay just not as not as
determined as my Uncle Bobby but very
determined okay even though he won one
more than Bobby Bobby was more oh yeah
with well with anything okay my Uncle
Bobby you never let anyone do his taxes
he wants to beat the IRS no matter what
okay
my dad he had somebody that’s a
professional did not my own father
he’s got he wants to bury the government
he’s he’s in competition with okay but
okay you take those two out and it would
be Mario Andretti Mario Andretti
no matter where you’re at you could be
at his home you could be any anywhere at
the racetrack at a function
Mario is focused he’s determined he
never breaks never breaks so as an
entrepreneur anybody who starts a
business there is a risk of losing
everything I’m talking savings your 401k
your house you refinance the money out
of your house all your credit you could
be either here or you could be here and
you lose ten more years hypothetically
that happens a lot to entrepreneurs for
everyone incredible story we hear
there’s a graveyard of thousands of
people that failed miserably right how
did you how did you deal with the risk
of here you are going 180 to 220 230
miles an hour and you hear stories of
you know your uncle you hear stories of
sena 94 you hear stories of how does a
how do you stay focus and not have the
creative imagination of your mind take
you to a place of be careful understand
I know you brace timid and then
something happens you go over a bump or
how do you deal with that risk in your
own mind it’s it’s real simple I love
what I’m doing I just love driving cars
developing cars sure I I knew the risk
you know my uncle I you know I drove
through that there was one year there
was an accident in practice and I was
coming down the front straightaway at
Indy and I’m really trying to get my car
working and and so I’m really trying and
right as I turn into turn one I see this
puff of white smoke out of my corner of
my eye which is around the corner on the
on the racetrack mm-hmm and so I get out
of the throttle and I come around there
I’m still running 200 okay and there’s
pieces everywhere on the track this this
car it just disintegrated right in and
so now I’m driving through trying not to
run over any pieces because I don’t want
to get involved in the round okay it
happened to be a driver by the name of
Jovi Marcelo he lost his life in that
way in that rack in that wreck he lost
his life so I drove through that you
know and it didn’t really I didn’t know
that he was
that he had lost his life right then you
know I what happened with me as I ran
over some pieces and I brought it back
into the pits and and we’re sitting
there and you know I told my crew I’ve
run over some pieces look over the car
one of the mechanics pops up and says oh
we’ve got a hole in the radiator because
it was leaking fluid there’s a hole in
the radiator radiator and and I was mad
I was I just instantly went well you
know because now I gotta get out I got
to go back I got to change the radiator
it’s gonna cost me time on the track
because not knowing the severity of
what’s going on out on the racetrack you
know they’re gonna take a few minutes
they’re gonna clean up the racetrack and
we’ll be practicing again well that
wasn’t the case for me
I had to go back to the garage and
change the radiator and you know I’m
down for an hour or so okay so ended up
Joey Marcello lost his life right then
and so that evening you know this really
played on me you remember this movie the
absolutely you know and going wow how
could I be so coarse
how could I be just so-so no feeling you
know but the reason why is because I
want to succeed
okay and now once I found out that he
had lost his life then you know that the
empathy really hit me
you know I was very very sad because he
was a very personal young man but it’s
what we do it’s what we do and and jovi
Marcello was doing what he loved to do
when he asked and so with that you know
we all know every driver that puts his
helmet on and gets in the car
understands the risk and you know thank
God that the technology of the cars have
gotten so much better than they were in
the 50s and 60s or in the 50s and 60s
one out of seven died in a year
okay so emerson fittipaldi he knows this
all too well in the 60s and 70s day
racing cars was extremely dangerous
extremely dangerous and so we did seven
one out of seven so if there’s 20 guys
and 21 guys in a race three of them
weren’t gonna see the end of that year
and so it’s what we’d love to do and so
we understood the risks and so you go
and you do everything you can that you
can prepare for to keep it safe to to
not have the risks of bankruptcy and
when you be in the entrepreneur you know
you you know you everything that you can
control okay and then what you can’t
control
you know that’s that’s up to God and and
and so you know you got to give that to
go ahead and and have faith that he has
your back
that things are gonna gonna be for a
reason you know that if you do if you do
fail or things don’t work out the way
that you wanted them to mmm
nine times out of ten or ten times out
of ten
there’s a reason why and so you know I
go back to that that saying you know
when one door closes another one opens
up and you have to believe in that in it
and there may be some time between there
you know to to understand this kind of
stuff but it eventually will and so yeah
just with faith the big part of that
when you were racing even when you were
racing with me faith was a very because
faith was a big part of Senna when when
he talks about how he was Li that took
the load off a little bit of the risk of
what could happen mm-hmm is that kind of
what it was camp said it several times
now you got to kind of leave it to God
you’ve said that four times now you do
so faith was a big part of it they
aren’t interesting so so okay so here’s
here’s the other part that I’m really
curious because you know I’ll sit there
and I’ll talk to the young guys in our
company okay and sometimes the leaders
in a company will see me the final
product and they’ll say oh my gosh you
know Patrick you know you must be this
and you must be that and I say no let me
take will mistakes that man I used to
party very hard I used to do this I used
to do that I used to do this I think
sometimes they see the final product and
they think the final product has to be a
perfect product right and they don’t see
the fact that we’re all humans and we’re
all gonna do certain things actly I mean
in the Army I I used to do things that
if they showed on a video right now it
so I guess my question would be so you
have all this limelight there’s all this
pressure there’s all this you know cover
up newspaper magazine girls you know
power attention money
accolades all of that comes how do you
hold it together how do you hold it
together to save your sanity how do you
hold it together to not either let it
get you or not because too often you see
it so many times that we’re going
through it we’re going to listen it
seems like every single time it’s either
we need to go through fall because it’s
needed for us to go through it but what
would you say for yourself when you’re
going through it how do you make sure
that you don’t let a lot of this
limelight and the victories get your
head when you’re going through that
somebody’s as an entrepreneur someone’s
used to making 40 grandeur next thing
you know their business starts doing
very well they’re making eight hundred a
year so how do you how do you still stay
grounded how do you do that you just you
just said it to to remain grounded and
and and how you do that is not
forgetting where you came from you know
that that’s I think that’s one of the
key things having good partners and in
your life having you know myself I had a
wonderful wife I have four beautiful
children you know when I was 20 years
old is when my first born was was born
okay and so eight I called him little
out he’s little out to me he’s he’s al
the third to the world the press and so
you know going out and driving race cars
and then coming home and
changing diapers and and you know living
life okay and with a baby and that sort
of thing was was I think real key that
kept me grounded you know that sort of
stuff and and then you know for for me
racing you know all’s I had to do was go
to the next race and in the first
practice session I’m ten twelve fifteen
you know and it seemed like whenever
whenever I started thinking that I was
really good you know
the very next race
I was I was shown that I wasn’t that
interesting you know kind of things
there’s a constant reminder that stay
humble someone’s better than you
remember that I raced over 300 IndyCar
races and I won 34 okay so one out of
ten it’s you know there’s a lot of hard
work and you always had to be thinking
about it you know it’s it my industry
because change happens so fast and you
know success happened very quickly but
failure happened even quicker okay and
so you really had to stay on your toes
and you really had to think about it all
the time kind of thing and so you know
with with being an entrepreneur you know
I would I would say that you never know
what’s around the corner
you know and and so same as me as a
racecar driver I never knew you know if
we were gonna win the race or not but
the thing to do is go out there and do
your best
that day and and then go to the next you
know and as long as you tried your best
then the best will come to you and so
you know it may not happen right away
like when in the Indy 500 for me it was
my tenth year that I won the race it’s a
very good point and I had cars that
could do it my second year my actually
my rookie year I had a really fast car
that day I just didn’t have the
experience to make it a winner as a
driver I died ended up I had a flat tire
we were running really good I was
probably running about fourth or fifth
something like that and I had a right
rear tire go go down slowly okay and it
almost put me in the wall and so I came
in the pads they changed the tire it’s
scared that you know what out of me okay
and so they change the tire because I
didn’t know speed what what’s your speed
up everyone running over 200 okay
and I did everything I thought I was
gonna hit the wall and I did everything
just barely missed and I come in change
tires it took me almost almost the whole
race to get back up to speed again to
have the confidence in myself and the
car that it’s gonna stick but it’s gonna
you know and so it was a big learning
thing for me because you know really
failure slapped me right in the face
and I didn’t really know how to respond
and so but I stayed out there and I
stayed trying and I and I took my steps
real slow and
within a half an hour or 45 minutes of
being out there I started getting my
confidence back in the car in my in my
team and so you know that’s a large part
of it you know as is you know staying
grounded remember where you came from
remember those those times that were
hard when when you’re successful to
remember those times they were hard and
and to never let that go and then you
know just to keep trying yesterday we
were with a friend Robert Greene who
wrote the book 40 laws of power and he
said the only way to get out of a
problem is to go through it he said
Hannibal said that one time so that that
kind of reminds me of that because
you’re saying you were driving in your
have some fears whether the tires gonna
stick when I still got to get through it
and the 30 minute steady the confidence
is back up it didn’t come right away
that’s the thing so yeah let me ask you
this let me ask you this you know how
sometimes behind closed doors when
somebody ends up becoming a big achiever
there is a chip on the shoulder that I
have to prove this person wrong or there
is somebody that believes in me right
orders both and we got the chip and we
got somebody believes how was the
conversation with you and your father or
your Uncle Bobby how was the
conversations coming up the ranks like
when you’re coming up was it more you
know how you can do this how you can win
the Indy owl you’re doing a good job al
you’re getting better I’ll try to do
this I’ll think about doing this part
out was it a lot of feedback constantly
being given to you was it somebody
injecting belief in you how was that
part behind closed doors behind the
camera Pat I was really lucky gifted
because I had my Uncle Bobby who was all
about you should have done this better
you should have done that bad sounds
like he would what are you doing you
know you need to do this you need to do
that and then I had my
father who was going you did good you
did good you need to maybe tried this
maybe you know but it’s okay it’s it’s
you know you did a great job
Wow we’re gonna we’re gonna just go to
the next race and and you’ll learn some
more and and that sort of thing so so I
had to opposites that was you know the
the one just driving you in just da da
da you got a do you have to do this and
on my dad it was why don’t you try this
and see if that works out for you
it’s that that amazing so you had the
best of both worlds so they had so the
feedback and the criticism you had so
much you hear someone way Brett Farr was
playing for it was who was green based
coach when he was playing for them it
was Hogan ISM and then they would say
they had a problem together but he had
the quarterback coach window to be
coming to visit Mariucci
who was the one that was a QB coach and
you know he would have somebody that
Mariucci was like your father and Mike
was like your uncle and it made Brett
Farr who he became as that and you hear
that a lot with a lot of places it’s
almost like a winning formula you need
though you need there’s somebody that is
for me is that what interest is honestly
my Uncle Bobby
his whole mindset was the cars weren’t
very reliable in their careers okay and
my dad’s and my uncle’s generation the
cars would they were lucky if they went
500 miles okay for mechanical okay so
uncle Bobby’s mindset was if the car is
gonna break I’m gonna be leading the
race
so my Uncle Bobby qualified out
qualified my dad a lot he was he’s he’s
in the record books as being on the
front row at Indy more times than
anybody my Uncle Bobby my Uncle Bobby
wants to lead that first lap he wants to
lead
from lover slap to the last my father on
the other hand was the kind of person
that said I want to work my way into
leading the last lap because that’s the
lap that you want to lead because that’s
the winner of the race and so I don’t
have to be out there leading okay now
the the whole curve in this whole
situation at the Indy 500
my dad has led more laps at the Indy 500
than anyone in history know and number
two is Ralph de palma who raced in the
20s okay so my dad he drilled in me okay
you only lead the race if it’s easy if
it’s easy to lead the race then lead it
you know but don’t don’t risk everything
to lead the race and my Uncle Bobby
would risk everything to lead the race
so would it be like a Senna and Prost it
seems like you yeah a lot it seems a lot
of similarity there with the personality
yeah my Uncle Bobby I’m telling you he’s
driven
no matter what he does so so okay so
here’s the last thing and then so okay
you you know it doesn’t matter what the
world where a basketball football sports
a pasture run ago you know fifty
thousand member church a great CEO like
Jeff Bezos building an incredible
conglomerate somebody like you when in
the Indy 500 twice at the highest level
when the greatest race car drivers of
all time you when you see all of it if
you were to put things into three things
okay when there’s 50 different things
it’s unfair question sometime because
there’s so many different moving parts
to getting to the highest level I’m not
talking about just make it into the
arena so you know the 8020 rule you know
80% of the go car drivers will never
make it to the Sprint so the Sprint 80%
so don’t make it to next level and then
you know out of the 80% that make it to
the highest level never ever even win a
race the 20% that do only 20% win
you’ve gone another 20 of the 20 of the
20 of the 20 of the 20 you’re in this
small little very minimal category of
people that have wanted to multiple
times we’re not talking a lot of people
so there’s you know a hundred and
thirteen billion people born only a
handful of people have wanted multiple
times in 95 when you’re sitting right
here okay so three things to make it at
the highest level in any endeavor
what would you say those three things
are the first thing I would say is faith
believing in a higher power that that
controls what you can’t control you know
I would say that that’s number one
number two would be never forget where
you came from because we’ve all been
little boys at they have gotten in
trouble and you know half the parents
come to you and say you know did you do
this and and it was bad and of course
well me I lied then I got in more
trouble because I lied but never never
forget where you came from and then
honestly to to have the confidence in
yourself that you can go out and and you
can become whatever you want to be and
so you know with that is being grounded
you know having a
firm foundation and that goes back to
faith and so on and and and and good
partnerships you know a wonderful
wonderful wife rather vide male a female
doesn’t matter you your life partner
that that you both are pulling in the
same direction I think is is you know
they don’t give that enough credit you
know
because being alone is not not the way
so interesting so faith was one faith is
yep the highest one is what you say
Athens the hinds second one was ground
reminding yourself a world war you were
you know why you don’t forget where we
came from China
yeah and then three being humble being
humble and then three was grounded being
grounded and yeah you know having
confidence in yourself you know that
there you can do this where does that
confidence come from I think it comes
from having faith goes back to faith you
know what was your work schedule life I
guess that would be something around
that area was the work schedule Twitter
driving was at a lot of hours and to
getting to that point was it studying
was it studying or cracked for myself um
actually it was it was it was constantly
thinking about how to be better how to
be better and it wasn’t it wasn’t work
to me I didn’t see it as work I never
felt driving race cars was work I was so
fortunate that
what I’d love to do my calling was they
actually paid me money I was I was so
fortunate that I could do that 24/7 and
and so on and I was just very fortunate
in my life and then so I was always
thinking about racing I was always
thinking about how do I make my car
better how do I make my engine run
better how do I Drive the track better
how do I relate what the cars doing to
my engineer better how can I you know
explain to him what’s going on and with
the engine and the you know whatever
obstacles that were thrown at us because
every day there’s a different obstacle
one day it could be the fact that the
engines not cooling well had that
happened because yesterday it was
cooling today it’s not cooling what’s
that about well get in there and don’t
worry about the fact that it was
yesterday it was that was yesterday
today it’s not cooling so let’s let’s
get into why why is it not cooling and
let’s get it fixed and let’s get back
out on the track and so sort of details
and matters at that level absolutely
details are are huge huge unbelieving at
any level I would say any level you know
I just I just came from from a Penske
dinner he’s fifty years in in racing and
the the words you know the Rogers had so
many people partners people work for him
with him and they were in or you know
that they were asking these people in
one word describe Roger you know and the
one word that just kept popping up was
integrity
integrity kept popping up and in and
that’s what Roger is and and so you know
I got to thinking about that an
integrity there’s a lot that goes along
with that word you know forgiveness if
if somebody does you wrong in the in the
in in whatever world somebody does you
wrong
it takes a lot of integrity to forgive
that person and to move on you know and
and so he just he’s just it oozes out of
him is you know that the integrity in
and then he got up and started talking
in and attention to detail was one of
the things that Roger said the other
evening and and and which is true I
watched this man I mean he he is into
everything and wants to know is very
curious a lot like yourself Pat very
curious on on what makes this this way
and what makes that that way and and why
okay and then even to a point where you
know I’ve watched him walk up to the
race car one day and he’s looking at the
back end of it and he goes you know we
need some heat shielding here because
the exhaust is coming right out on this
axle and the suspension piece and if it
gets too hot it’s gonna make it weak and
so we needed some each yielding one
right here you know as long so that’s
the way Roger is with anything he does
in business I mean its its attention to
detail and noticing if if some1 one of
his partners employees is having an
issue or having a problem he he’ll come
up and go are you okay is you know is
there anything on your mind what would
you you know what’s going on in your
life and and so that he gets that it and
and you can trust Roger and and so I
integrity you know when when when
somebody can trust you you have
integrity and because you that Trust is
not just given its it’s earned well I
can sit here for a couple more hours
just I’m literally fascinated I am but I
know you have another event you have an
event to go to them with the 1500 or
awards and I appreciate you doing that
with Tom that’s kind of been fun but
thank you so much for taking the time to
just come to the suite here and have a
good chat here and and I know a lot of
the entrepreneurs that are watching this
you know there’s so many similarities
between what you did and what level you
got to and where they’re at so again
thanks for something thank you so much
for your time I appreciate your time definitely thank you
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