Weekend That Was: NHIS

He wasn't around Sunday in the capacity that he would have liked to have been, but then again Roy McCauley has learned over the last several months to shrug off many things that previously would have bothered him.

McCauley began this season as a high-profile crew chief for an elite team that now is competing in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. But when his wife, Amy, was diagnosed with leukemia in February shortly after the beginning of the season, McCauley did not hesitate to step out of his role at the head of driver Kurt Busch's No. 2 Penske Dodge team and move to the side of his ailing bride.

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He was back at the track last weekend, trying to help Sam Hornish Jr. make his Nextel Cup debut in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. It felt good, he admitted, just to be back with the guys, back in the garage -- back facing a different kind of challenge, one far less important, than the one his wife has had to face over the last several months.

"My wife is starting to recover. There are some days that are better than others, as you would expect. We're taking that a day at a time," McCauley said.

Then he paused ever so briefly. "To be honest, I think she just wanted to get me the hell out of the house," he added, smiling.

McCauley has battled adversity previously during his career. In April of 2006, he missed a race at Phoenix after experiencing chest pains and subsequently undergoing minor surgery to treat a small blockage of his arteries. And in October of last year, he was fined $25,000 and suspended for two races when Busch's car failed post-qualifying inspection for a race in Charlotte because of a violation involved in a rear shock absorber.

All of that -- and much, much more -- pales mightily in comparison to what he has gone through with his wife recently.

"She's doing better," he said. "It's going to take a while for everything to get back to normal, but we're certainly on that path now. Her treatments are done. Her transplants are done. All the radiation is done. When you get into an illness like that, it can take a lot out of you. Certainly, she's just trying to get her strength back."

He said the experience of being there as she courageously battles her illness has changed him.

"I really enjoy the challenge of my job. I really enjoy the job. But we also have to keep perspective on our families and friends," McCauley said. "A lot of people mention their wealth by the number of championships and wins that they have. I measure my wealth by the friends that I keep and the family that I have. That's where I consider myself rich.

"Championships and wins, they'll come in due time. You can't necessarily have the time with family and friends when you need it. I think everybody in the garage area ought to look at that. The whole experience just made me appreciate life more. It's been a good experience to have to step back and figure out what's important again. I think that's something we all need to do."

He said he appreciates his job, and especially the way team owner Roger Penske has stood by him and his family while allowing him to spend time off with Amy. But now he tries to keep everything more in proper perspective.

"We are fortunate enough to be a part of a great sport and a great series, and to be challenged with what we are doing. The way I figure it, I haven't worked a day in my life [since] when I started racing," McCauley said. "You also have to keep in mind that there are 43 racecars and lots of races, but you only have one life or one son or one daughter or one mom or one dad. Robbie Loomis [former crew chief who now is head of operations for Petty Enterprises], I respect him a whole lot. If you look back two years ago he stepped away and spent more time with his [ill] mom."

So you'll have to forgive McCauley if he didn't get all that worked up about Hornish failing to qualify for Sunday's race (read more).

It mattered. He wanted it, and worked hard to try and make it happen. But when it didn't, McCauley was still smiling and looking forward to better days ahead.

"It's a good match right now," McCauley said of his pairing with Hornish, the Indy Car star who will attempt to make five or six more Cup races over the remainder of this season. "Obviously, I had a situation that took me away from it. I can help him a lot and give him an opportunity to have good experience around him and have a great crew around him.

"We'll go from there. I can't predict anything. And I don't like predicting anything."

Not anymore, anyway. Life is too unpredictable.

McCauley has learned that, and much more.

Cheering on the No. 2
Naturally, McCauley remains invested emotionally in Busch's No. 2 team, which he essentially built. The team began clicking this season when Pat Tryson was eventually moved into McCauley's former crew-chief position, after which it won two races and started reeling off one top-10 finish after another until it had secured a place in the Chase.

Although Busch struggled Sunday at New Hampshire, losing a cylinder early in the race that relegated him to a 25th-place finish and dropped him to last among the 12 Chasers, McCauley still likes their chances.

"I'm very proud of those guys, Pat Tryson, Kurt and all of those guys do a great job. I'm proud of them because they're where they deserve to be," McCauley said. "They haven't really made a whole lot of changes [since McCauley's exit]. They're just hitting their marks."

More on Hornish
It remains to be seen if Hornish, a former Indy 500 champion, can make a rapid and successful transition from open-wheel cars to stock cars. But again, McCauley likes his chances.

Asked what he liked about Hornish as a driver, McCauley replied: "He's a professional. He's a consummate professional. You don't get to where he's gotten by not being that. Plus he's hungry. Right now he's a big fish in a pond. He wants to look at other ponds, so to speak, and create another challenge.

"He could very easily sit back and say, 'Well, I'm just going to be king of the hill over here [in Indy Cars] for a while and drive for another three or four years and retire.' But no, he wants another challenge. I respect that."

Chase Rundown

The top three stayed the same, but everyone else in the 12-man playoffs changed positions after New Hampshire.

• Complete story, click here
• Inside the Chase, click here

Hamlin's complaints
Denny Hamlin was absolutely irate about the Car of Tomorrow following Sunday's race after starting 14th and finishing 15th (watch video). This is the same guy who seemed to applaud the COT after testing earlier last week at Talladega, but he pointed out afterward that testing is different than trying to run a race with all 43 cars on the track.

"It's just so frustrating when you know you're better than the five cars in front of you, and you can't do anything to pass them," Hamlin said. "The real test is when we're going to go to Indy next year. I don't see a guy even going a lap down. It's so bad out there.

"They have to change the front end of these cars. Either let us have more travel [into the corners], or just totally change the front nose of these racecars. I know they want them to match up to the rear bumpers, but that's not important to me as having a car that we can race. We need to have side-by-side racing, and right now we don't have that."

He said that could make qualifying even more important in the remaining COT races in the Chase, and of course next year when the COT will be run full time on the Cup circuit.

"You hate to say there is going to be more emphasis on qualifying, but I think that it's going to take qualifying better to run better. I mean, [Sunday] we just stayed in the same place all day. We didn't move. We couldn't," Hamlin said.

"You think it would make for a good show. But the problem is guys are just running single-file. They're not able to pass each other. I looked at the leaderboard, and for most of the day it didn't change. I think everybody would agree that until they make changes to the car, you're going to have the races that you're going to have -- and that's going to be single-file."

Quotable
Sylvania 300 winner Clint Bowyer was asked following the race if he had been in communication with team owner Richard Childress, who supposedly was off hunting in Mongolia. He laughed and said he hadn't been able to locate Childress yet.

"We don't even know where he is half the time," the smiling Bowyer said. "That man goes to some crazy places. We just let him go off and hope he gets back safe." (Rapid rise)

Pit Stops
• It seems everyone assumed that the top rookie honors in Cup this season would go to Juan Montoya. After all, the former Indy Car and Formula One star won at Sonoma and has been leading all rookies in points virtually all year. But guess what? After a recent surge, David Ragan has his rookie stripe right on the bumper of Montoya's in the points standings -- trailing him by just 36 points as Montoya sits in 20th and Ragan resides in 21st (rookie standings).

• If you haven't been paying attention to the Craftsman Truck Series points race, maybe you should. They didn't even need to reset the points for a Chase to offer a compelling battle between the top two competitors of Ron Hornaday and Mike Skinner, with Hornaday increasing his lead from four points to 29 by winning Saturday at New Hampshire (watch video).

• The crowd at NHIS Sunday -- announced at 101,000 -- was impressive, especially considering all the other sporting events that were going on in the area. Baseball's Red Sox were at home facing the hated New York Yankees, and on Sunday night the NFL's New England Patriots played at home, hosting the San Diego Chargers. There is no truth to the rumor that a Cup team hired Bill Belichick to try to read the lips of various crew chiefs during Sunday's race.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.