And the Grand Prix of Long Beach has begun.

Racing legends and co-grand marchals for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr., uttered the famous words, “Drivers, start your engines” — and then the competitors were off.

The titular race is the crescendo for the 50th anniversary of Long Beach’s iconic event.

The final day of the Grand Prix of Long Beach’s golden anniversary celebration officially kicked off on Sunday morning, with the gates opening at 7:30 a.m.

Thousands of fans converged on the concourse to kick off the day’s festivities with IndyCar warm-ups at 9 a.m.

This year, Long Beach is the third race in the IndyCar Series season.

The first two races this season were the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (in Florida) and the Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix.

Alex Palou, 28, won both of those — leaving fans to wonder if the Spaniard will start the 2025 season off with a hat trick in Long Beach today.

It’s been an auspicious start for Palou, the two-time defending IndyCar Series champion. But he’s never won the Grand Prix of Long Beach; the closest he’s come is a third-place finish last year — in a thrilling race won by Australian Scott Dixon.

This year’s Grand Prix will also run 90 laps this year instead of the traditional 85 — and will feature a special tribute to the first responders and firefighters who battled the L.A. Wildfires in January.

On Saturday, Kyle Kirkwood earned his first NTT P1 Award of the season and third of his career with a top lap of 1 minute, 6.1921 seconds in the No. 27 PreFab Honda on his last lap in the Firestone Fast Six.

“Whoever is the best driver is going to win,” Kirkwood said in an interview on Fox 11 shortly before the race began. “A lot of heavy hitters (are) here.”

Before the race, 27 first responders will ride in the back of pickup trucks alongside IndyCar drivers in a parade lap — with Los Angeles city fire Capt. Erick Scott taking the helm as honorary starter.

Pasadena Fire Department Chief Anthony James will also get a special recognition before the race kicks off.

As the race drew near, on-the-track interviews with co-grand marshals Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. took place.

Elsewhere on the track, people walked around in color-coordinated clusters, race teams in bright oranges and yellows, U. S. Army soldiers watching race cars being towed, a huddle of sheriff’s deputies in loose formation. Race fans walked, phones in hand, ready to catch that perfect shot.

There was a gasp as Pato O’Ward’s orange No. 5 was towed down the track.

“Once in a lifetime!” a fan crowed, raising his phone for a photo. He froze when the man himself walked by with a crew member. He didn’t get that shot.

O’Ward is among the most popular — if not the most — in Long Beach, with the crowd roaring during his introduction.

Josef Newgarden and Alex Rossi also received loud cheers.

After an overcast morning, the sun finally began to peak out from behind the clouds – just in time for the start of the Grand Prix. In its 50 years, the Long Beach Grand Prix has never been cancelled or postponed because of weather — a tradition that continued on Sunday.

Aside from the titular race, Sunday will have plenty more to offer for race funs, including the second Historic Formula exhibition and GT America Race, alongside the Mothers Exotic Car Parade.

Off the track, fans will surely check out the Lifestyle Expo — stocked with more than 100 vendors, from toy car sellers to an In-N-Out truck to a high-tech racing simulator — at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

There’s also the Food Truck Village, Family Fun Zone and plenty more for fans to check out on the last day of the Grand Prix.

Early on Sunday, throngs of fans once again cut through the marine layer to converge on the Grand Prix concourse.

It’s been a busy weekend in downtown Long Beach — particularly the workers.

Vanessa Gallegos, 27, of Long Beach, said she was exhausted but happy. This is her third year bartending at Outback Steakhouse and so fair, its been par for the course, she said, mixing cocktails for Grand Prix fans sitting in the grandstands in front of the restaurant.

“It’s so crazy and so fun, the environment and the people,” she said. “It’s a big party of people who love cars and having a good time.”

Gallegos said Sunday she expects to make a fair share of the most popular drink at the bar —  a frozen peach bellini.

“We have a deejay on the patio,” Gallegos said. “We watch the races and it’s a good time.”

As for the thousands of fans at the Grand Prix, there were first-time and longtime visitors there on Sunday.

Michelle Weber and Mike Frize, for example, have been coming to the Grand Prix for years — on and off.

“When we were younger, probably from like 16 to our mid-20s, we were here,” Frize said, noting the pair have missed a few years here and there since then. “(But we’ve been coming) most of our lives.”

That includes coming for last four years in a row, Weber said.

Both Long Beach natives, Weber and Frize said the Grand Prix gives them more than opportunity to watch thrilling high-speed races or party — it’s a place for them be with their communities.

“I love the city of Long Beach, and I think there’s so much diversity here – and to have such a huge event be a part of our city and community is something special,” Weber said. “Long Beach is such a special, unique town, and everything comes together for this one weekend.”

For Frize, who is a general contractor in Long Beach, the Grand Prix offers a place for him to meet and catch up with many people he’s worked with, not to mention friends and family.

“It’s a good meeting place,” Frize said, “(and) it’s good to get out and people watch.”

Frize and Weber didn’t come Friday or Saturday — just for the big race on Sunday.

“We love to walk the Convention Center and see all the cars, and then we love to go watch the race,” Weber said. “But we like to move around.”

The pair doesn’t bother with reserved seating in the grandstands for that reason: there are plenty of other places to get a great view of the Grand Prix, while getting to take in the rest of what the event has to offer, they said.

“We don’t sit,” Frize added. “We just kind of walk around and enjoy it.”

As for the titular race itself, Frize said, he doesn’t much pay attention to who’s competing anymore — since the Grand Prix has come to take on a different purpose for him.

“I used to (root for drivers) before,” Frize said. “But now I couldn’t tell you who’s contending or not. It’s just fun to be here and support our city.”