By Matthew Agius
The Toll HSV Dealer Team has won the opening race of the Dunlop Grand Finale, and closed a slender gap in the championship points to head into tomorrow's penultimate race tied for first place in the series with Jamie Whincup.
It was Tander's fourteenth race win for the 2007 championship, leading home the Holden Racing Team's Mark Skaife, and main title rival, Team Vodafone's Jamie Whincup.
The shortest priced favourite to win this year's title, Tander started from seventh on the grid to carve through the field and grab the first spoils of the weekend.
Mark Skaife, competing in his two hundredth round of Australian Touring Car racing, was second for the Holden Racing Team in a brand new car. Skaife was firming up as the winner during the early stages of the race, however was forced to concede the lead to the much faster #16 Toll HSV Commodore.
Tander's former teammate, Jamie Whincup, was third for Team Vodafone. Whincup battled Todd Kelly for most of the race after a slow pitstop on lap eight saw him rejoin behind the elder Kelly brother.
After passing Kelly on lap twenty-four, Whincup rose to third when Jason Richards slid off the track at turn two.
Whincup's team mate, Craig Lowndes, finished fourth. However the three-time champion was embroiled in a tangle with Todd Kelly on lap twenty-four – the incident is now under investigation by the stewards.
2006 champion Rick Kelly is now out of title contention after finishing sixth.
The pole sitter locked his left front tyre at turn four and went off the track, which saw him move outside of mathematical possibility for winning the championship.
Todd Kelly finished sixth for the Holden Racing Team after his incident with Lowndes.
The #22 Commodore driver managed to hold off a highly charged pack consisting of Mark Winterbottom, Russell Ingall and Will Davison to salvage sixth place.
Greg Murphy rounded out the top ten for Tasman Motorsport.
Three drivers failed to finish the race with Jason Bright and the two Team Sirromet Wines pilots of Paul Morris and Owen Kelly retiring from the opening 120-kilometre sprint.
