LOS ANGELES -- With several hundred people milling about on the track before the start of the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 9, USC coach Clay Helton had no problem blending in. He was there to serve in a supposed celebrity capacity as the race’s grand marshal, but he was more in awe of the millions of dollars in racing equipment in the pits than anyone was to see him up close.
His relative anonymity shouldn’t be surprising. But it provided a stark contrast to the previous two people who held the honor: boxer Oscar De La Hoya and actor Patrick Stewart.