5 can’t-miss relics at new IMS Museum exhibit honoring ‘Amazing Unsers’

INDIANAPOLIS -- Unser. The name is synonymous with success at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. No other family even belongs in the same stratosphere as the Unser clan when it comes to Indianapolis 500 victories. The faces of Bobby Unser, Al Unser and Al Unser Jr. are memorialized an astounding nine times on the Borg-Warner Trophy, a 500 record that’s more likely than most to stand the test of time.

Staring this May, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is honoring the Unser dynasty with a brand new exhibit, appropriately named: “The Amazing Unsers: From Albuquerque to Indianapolis.”

Insider: Will IndyCar return to Phoenix?
Forever cool:Mario Andretti is still giving IndyCar everything he has

The exhibit highlights the New Mexico family's storied careers at IMS and features eight of the nine cars they drove into the winner's circle. 

However, there is a lot more to the Unser legacy than just the 500. Along with a deluge of cars they drove at other historic races, there are hundreds of photos, trophies and other racing relics with fascinating stories.

“The 500 stuff is awesome, but I like some of the little bit more obscure stuff,” said Mike Thomsen, museum director of communications and the man responsible for curating the exhibit. “Some of this stuff, no one has ever seen before.”

Following a VIP opening of the exhibit, Thomsen gave IndyStar a one-on-one tour, highlighting some of the rarest artifacts fans can see.

Bobby Unser’s favorite trophy

He won 35 career IndyCar races and dozens more in other disciplines, but his favorite trophy isn’t from any of those. Bobby Unser's all-time favorite is the one received for winning the pole at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, Canada, and, boy, is it strange. The trophy isn’t so much a trophy as it is a wooden statue of a man smoking pipe.

“If you get Bobby talking about this trophy, he’ll talk to you all day about it,” Thomsen said with a chuckle. “He loves it. He loves the intricate detail of the little man, and that’s it all carved out of a piece of wood.”

Mom Unser’s chili pot and 'spoon' 

The Unser family has long been known for making a mean bowl of Tex-Mex chili, so on display is one of the enormous pots Mary Unser used to cook that famous chili, which she did from the mid-1960s until she died in 1975. Along with the chili vat is a stirring spoon, which truly is just a small canoe paddle.

“We think Mom's chili was one of the greatest traditions surrounding the race," Al Unser Sr. told IndyStar a couple of years ago. "We were always really proud of what our mother was doing."

The note card Tony Hulman used for the command ahead of the 1971 season-opening USAC Champ Car race in Argentina

While not exactly part of Unser lore, the card is featured because Al Unser won both heats of the doubleheader of the series' only race in Argentina. While Unser's trophy is on display, the rarest item in this collection is Hulman’s note card for giving the command ahead of the race. Written on it is a familiar phrase in English and Spanish:

"Gentlemen, Start Your Engines."

"Senores, pongan en marcha sus motores."

The first trophy Bobby Unser won

There wasn’t time to take exact measurements, but it’s probably one one-hundredth the size of the Borg Warner Trophy. Despite its diminutive stature, it meant enough to Bobby Unser to keep in his personal collection. He won it when he was 16 years old. Unser himself will tell you more about the little prize if you take the audio tour provided by the museum. 

The car from Al Unser Jr.’s only NASCAR start

Many people remember that Al Unser Jr. competed in the 1993 Daytona 500 -- the year after winning the Indianapolis 500 -- but some might not remember that he didn’t race with the car he started with. Unser crashed during qualifying and was forced to use Ken Schrader’s backup car. With limited time for a paint job before the race, his team hastily added the No. 46 and the Valvoline sponsor stickers to what was otherwise a white car.

Despite having almost no pace during qualifying -- he started 40th -- Unser managed to wheel the car all the way up to fifth. Unfortunately, with 25 laps to go, he and Dale Earnhardt got into a wreck that ended Unser's day. 

These are just some of the items that will be on display until Oct. 28.

“When you come in, it’s important to see the Indianapolis 500-winning cars, the Baby Borgs, the Borg plaques, the helmets,” Thomsen said, "but it’s also so much fun to see items from the rest of their amazing careers as well.”

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter and Facebook: @jimayello.