Leroy “Roy” Harrison McCauley was born March 10, 1970, to Harold (Kirk) and Susan McCauley in Greenbelt, Md. McCauley grew up working on cars at his father’s service station, Beltsville Shell, in Beltsville, Md. Their shared love of racing inspired him to pursue his degree in mechanical engineering and his longtime career in motorsports.
He obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland College Park School of Engineering in 1992. After graduation, McCauley relocated to Indianapolis and joined Patrick Racing’s INDYCAR program. He had his first of many tastes of victory lane in the memorable 1995 Michigan 500, where driver Scott Pruett beat Al Unser Jr. with a last lap pass. His stint with the organization saw two wins and four pole positions. McCauley joined PacWest Racing in 1999 as Race Engineer for driver Mauricio Gugelmin.
McCauley moved to North Carolina to work as a Race Engineer with the PPI Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team, where he reunited with Pruett, who was chasing Rookie of the Year honors in 2000. The following year, PPI and McCauley scored the organization’s first win with driver Ricky Craven at Martinsville.
In 2003, McCauley joined Team Penske and served as Technical Director from 2003 to 2005. In addition, he oversaw Team Penske’s growing ARCA and eventual NASCAR Xfinity Series development programs. He became Crew Chief of the part-time No. 39 Xfinity Series team with driver Ryan Newman in 2005. McCauley led the team to six wins in nine starts — including wins in five consecutive starts — along with eight top five finishes and four pole positions.
In 2006, McCauley was named Crew Chief for the No. 2 NASCAR Cup Series team and driver Kurt Busch, earning a win at the Bristol March race. After a short hiatus in 2007, McCauley returned to the Cup Series pit box in 2008 with Newman and the No. 12 team. The combination delivered Team Penske’s first Daytona 500 victory in the race’s 50th running. McCauley served as Crew Chief of the No. 12 car through 2009 before he transitioned to the role of Assembly Group Manager in 2010. He worked to centralize the team’s assembly activity into one group and led other special projects as needed.
McCauley’s “make it happen” mentality and leadership grew Team Penske’s NASCAR program rapidly. Accomplishments included four NASCAR Cup Series championships, seven NASCAR Xfinity Series championships and two additional Daytona 500 wins.
An avid cyclist, McCauley trained and rode six days a week, including daily lunchtime rides with colleagues from Team Penske. He competed in several amateur cycling events over the years, winning his division in the 2017 Bootlegger 100 and in the Charlotte Motor Speedway Cycling Time Trial Series.
Roy is remembered by his wife Amy; his parents, Kirk and Susan McCauley; his mother-in-law, Judy Leeper; a beloved group of family, friends, and colleagues; and his dog, Buddy. A private memorial service will be held in Maryland to celebrate his life at a later date.
Condolences may be shared online at Cavin-Cook Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Roy’s memory be made to the Holloway SAE Terps Racing Fund at his alma mater, the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park. Donations can be made online at Holloway SAE Terps Racing Fund or by check payable to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation (or “UMCPF”), Office of Gift Acceptance, 4603 Calvert Road, College Park, MD 20740. Please indicate the donation is in memory of Roy McCauley.
Cavin-Cook Funeral Home is serving the family.