By Dustin Dow
Enquirer staff writer

Realistically, 21-year-old Al Unser can't be Just Al, because that would require a complete disregard for the legendary open-wheel racing achievements of his family.

As he attempts to qualify today for Saturday's Infiniti Pro Series Kentucky 100 at Kentucky Speedway, Unser is best known for being the son of two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Al Unser Jr., and the grandson of four-time champion Al Unser Sr. Unser's great uncle Bobby won three Indianapolis 500s.

But Unser goes by Just Al as he begins his racing career. He's not Al III or mini-Al, as he was called as a child.

Though people in racing have called him Just Al since his pre-teens, now the nickname takes on a new meaning - to differentiate Unser from the three men with whom he always will be linked.

"As I do better, I get more popular myself," Unser said. "And having the Unser name, as soon as I do something decent, I get good press. But there is some pressure there. I try not to take it as pressure. It's more like something I've always lived with."

Racing wasn't supposed to be a career for Unser, who had given up on the family business early after being dissatisfied at the kart level.

"Then I got my driver's license, and I thought I at least needed to try it," said Unser, who trained at the Skip Barber driving school. "The adrenaline that I got from racing scratched an itch that I had, and I felt I had to do it. I was a little surprised by it, but I was having fun."

Unser left community college in Albuquerque, N.M., to focus on racing full time. Two weeks ago in Michigan, Unser won his first Infiniti Pro Series pole position and turned in his second straight third-place finish. He's back at Kentucky this weekend where he got his unlikely start in the IPS in June.

"We just did a rookie test at Kentucky, and I was a tenth (of a second) or two off of last year's pole time," Unser said. "Then I went to Milwaukee to test and was second at lunch and fourth by the end of the day."

That was enough evidence for Keith Duesenberg Racing, which signed Unser. Four days after Al Unser Jr. announced his retirement from auto racing, Unser started his first IPS race at Kansas Speedway July 3. He came in third, and in four races, Unser has finished third three times and fifth once. He's 11th in the points standings, despite missing the first three races of the season.

Unser is driving overtime this weekend, racing at Kentucky on Saturday and flying to Denver for a Toyota Atlantic Series street race Sunday. He won't get to practice in Denver and will be limited to a 15-minute golf-cart ride to tour the route before the race.

"I'm trying to get as much experience as I can," Unser said. "I missed a couple years when I quit karting. I need the seat time."

Of course, when it comes to advice, he has one of the world's foremost experts to turn to in his father, who will be with him at Kentucky. The help only goes so far, however.

"Off the track, I've got a marketable name," Unser said. "But on the track, I don't think it's an advantage. My family's not out there. It's just me."

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com