TAKE FIVE: AL UNSER JR.

Friday, March 24, 2006 | 7:18 a.m.

Al Unser Jr. discovered that he had not lost his passion for racing after all.

Unser, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and a Henderson resident, announced this week that he would come out of retirement and compete in this year's Indy 500. If he qualifies, it will be Unser's 18th start at the Brickyard.

Unser, who turns 44 next month, said during his July 2004 retirement announcement that he was "not having fun driving race cars." The more time he spent away from the sport, he said, the more he missed the competition.

"It's in my blood - what can I say?" Unser said.

Unser will team with another Indy 500 champion, Buddy Lazier, with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500 in May.

1. Short retirement

A Henderson resident since 2002, Unser said he tried to fill his retirement with a variety of different pursuits including golf and tennis. But nothing, he said, filled the competitive void when he walked away from racing. "Since I got out of the car, I've gotten into a real estate partnership and I played some golf. And my wife and I, we've picked up tennis, and it's just not doing it for me," Unser said with a laugh. "The Indy 500 is my true love."

2. Family affair

The Unsers are the most successful family to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to Junior's two victories, father Al Sr. won the race four times and uncle Bobby is a three-time winner. Al Jr. said he hoped to be able to race with his son, Al, at some point but was unsure if he would have a ride for this year's race.

3. Strong resume

In addition to his two Indy 500 victories, Unser won a combined 34 races in CART and the Indy Racing League and won the CART season championship in 1990 and 1994. He also is a two-time winner of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona (1986, 1987) and a two-time champion of the International Race of Champions series (1986, 1988). Unser also holds the distinction of winning the closest Indy 500 in history when he edged Scott Goodyear by .043 seconds in 1992.

4. 'A great equalizer'

With the Indy Racing League going to a single engine supplier (Honda) this season, Unser said he felt it would put Dreyer & Reinbold Racing - which never has won an Indy 500 - on a level playing field with the stronger teams. "I really feel that the engine package, with Honda in all of the cars, is a great equalizer," he said. "I really feel that we've had teams that weren't totally perfect teams before and have gone and won races and championships. If things fall in the right place, anything can happen."

5. Repeating history?

In one of the more memorable moments in Indianapolis 500 history, Unser's father earned his fourth and final Indy 500 victory in 1987 - at the age of 47 - after showing up to the Brickyard without a ride. "I feel that we have a great opportunity to kind of do a magical thing that my dad did back in '87," Unser said. "We're going to have to work for it. It's a dream, but dreams come true."