Happy 29th, Hanamaru Kunikida!

Happy 25th, Muni Ohnaruto!

Now the "real" season begins. The Grand Festival and Regional Series are headed to Phoenix Raceway as we break out of the non-traditional opening tracks! #LL_IRL #lovelive #BanGDream #D4DJ #NASCAR

Happy 25th, Kohane Azusawa!

Happy 20th, Miracle Kanazawa!

Points after COTA and St. Petersburg! Things are starting to normalize now. With her three wins, Chika leads teammate Ayumu by 70 points! Muni and Ren hold their respective point leads handily. Up next, Grandfes and Regional head to Phoenix! #LL_IRL #lovelive #NASCAR

Chika was winless last year. Now, she's turned a zero into a one, a one into a two, and a two into a three! She can also proudly proclaim that she straight-up beat Maki on a road course! Phoenix is next week; can she cross another off her list? #LL_IRL #lovelive #NASCAR

Three races! Three victories! She just cannot be stopped! Chika Takami is hotter than the sun! #LL_IRL #lovelive #NASCAR

Aurora (#77) crashes hard on the frontstretch but gets away!

Final lap! One more time around for Chika!

2 laps to go, it's all Chika up front!

3 laps remain! Chika's lead just keeps growing!

7 to go! Chika leads Maki by a second and Dia has stalled out at 3 seconds behind the leaders!

8 to go! Chika is pulling away!

8 laps to go, Maki needs to force Chika into a mistake if she wants to get past!

Dia muscles Nico out of the way for 3rd, 10 laps to go, she might spoil the top 2's party!

This is the battle for the win! If Chika wants to win three in a row, she'll have to beat the best road racer in the league to do it! 11 laps remain at COTA! #LL_IRL #lovelive #NASCAR

Kanan (#17) goes around in turn 20 and will continue!

Nico and Maki are a lot of things. Recently, they've been student and teacher, and now they're competitors on-track! Maki is 2nd, Nico is 3rd!

14 to go, Chika gaps Maki by a half second! Nico is 3rd, Kaho 4th!

Aya (#88) spins AGAIN, going around with Yuna (#38)! Up front, Maki (#97) gets to 2nd while Chika (#45) keeps the lead!

17 laps to go! Chika and Nico go for it, Maki and Aya behind them! #LL_IRL #lovelive #NASCAR

She was around when someone needed help.

Tsubasa (#71) defeatedly heads to pit road, but also brings a bunch of other cars with her. Race off: Tsubasa-Dia-Lanzhu-Mia-Mei-Kanan-Shioriko-Sayaka-Tsuzuri-Ayumu!

Driver change! Rina (#48) has been sick all race, and is now getting out of the car. An interesting name is relieving her: Saaya Yamabuki is climbing in to finish the race!

The caution comes out after Leah (#1) loses a right-rear wheel and slides through the gravel!

The #71 team is taking a gamble, staying out while everyone else pits. Tsubasa almost won Daytona with this strategy. However, Chika is running 3 seconds faster than her. 23 to go!

Maki (#97) and Aya (#88) come to pit road. Could either of them catch Chika and Nico?

Chika (#45) and Nico (#12) pull off the track to pit road! It's dead even coming off!

The top 5 all need to pit. Chika (#45), Nico (#12), Maki (#97), Kaho (#24), and Aya (#88) make it up. Aya is the fastest of them, 8.5 seconds back of the leader.

Inside 30 to go, Chika still leads Nico. Both need to come to pit road.

Ruby (#19) is ailing! Something is broken on the car. She'll slowly limp to pit road.

Dia (#20) is the first to dive to pit road. She's run top 10 all day, but doesn't have the race-winning speed that she had last year.

Dia (#20) and You (#5) are absolutely mixing it up for 9th! Mei (#8) enters the picture and looks to pass both!

Top 5: Chika Takami (#45) Nico Yazawa (#12) Ruby Kurosawa (#19) Kaho Hinoshita (#24) Maki Nishikino (#97)

Aya (#88) has entered the top 10! She's had a lot of work to do to get there.

Chika just hasn't been able to drive away from Nico. If the #12 can get past, she may be the one to get away! 40 laps remain!

Ginko (#43) was struggling in 33rd and spins out in turn 1. She'll get going.

Turn 1 is clean, Ruby (#19) makes an aggressive push for 3rd as Chika (#45) gets away with the lead!

The final stage is underway! The two up front are fast... Can Chika pull off the three-peat, or will Nico spoil her party? Let's find out! #LL_IRL #lovelive #NASCAR

Pitstops happen again! Race off: Lanzhu-Izumi-Sayaka-Honoka-Mao-Ai-Ayumu! Ayumu (#23) had contact with Yoshiko (#21), who stopped in front of her trying to get into her box. There will be at least one more stop in this race, either under green or under yellow. Chika leads!

Here's your dark horse contender to win! Lanzhu Zhong wins Stage 2! #LL_IRL #lovelive #NASCAR

Nico (#12) comes to pit road now and closes it behind her. Lanzhu (#54) will stay out and get the stage win.

Lanzhu (#54) runs 4th with a really, really good long-run car.

Penalty for Rina (#48), uncontrolled tire! Yoshiko (#21) spins and continues, leader Chika (#45) comes to pit road as Nico (#12) stays out for the stage win!

A few cars opt to pit before the leaders and flip the stage. Margarete (#11), Kanan (#17), Rina (#48) are among those.

Halfway through Stage 2! Current top 10: Chika Takami (#45) Nico Yazawa (#12) Kaho Hinoshita (#24) Izumi Katsuragi (#7) You Watanabe (#5) Ruby Kurosawa (#19) Maki Nishikino (#97) Dia Kurosawa (#20) Sayaka Murano (#16) Lanzhu Zhong (#54)

Izumi (#7) has made a big jump since the start of the race. She started 23rd, finished 27th in Stage 1, and now runs 4th. Pit strategy worked out for her.

Keke (#4) spins around in the sixes, but she'll get away. Nico (#12) is catching Chika (#45) for the lead!

Aya (#88) spins in turn 1, we stay green and Chika (#45) takes the lead!