Al Unser Jr. regaining control in battle

INDIANAPOLIS -- Al Unser Jr. always thought he was in control. On the track, he was a champion. Off it, he enjoyed the good times. His life changed forever on the morning of July 9, 2002. After a night of drinking in Indianapolis, Unser was arrested after his girlfriend accused him of hitting her and leaving her on the side of the highway after an argument. He spent a night in jail and his mugshot was published in newspapers.\nUnser, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, realized he wasn't in control. Alcohol was.\n"That was my bottom, that's what it said to me," Unser said. "At that time, I was thinking about all the kids and all the people who looked up to me who I let down. It was a total embarrassment."\nNearly a year later, the 41-year-old driver has returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track that made him and his family famous.\nHe is an admitted alcoholic, but a sober one.\nTeam owner Tom Kelley sees Unser smiling more frequently and being less reclusive. Following years of disappointments, Unser is sixth in the Indy Racing League points standings after three races and is driving competitively again. He is happy, full of zest and finally has an understanding of the disease that nearly destroyed his racing career.\n"I'm awake and I'm sober," he said. "And that in itself makes everything better."\nUnser is part of the Indianapolis 500's first family. His father, Al, is one of three four-time race winners. His uncle, Bobby, won three times. Al Unser Jr. won at Indianapolis in 1994 and 1992, in the closest finish ever. Unser Jr. also won CART titles in 1990 and 1994, the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1986 and 1987, and the 1986 and 1988 IROC championships.\nHe's been successful in every stage of life, except when it comes to drinking. A 17-day stay in a Connecticut alcohol-abuse program last summer taught him that his road to recovery will be a lifelong battle.\nThe signs that alcohol was winning, of course, were there much earlier. His girlfriend, Gina Soto, once nicknamed him "Al-coholic," but Unser just laughed it off. There were times he gave up drinking and lost weight, proving to himself he could handle it. But a relapse always followed, and Unser reverted to his old ways. He never understood why. "I didn't realize it was a progressive disease," he said. "I could lay off for a couple of weeks or whatever, but I'd always end up full circle again."\nThe events of last July nearly ruined his career, risking his corporate sponsorships and raising questions about whether he was fit to drive.\nFortunately for Unser, Kelley worked tirelessly to make sure the support was there. Kelley believed in giving Unser a second chance and persuaded sponsors to do the same. Eventually, the domestic battery charges were dropped.\n"When someone says they're sorry and they're sincere about it, I like to give them a second chance," Kelley said. "He knows he won't get a third chance." Unser responded by entering rehab. When he returned to the track last August at Kentucky, he was contrite.\nKelley said he never saw Unser's drinking affect his driving or his race-day preparation, never smelled alcohol on Unser's breath, and never realized the depth of the problem -- until the two talked after the arrest. "I cried with him," Kelley said. "He told me a lot of personal things, and I think Al has dealt with those issues and he's a better employee and team member than he was a year ago."\nHis life is improving, too. Soto, still his girlfriend, remains one of his biggest supporters in his battle against alcoholism.\nHe's finished fourth and fifth in his last two races, at Phoenix and Montegi, Japan. And although his four-lap qualifying average of 226.285 mph was only good enough for the middle of Row 6 in the 33-car field at Indianapolis, Unser knows he is back in control.\nLast summer, he said, "was pure hell." \n"I never want to go there again, and I will never go there again," he said.