LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Celebrity spotting at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of the favorite pastimes of ticket-holders. Park under a shade tree near the car corral for the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race or near the hospitality area of the paddock and watch a steady stream of A-, B- and C-listers pass by.

Some stars don't appear in People magazine or walk the red carpet, such as Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer. The grand marshal for the April 21 race who also is driving in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race posed for a steady stream of photos with fans and celebs alike. He also chatted with four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, seeking a few tips, before qualifying on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit.

"This is such a great honor," Meyer said. "I truly appreciate it."

Meyer, 24, a U.S. Marine and Kentucky native, is the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient, the third living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, and the first living U.S. Marine in 38 years to be honored. He received the Medal of Honor in 2011 for his 2009 actions in Afghanistan. Most recently, Meyer has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the Hiring Our Heroes program.

Jesse Metcalfe, co-star of TNT's "Dallas" and one of the drivers in the Pro/Celebrity Race said Meyer "has no fear."

"He is having a lot of fun out there, but unlike a lot of us, he isn't afraid to wreck," Metcalfe said.

Aspiring IZOD IndyCar Series driver and Olympic swimming gold medalist Tyler Clary was quickest of the drivers in qualifying. Racing For Kids is the primary beneficiary of funds raised from the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson and former major leaguer Randy Johnson also were relatively under the radar during IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights practice -- identified solely by the numbers on their photo vests.

Wilson owns CJ Wilson Racing, which fields two Mazda MX-5s in the GRAND-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge as well as several cars in the Mazda MX-5 Cup series.

A little relaxation on a busy weekend

Viso visits the LA GalaxyFollowing the three rounds of qualifications for the IZOD IndyCar Series race, Andretti Autosport driver E.J. Viso will relax a bit at an LA Galaxy match.

The Venezuelan visited the team earlier in the week during its preparations for Kansas City. He exchanged a firesuit with defender Sean Franklin for a Galaxy jersey and received a soccer ball from Leonardo.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Graham Rahal hosted a poker tournament that will benefit local charity Children Today and Graham Rahal Foundation. More than 30 people signed up to play for prizes that included airplane pilot lessons, a Patron tequila care package, race tickets and more.

"I would love for this to become an annual event," Rahal said. "It’s an opportunity for us to host something special for the fans on race weekend and also raise some awareness for our cause and other local charities, too."

On this date

April 20, 2008 -- Danica Patrick becomes the first female to win a closed-course automobile race. The site was Twin Ring Motegi in an Andretti Autosport car.

April 20, 2008 -- Simona de Silvestro won the Atlantic race on the streets of Long Beach.

He said it

"What Chip Ganassi Racing has always been about, truthfully, is trying to have drivers at the caliber of Ryan (Briscoe) drive our race cars. And now we have a fourth one for Indy 500. And that will help us with the partnerships we have with the drivers and the teams in order to get the most out of the extended practices we have there. Every day is a practice day there until we qualify."
-- Target Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull