Little Al is far from the big-time these days

Once, Al Unser Jr. was the guy to beat at Indy. Now, he’s just one of the drivers trying to find a way into the lineup.

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was bumped from the tentative field on Sunday, the second of four days of qualifications for the May 27 race.

Unser qualified during an early flurry of activity on the 2.5-mile oval, posting a 10-mile, four-lap average of 220.963 mph that left him vulnerable to being bumped out under the new procedure that limits the number of qualifiers during each of the first three days of time trials to 11.

He spent a nervous couple of hours before John Herb, who finished 27th in 2001 in his only Indy start, knocked Unser out of the field with a run of 221.070 just 30 minutes from the end of the six-hour session.

Herb was then bounced out of the field for the second time Sunday by 1996 Indy winner Buddy Lazier, who bumped his way back into the lineup by improving his speed from 220.452 to 221.380.

That left Lazier “on the bubble” as the 22nd and slowest driver in the partial lineup. Jaques Lazier, got out just before the final gun in an effort to bump his older brother, but pulled back onto pit road after one lap at just over 220.

It was a sad day for Unser, who left the track without comment after his speed was bumped.

Unser is part of one of American open-wheel racing’s royal families, an Albuquerque, N.M., clan that has been an integral part of Indy for decades.

His father, Al Sr., won the big race four times. Uncle Bobby won it twice. Uncle Jerry died in a crash on the historic 2.5-mile oval while practicing for the 1959 race.

Little Al’s cousins, Robby and Johnny Unser, have also raced at Indy, as has Unser Jr.’s son, Al III, although the latter has run only in the developmental Indy Pro Series so far.

Unser Jr. is 45 years old now and has driven only one race – last year’s Indy – since 2004.

Other qualifiers Sunday included Scott Sharp at 223.875, Jeff Simmons at 223.693, Ed Carpenter at 223.495, Manning at 223.471, 2004 Indy winner Buddy Rice at 222.826, Kosuke Matsuura at 222.595, A.J. Foyt IV — who now drives for Vision Racing instead of his grandfather — at 222.413, Vitor Meira at 222.333, Davey Hamilton at 222.327 and Sarah Fisher — joining Danica Patrick in the field — at 221.960.

Formula One

Felipe Massa won the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona on Sunday for his second straight Formula One victory, and Lewis Hamilton finished second to take sole possession of first place in the driver standings.

Fernando Alonso, the two-time defending world champion and last year’s winner in Barcelona, was third.