August 14 was an unfortunate day for NASCAR fans, as Team Penske’s former crew chief passed away. The news came as a shock to the whole community, as Roy McCauley was apparently doing fine just a day before his passing. The late crew chief was responsible for 2 Cup Series wins and 6 Xfinity Series wins with the team. Now that he has left for the heavens, how is the team doing?

Team Penske made an announcement upon learning about McCauley’s passing, as they put up a post on X (formerly Twitter) sharing the bad news. It’s obvious that the team is shaken up by the sudden passing of their crew chief, and after sharing a few words about what he meant to the team, they shared their prayers with his wife and family. Austin Cindric was one of the drivers who saw McCauley a day before his passing, and a few days later, his words for the late legend surfaced.

What did Austin Cindric say about Roy McCauley?

After hearing the bad news, Bob Pockrass made his way to the Team Penske shop, where he met with Austin Cindric to talk about the loss of the crew chief. Considering everything that McCauley has done for the team, it is obvious that the team is still mourning the tragic loss. What makes this situation even more difficult is that the late crew chief was fine when he had a talk with Cindric the day before his passing.

McCauley was 53 when he suddenly passed away, and as Cindric was the last driver to see him, he had a few things to say about the late Daytona winner from 2008. While speaking to Pockrass, Cindric shared kind words about McCauley as he said, “Yeah, Roy, he was the difference-maker.” To pay tribute to the late legend, the team will be honoring him at the upcoming race by putting McCauley’s name on their cars.

The No. 2 Ford driver credited Roy McCauley for the kind of person he was by saying, “He is a special dude and a go-getter—the guy that’s going to make it happen. As far as all the guys that I’ve worked with, there are very few mechanics that made it on our team that haven’t gotten his stamp of approval first,” Revealing to the world more about McCauley, Cindric added, “He’s a straight shooter, a bit of a hard ass, and I’ll really miss him.”

The impact that McCauley has had on the team will not be forgotten, as he was an important figure for not only the drivers but also the staff at the garage. Austin Cindric spoke about meeting McCauley the day before the crew chief passed away and said that he was lucky to have met him before he took to the heavens. This is a heartbreaking moment for the team, fans, and the whole community. Aside from the Columbus native, here is what the Team Penske page put out on Instagram.

Team Penske’s kind words for the late legend

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While announcing the bad news about the 53-year-old legend passing away, Team Penske put up a post on X where they shared what Roy McCauley meant to the team. The post on X read, “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to someone who has given so much to our team for over twenty years.”

Saying that McCauley was a “make it happen” type of person, the team touched on how he was not only a great mechanic but also took on the role of a leadership figure for many members of the team. Remembering one of his best moments, they spoke about how the 2008 Daytona win would not be possible without him.

McCauley was also responsible for leading the transformation of the team’s assembly shop process, and those are just a few things that the team could put into words. We will never understand what exactly McCauley did for the team, but what we can do is honor his memory.

Team Penske has been winning the Cup Series Championship for the last 2 years, with Joey Logano taking the win in 2022 and Ryan Blaney in 2023. Will they keep up this winning streak to honor the team’s late member? Share your thoughts in the comments below.