LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The roster of Indy car race winners at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach since 1984 includes names such as Al Unser Jr. and Alex Zanardi. But perhaps no driver is more closely associated with America's longest running and most successful street race than Mario Andretti.
In addition to his three Indy car wins on the Long Beach streets in the 1980s, Andretti's victory in the 1977 race, when it was a Formula 1 race, was an important milestone that helped secure the long-term future of the event, now the third-oldest on the Verizon IndyCar Series.
This week, Andretti was honored by Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment as one of four inductees into the 2015 Superman Hall of Heroes. The other honorees include teacher Sean McComb, U.S. Marine Kyle Carpenter, and crime victim advocate John Walsh.
While he has been known for decades as a hero through his exploits on the race track, Andretti is delighted to direct the spotlight on people who make a difference in everyday life.
"The Hall of Heroes really emphasizes the positive and I feel good about that in today's world," Andretti said. "It demonstrates how individuals doing small things can make a difference, even if it's something like a smile.
"I occasionally help out with the Meals on Wheels program, and when I look at people who on a daily basis bring comfort to elderly or less fortunate individuals out of the goodness of their heart through volunteering, to me, those are the real heroes being honored here."
Mario offered his own take on what constitutes a hero.
"I had many heroes at different stages of my life," he said. "The first thing that comes to mind is my mother. She was in a family of demanding males ... you talk about a strong woman! Later on when we [Mario and twin brother Aldo] started racing, she was on our side fighting my dad because he didn't understand it. So she was my hero.
"And there are many others, people you feel who contributed to something you love, or created a path for you. They're people who contributed something positive in your life and that's what's being recognized here."
Andretti said that being called a hero brings a sense of responsibility to live up to a higher standard. He frequently notices it on the many occasions when he is asked for an autograph or photo.
"There has to be a gentleness when you're approached by somebody who is just curious about the work you have done," Andretti noted. "I feel a moment of appreciation, quite honestly, and I like to give that back to thank the individual and make them feel like it's important in the way they are thinking. It goes both ways, especially with little kids who are often timid. I like to break the ice a bit and give them time to express themselves. It makes them feel good, but it makes me feel good -- probably even better. Those are the things that are easy and small and all you have to do is realize that's really happening at the moment."
Mario believes the genesis of his generosity toward fans was sparked by an encounter he had with the late Indy car driver Eddie Sachs in the late 1950s.
"I was at Trenton, and somehow, my brother and I got into the pits," Andretti recalled. "I walked up to Eddie Sachs, and I was shaking. He looked at me, and he must have thought I wanted to say something, because you know what? He gave me the time. He was patient and he gave me the time to talk to him.
"I still had broken English, and I don't remember what I said, but he was patient, and I never forgot that," Mario continued. "In my own career, I felt some kid was probably going to be like I was, and I remember the impact it made on me, just giving me that time and making me feel like I was important in that moment. You learn things like that in life and it doesn't go away."
A year ago, Andretti's career was celebrated at the annual Road Racing Drivers Club dinner at Long Beach, and this year, the honor went to his longtime rival Bobby Unser. Spurred on by emcee (and RRDC president) Bobby Rahal, Unser regaled the capacity crowd of racing dignitaries with a series of hilarious stories -- many of them involving Andretti.
Unser talked about his brief foray into Formula 1 in 1968, starting with the failed attempt he and Andretti made to compete in the Italian Grand Prix and the USAC Hoosier Hundred dirt race in the same weekend. F1 authorities eventually denied the Americans from participating at Monza, but they were able to make their debut a few weeks later on home soil at Watkins Glen in the United States Grand Prix.
That was a markedly different weekend for the pair. Driving for the champion Lotus team, Andretti qualified on pole position for his maiden F1 race. Unser, meanwhile, was finding things more difficult.
"I played in a basketball game in Indianapolis against a bunch of press guys the night before we started practice at Watkins Glen," Unser said. "I'm not a basketball player, so I jumped up in the air and when I came down I broke my right ankle. In the F1 car, I was having a hard time heel and toeing, so I went down to the track doctor and told him I needed a novocaine shot for my ankle. So he gave me a handful of pills instead.
"Well, I didn't know what the hell to do so I went over to the water fountain and swallowed those pills and I wrecked that [race] car so bad you wouldn't believe it! I stood there looking at that car, and it maybe had one wheel left on it, and all I could think was that my ankle still hurt!"
The 1960s and '70s were heady days for Indy car racing, and Andretti and Unser were often at the forefront. They were the best of friends until the 1981 Indianapolis 500, when Unser won, but Andretti's team protested, claiming that Unser illegally passed cars under yellow. The win was handed to Andretti, but returned to Unser on appeal six months later.
"Mario was good, and fast, and one of the best friends I ever had ... until he tried to steal the '81 race from me," Unser said. "The friendship ended right then and there, sad to say it."
With the corporate polish of the modern world, it's hard to imagine any of today's drivers trying to drive in a race high on painkillers. Times have changed, yet the Long Beach Grand Prix endures.
But Indy car racing isn't producing heroes like Andretti and Unser anymore. Drivers like Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves and Sebastien Bourdais rank high on the all-time list of Indy car race and pole winners, yet they are not afforded the kind of respect and adulation their elders earned decades ago.
That frustrates Andretti.
"We have talent that's beyond what we ever had," he said. "The depth of the field is as good as ever and we have individual drivers that are icons. They're all very, very good, but they're not talked about enough and that's something you can't force. It has to just happen.
"The only magic wand is to keep them in front of the public," Mario added. "You can't just fold the tent three months before your competition. Extend the season and have more events."