Through 40 weeks and 36 races, so much can happen that it is a wonder the NASCAR Winston Cup Series is forced to go down to the wire and determine its championship in the last race of the year.

But, because of the persistence and resilience of the two contenders left standing, it will. Tony Stewart holds the cards, with an 89-point cushion and a magic number of 22, over Mark Martin. If Stewart finishes 22nd, even without leading a lap, he wins the title. That number gets even lower if he leads a lap or leads the most laps.

Even if Martin's appeal for 25 points he was docked after failing post-race inspection two weekends ago in Rockingham, N.C., is upheld, Stewart's magic number is still no higher than 14th at a track where he has won twice in its three-race existence.

And yet, Martin has bounced back from much more throughout his career, so it would be foolish to call this race before letting the drivers rumble. Martin has bounced back from a 12th-place caliber run last year to becoming a contender this year.

And it's happened, both for Stewart and for Martin, based on key decisions made entering, during and now in the closing of the 2002 season. Listed below, in order of occurrence -- not necessarily significance -- are those key moments.

December 2001: The Switch

	Martin

After struggling through most of the season and using a late rash of strong runs just to finish 10th, Roush Racing's Jeff Burton approached teammate Martin, who snapped a 12-season run of top-10 point standing finishes by finishing 12th, about a switch in the organization.

Burton thought Martin could use an infusion of youth and energy, and he though another Roush driver -- 2001 rookie Kurt Busch -- could use some experience. Burton suggested Martin and Busch switch crew chiefs, sending the 30-year-old Ben Leslie to Martin's team and the 49-year-old Jimmy Fennig to Busch's. As a result, both Martin and Busch came out of the gates strong and down the stretch are second and third, respectively, in the standings.

Feb. 18, 2002: The Drive

	Stewart

The race would finish a long time after Stewart was showered, changed and stewing in his own fury and disappointment.

After dominating Speedweeks -- winning the Bud Shootout and IROC race -- Stewart was the favorite to win the Daytona 500 to start the season. It would have been his first Daytona victory, and it would have marked the first time in his four-year career that he got off to such a strong start.

Then, after one lap around the 2½-mile superspeedway, he heard and felt something funny. After his second lap around the storied facility, his motor blew. On the third lap of the race, he pulled off the track and ended his day. He began the season 43rd -- dead last -- in points.

"It's a very tough way to start (the season)," team owner Joe Gibbs said. "It couldn't get any worse. There's not much else you can say about it."

It all could have ended right there for the 31-year-old driver. But he spent the night in Daytona and, instead of flying back home, got in his car the next day and drove. Driving, after all, is what makes him feel best. Stewart said he thought about all kinds of things -- although less about the previous day's misfortunes than one would expect -- and when he got home he was ready to attack North Carolina Speedway and the rest of the season.

May 2002: Single Duty
Stewart makes no bones about it: His most prized moment would be a moment outside of NASCAR. More than anything, the Indiana native wants to win the Indianapolis 500. In three previous years of Winston Cup racing, he's tried twice -- flying back to race the longest event of the Cup season afterward -- and finished in the top-10 in each event every time.

But his team said he could have won both of those Coca-Cola 600s had he had a little more energy. So in early May, with some nudging from his team, Stewart acknowledged that, even though he wants to win the Indy 500 more than any other race, he wants to win a Winston Cup title even more. As a contender even after the Daytona 500 debacle, he decided not to try the Indy/Charlotte double. He focused on the Cup deal and finished sixth. Though he did not win, and though he probably could have ran the Indy 500 and still finished sixth in the 600, his commitment to the team was inspiring to the crew. That meant more than anything else.

August 2002: The Sports Shrink
The reason Home Depot and Joe Gibbs Racing felt Stewart needed one aside, bringing in Dr. Jack Llewellyn was a great decision. It was made because Stewart shoved a photographer following the Brickyard 400 (perhaps, because he decided to shove a journalist rather than a fan or competitor -- for which he might have been docked points -- this should be included as a key decision, but I doubt Stewart was calculating whom to push based on potential penalty).

Although the act of pushing anyone is a bad decision, the effects turned out to be good. Stewart does have some difficulty controlling himself when he's angry, and having a sports psychologist has helped. It has helped in more ways than just helping Stewart control his temper, too. Gibbs said it has helped Stewart in focusing and remaining patient as he nears his first title. If Stewart pulls this out, Llewellyn, who also works with some Major League pitchers, should get a ring, too.

September 2002: Competitive Nonchalance
Ever since Martin briefly took the points lead in September and remained in contention through now, he has refused to get caught up in title talk. The 19-year veteran has been through three tight races before -- losing two in gut-wrenching fashion.

Deciding to emotionally distance himself from thinking of winning the title may very well be why he's still in the hunt. He appeared to be slipping last month, falling to third while everyone talked of a late-season duel between Stewart and rookie Jimmie Johnson. But by maintaining a focus on running strongly because his team has provided him cars capable of doing that has kept him in contention.

Rupen Fofaria is a beat writer for The Raleigh News & Observer.