Al Unser Jr. arrested on domestic battery charge

INDIANAPOLIS -- Al Unser Jr., who had worked to put a racing slump and troubled personal life behind him, is accused by a girlfriend of hitting her after they left a strip club.\nJena L. Soto, 38, of Albuquerque, N.M., told police Unser struck her Tuesday while she was driving him home because he was drunk. She accused him of hitting her in the face and leaving her on the side of a highway in the middle of the night.\nThe report dismayed Unser's uncle, Bobby Unser, who said his nephew, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was having a positive year after some personal and professional struggles.\n"He lost a lot of weight and seemed to be going good. He turned this year into a good year," Bobby Unser said.\nUnser, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1992 and 1994, posted a $30,000 bond on preliminary misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and domestic violence. He avoided reporters when he left the Marion County jail and could not be reached for comment.\nSoto told police she hit Unser first to stop him from trying to shift the gears of the car, and that Unser responded by hitting her in the face. She also told police she pulled to the side of the highway after Unser hit her, got out of the vehicle and that Unser then drove away.\nShe was found standing next to a guardrail on Interstate 465 at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.\nBobby Unser, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner and brother of Al Unser Sr., a four-time Indy winner, said Soto was a stripper who met his nephew in Las Vegas. He said her accusations seemed out of character for his nephew.\nBut he also said he had talked to his nephew about his behavior off the track, but he wouldn't listen.\n"I support him, but I don't support him for doing some of these things," he said. "He needs to get his life straightened out. He's an Unser. He can do it."\nUnser Jr.'s problems began in 1995 when he failed to qualify as the defending champion for the Indianapolis 500. He soon parted with team owner Roger Penske; divorced his first wife, Shelly; was overweight; and in 1999 his then 12-year-old daughter, Cody, was paralyzed from the chest down by a rare nerve disease called myelitis.\nUnser's career seemed to be on the rebound. He started third in Texas in June, his best start since joining the Indy Racing League in 2000. He finished second in that race and has two other top-10 finishes since then.\nUnser, 40, was arrested at his motor home on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield. A hearing is scheduled for July 19, sheriff's Col. Scott Minier said.\nThe preliminary charges against Unser are each punishable by up to a year in jail. The Marion County prosecutor's office will determine whether to file formal charges after a review, Minier said.\nTeam owner Tom Kelley said Unser had "the unqualified support of everyone at Kelley Racing." Repeated telephone messages left for Unser's attorney, James Voyles, were not returned.\nSoto could not be reached for comment. Two phone messages were left at her Albuquerque home on Tuesday and Wednesday.\nUnser first denied knowing Soto, police said. After being told of her accusations, Unser told police Soto had hit him first.\nUnser was to play in a charity golf tournament Thursday at the speedway's course and then drive Saturday in an IROC race at Chicagoland Speedway, Nancy Miller said.\nIRL spokesman Ron Green said a driver could face suspension or other penalties if convicted but said it was too early to determine if the league would take action.\n"He's one of the most respected drivers and still one of the most popular drivers in all of motorsports," Green said.