LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Shoreline Drive. Sit in a grandstand lining the high-speed stretch of asphalt to experience the power of the Indy cars pounding at your chest as the blur of 23 tightly-packed and colorful race cars slice for position. Pick up the notes of the twin turbos and mark the points as drivers rip through the six-speed sequential shift gearbox.

Lap after lap, it resonates with spectators, who return year after year to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to get caught up in the excitement.

Bryan Herta had a similar experience years ago during the race weekend, and it effectively set him on a successful motorsports career path that was recognized April 16 with his induction into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame.

Also inducted was Robby Gordon, who finished third in the 1994 Indy car race at Long Beach and posted victories in the 1992 Trans-Am Series and the 2014 Formula Off-Road Series races.

Herta, whose Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian team will enter the No. 98 Honda driven by Verizon IndyCar Series rookie Gabby Chaves in the 41st Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend, drove to third-place finishes in the 1998 and ’99 Indy car races on the street circuit.

The honor, though, isn’t solely about racing accomplishments at his “home track;” it’s about dreams of youth fulfilled and a legacy.

“As a kid growing up in Southern California I was always a fan of racing. My dad became one of the original shareholders of the Long Beach Grand Prix in 1975, and he did it because when you became a shareholder you got two tickets to the race every year,” Herta said. “Going to the Long Beach Grand Prix really is what made me want to become an Indy car driver. It was my first exposure to Indy cars, and my childhood dream was to race the Long Beach Grand Prix.

“I had a pole (with Team Rahal in ’98) and led three of the races, but it’s one that got away from me. It certainly inspired me to pursue that career path and led me to everything that’s happened since. To be inducted into the Walk of Fame is incredibly special for me because it’s my home race, because my dad is here with me. When we started, it was he and I. It kind of feels coming full circle.”

Herta persuaded his father, Thomas (in photo at left), to buy him a go-kart. Six years and six championships later, Herta enrolled in the Skip Barber Series in 1988 to win 14 out of 18 races and the title. He continued to climb the open-wheel racing ladder, winning the Indy Lights title in 1993, and moving to Indy cars.

“My days of winning the Long Beach Grand Prix as a driver are over, but it’s still a big aspiration of mine to win it as an owner,” said Herta, who turns 45 on May 23 (the day before the 99th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race). “Going with a rookie is a tall order this year, but outside of winning Indy it would be the most meaningful thing we could accomplish.”

Chaves, the 2014 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion, said he appreciates Herta's determination and his personal touch.

"You think you can know someone with what you've read and what you've learned, but you really don't know until you meet them, and especially someone like Bryan who is so genuine and so straightforward," Chaves said. "For me, it almost seals the deal when you can work with someone like Bryan Herta. He'll help you any way he can and he'll be honest with you."

The Walk of Fame medallions include renditions of the racers’ cars and their major achievements in motorsports.

“Robby Gordon and Bryan Herta have made legendary contributions to the field of motorsports, and they have truly earned their place on the Motorsports Walk of Fame,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said during the ceremony outside the Long Beach Convention Center. “These two honorees have delighted race fans for years, here in Long Beach and around the world.”

Previous winners include Phill Hill, Dan Gurney, Brian Redman, Chris Pook, Newman/Haas Racing, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Gary Gabelich, Al Unser Jr., Bobby Rahal, Michael Andretti, Danny Sullivan, Jimmy Vasser, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Scott Pruett, Galles Racing, Paul Tracy, Adrian Fernandez, Dario Franchitti, Gerald Forsythe, and Kevin Kalkhoven.