Lowndes, Kelly head into final race neck and neck.

The 2006 V8 Supercar title will go down to the wire after Craig Lowndes managed to squeeze the three points gap down to nothing as he got the better of Rick Kelly in the second of three races at Phillip Island.

Having reduced the gap from seven points to three after the first race, Lowndes third place in the race compared to Kelly's fourth was enough to ensure that they would enter the final race of the season as they started - neck and neck on points.

Up at the front it was Todd Kelly who was romping away with victory, only dropping his lead during the pit stop window, while a hard charging Mark Winterbottom battled his way up from seventh on the grid to cross the line in second place, the Ford driver claiming the fastest lap too.

Most eyes were on the battle between Lowndes and Kelly though, with the latter having gotten ahead at the start of the race, only to drop back behind his rival with a somewhat tardy pit stop.

Both running where they started in fourth and fifth respectively, defensive driving by Kelly's Toll Holden team-mate Garth Tander n third drew staunch criticism from the stewards who flagged him for bad sportsmanship, eventually being given a drive-through penalty and releasing the feuding pair.

Eventually they would finish in tandem, setting up a mouth watering final race where winner really will take all.

Steven Richards claimed fifth, ahead of Mark Skaife in a race that was not quite as Holden dominated as it had been in the opening race. Will Davison was once again inside the top ten in seventh, with Jason Bright, Jamie Whincup and Cameron McConville rounding out thetop ten.