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In a season where one crew chief has likened the risk-taking by his colleagues as throwing "Hail Marys," the championship race between Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart could be determined by what their crew chiefs do Sunday at Homestead.

Pit strategy has played key roles in several races from trying to gamble on fuel or on how many tires to change on the last pit stop — all to help track position.

Sunday, Bob Osborne might have make to such calls for Edwards and Darian Grubb might have to do the same for Stewart.

"Push comes to shove, I'm going to make decisions that's going to make our program have the best finish possible," Osborne said. "The goal is to win the race, so we're going to do what we feel is best for a strategy to accomplish that goal."

Grubb admits his stomach can churn at times during a race while atop the pit box.

DAYTONA TESTING: NASCAR held a one-day test Tuesday at Daytona that was partially designed to try to find a way to do away with the two-car drafting many fans hate at Daytona and Talladega.

PENALTY: NASCAR fined crew chief Tony Eury Jr. $10,000 and placed him on probation until March 28, 2012, for having improperly attached weight on Danica Patrick's car at Phoenix last weekend.

PIT STOPS: Organizers of Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, are suspending further construction of the project until a contract assuring that Formula 1 will race there next year is complete. ... The chassis Carl Edwards will use at Homestead had been run six times this year and finished in the top 10 each time. It last ran at Texas a couple of weeks ago when Edwards finished second. ... Kurt Busch will be making his 400th career Cup start this weekend. ... Rockingham Speedway will host the Polar Bear 150 on Nov. 26. The race will start up to 99 cars.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com