Al Unser Jr.'s eyes reflected both a steely determination and a peace when he answered my question. Was he an alcoholic?

"I am an alcoholic and I'm a grateful alcoholic," he said without hesitation. "I'm grateful for my health. I'm grateful for the understanding that I now have about a disease that I have."

	Al Unser Jr., right, will be back behind the wheel for car owner Tom Kelley, left, this weekend.

Unser was released from 17 days of rehabilitation Monday night. He will return to the cockpit of his Corteco/Bryant-sponsored IRL car this weekend at Kentucky Speedway for the Belterra Resorts 300.

"I didn't know that I had this disease," Unser said. "I didn't know that my Grandpa Perry died drunk. I didn't know my Grandpa Unser was an alcoholic. One of the things that I learned in rehab was that this is a disease that kills."

Unser's decision to seek rehabilitation came on the heels of an incident involving he and his girlfriend that ended up with her calling 911 from the side of an Indianapolis Interstate almost a month ago. Initial charges of domestic abuse were eventually dropped by prosecutors but not before Unser decided that his bouts with the bottle needed to come to an end.

"It was my fault. My girlfriend was scared to death on the side of a freeway. We do things that are just insane under the influence," he said. "I went to my sponsors and my car owner and told them this is not about racing. This is about staying alive and not hurting the people that meant the most to me. I had to stop it. I needed to know why I did the things I did when I was drinking."

Unser's first indication that he had a problem with drinking came, he says, in 1990.

"Quite honestly, I think I became an alcoholic in 1990 when I had my first marital problems," he said. "That's when I started, more than just recreationally.

"Then, I really hit bottom in 1999 when my little girl (Cody) got put in a wheelchair. I was going through the final part of my divorce and I go out and break my leg in my first race of the season at Homestead. Nothing was going correctly and I got lost in the bottle."

His time in rehab taught Unser that each of those incidents were passages and stages of his disease. He never considered them signs of alcoholism because he was able to quit drinking each time.

"The really weird part about this is that I quit drinking entirely this past winter when I went out and got myself in shape and dropped the weight with my training program," he said. "But then, I started drinking again and it all started all over again."

The knowledge he is an alcoholic and the support he received in rehab have given Unser a newfound enthusiasm.

"I'm lucky in a way," Unser said. "I have a disease that I can control. When you have cancer, you don't have control. Doctors try to remove it and cure it, but you never have total control of it.

"What I have is a disease that is all about living or dying. I did not know that I had this disease. I did not know that it was hereditary. It's my responsibility to never pick up a drink again in my life. And it is a brand new life that I have ahead of me."

Unser's commitment to sobriety is real. But he admits it is not without fear.

"Sure, I'm scared," he admitted. "If I sat here and said I wasn't scared about a possible relapse, it would be like me telling you that in my race car I've never been scared.

"My sobriety will get tested. But thanks to some really great doctors, therapists and friends, I have the tools and understanding to get things back in line when they start to get sideways.

"This is my life we are talking about. My life after racing. I'm on the last leg of my career. God willing, I've got five more years left in me driving. I'm talking about my life long after racing. I want to see my grandkids graduate from college.

"This is the race of my life for my life and I'm taking it one lap at a time. I've won races all my life. I 'm going to win this one for sure."