If Jeff Gordon has anything to do with it NASCAR will have to wait at least one more year before they get their dream wish of having every driver in the Chase for the Championship go into the final round of the season with a shot at the Nextel Cup crown. A second consecutive win for the driver of the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet coupled with plenty of dramas for many of his Chase rivals means that it is highly likely that by the time the Homestead race rolls around Gordon will have but a small handful of drivers capable of denying him a fifth Cup Series title.
Of course Saturday night's Bank of America 500 marked only the half way point in the 2007 Chase but by the end of a crash-filled five hour marathon only four of Gordon's rivals were left within realistic striking distance in the points standings with the remaining seven drivers all more than 250 markers in arrears following a race that included no less than 15 yellow flags, one red flag stoppage and a green/white/chequered flag finish.
The action began on the very first tour (of an eventual 337) of the ultra-fast 1.5-mile Lowe's oval as rookie David Reutimann became the first of more than a dozen drivers to get too close to the SAFER barriers on the outside of turn four to bring out the first caution of the night.
Another caution some 20 laps later when Reed Sorenson and rookie David Ragan crashed on the front stretch kicked off the first of numerous pitstops with teams playing different strategy cards on every occasion. The constant shifts in tyre and fuel strategy contributed greatly to the final tally of lead changes (26) and drivers who spent at least one lap at the head of the field (11) but even in the races formative stages it was clear that five times Lowe's winner and Gordon's Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson was a cut above the rest.
