With only four races left in the 2007 Chase for the Nextel Cup, the series headed to the high-banked 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Coming into this weekend’s race Jeff Gordon held a 53 point advantage over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer, the only other threat for the championship, started the day 115 points back on Gordon. Stellar performances by both Gordon and Johnson throughout the Chase have set them apart from the twelve-man field. Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch led the field down to the green flag to start Sunday’s Pep Boys Auto 500.

During the third caution of the day – coming on lap 57 – the field stacked up coming into pit road, causing damage to Clint Bowyer’s nose and right rear quarter panel. Third in the points, Bowyer was left to not only fight through traffic, but left to a poor handling car for the rest of the day.

The race was stopped under a red flag condition on lap 65, when David Gilliland spun down the backstretch collecting Mark Martin. The impact was hard for both drivers, and sent debris spewing across the track. In his final appearance in the Budweiser Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. used the high line to move towards the front. However, a tire issue forced Junior to pit road on lap 113, leaving him one lap down.

After starting thirtieth, the fourth place man in the Chase, Tony Stewart, made his way up to seventh by lap 65. However, after a restart on lap 103, the Home Depot Chevrolet began to struggle. Falling from the top ten and struggling to stay competitive, Stewart brought his car to the attention of Greg Zipadelli and Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew on lap 136. Stewart’s problems continued on lap 195 when he lost oil pressure and headed to pit road once again, this time with the hood up.

After Bobby Labonte brought out the seventh caution on lap 162, the leaders hit pit road. Going for clean air and better track position, both Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer took only two tires. The younger Busch was then left to battle brother Kurt and Truex Jr. – both with four fresh tires – for the lead after the restart.

With less than fifty laps to go, the race appeared to be between Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Matt Kenseth – who started the day shotgun on the field, after engine problems in practice. Fuel mileage became the concern every crew chief, approaching the checkered flag.

Almost all the leaders – and subsequently most of the Chasers – found themselves short on fuel. A blown right front tire, by Johnny Sauter with seven laps to go, appeared to solve fuel issues.

Kyle Busch led the field to pit road for their final stops of the day. Denny Hamlin gambled trying to earn his first win since July in New Hampshire, by staying out. Chad Knaus made the call for two tires on the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, winning the race off pit road, beating Dale Jr. and Jamie McMurray – both took only two tires.

A terrible pit stop mired then leader Kyle Busch deep in the field, leaving the young driver frustrated.

Restarting with only three laps to go, Denny Hamlin sputtered at the Start/Finish line causing the field to stack up behind him.

As the field was trying to avoid the stalled FedEx Chevrolet, Martin Truex Jr. plowed into the back of Hamlin’s slow car, ending his day. Truex Jr. appeared to have the most dominant car for much of the afternoon, leading for 135 laps, however was left with a thirty-first place finish.

This botched restart set up a Green/White/Checkered finish for the second week in a row. Jimmie Johnson led Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Reed Sorenson and Jamie McMurray to the green flag for the final shootout.

Going into turn one, the Budweiser Chevrolet lost a left rear tire sending the car spinning up the banking and collecting McMurray. The hard crash froze the field and gave Johnson his second win in two weeks.

With the win, Johnson moved within nine points of teammate Jeff Gordon in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Winning the last four races, it appears these Hendrick Motorsports teammates are going to decide this championship amongst themselves.

With only three more races left in the 2007 Chase, it is going to take some sort of trouble for both HMS drivers in order for Bowyer to catch them.