#99-Carl Edwards left open the possibility of Bob Osborne returning as his crew chief when his health issues improve. Edwards said he couldn ‘t elaborate on what the health issues are that forced team owner Jack Roush to replace Osborne with Chad Norris during the off week prior to Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But he made it clear the issue was serious enough that Osborne had to step away. ‘If we don ‘t do any better here and Bob is up to it, we ‘ll probably put Bob back in as soon as he’s able,’ Edwards said after Saturday’s first practice at IMS. ‘If this goes well and Bob is doing well in his new role, if that’s the best thing for him and Chad is doing great, then we ‘ll move forward doing this. Nothing is in stone right now. It could be a whole different scenario next weekend. We ‘re doing everything we can to be as good as we can right now.’ Edwards said Osborne won ‘t be at the track this weekend as Norris makes his debut for the #99 team that is 11th in points but behind four drivers with at least one win in the race for two wild-card spots. ‘I cannot reiterate enough, I can ‘t overstate it, Bob is a very, very dedicated guy to our sport,’ Edwards said. ‘He’s going through something that would be tough for anyone. For him to have done what he’s done at this level and to have kept it quiet, he’s just a tough, tough man.’ Edwards and Roush officials indicated Osborne’s issues don ‘t appear to be life threatening.(ESPN)(7-28-2012)
