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Andretti's F1 win at Long Beach holds test of time

Mario Andretti became the first (and only) American to win a U.S. Grand Prix when he stormed Long Beach on April 3, 1977. Thirty years later, he revisits that historic day with John Oreovicz.

Updated: April 12, 2007, 3:23 PM ET
By John Oreovicz | Special to ESPN.com

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- In the spring of 1977, Mario Andretti was a 37-year-old race-car driver whose career had taken him to a crossroads. I was a 12-year-old boy who had just moved to Indiana and discovered car racing -- Formula 1, surprisingly enough, given that I lived an hour from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Our paths indirectly intersected on the afternoon of April 3.

On that day, Mario drove a Lotus 78-Ford to victory in the third Long Beach Grand Prix, arguably the most significant ...

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