"Throughout the whole process, when we weren't on the track, we were on the phone with Steve and he was as much a part of it as he could be," said his driver, Jeff Gordon. "It's awkward for him because he hasn't been in the garage area. He almost feels like going to the bus to call us."

Since they were suspended in June, Letarte and fellow Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus have managed to stay busy. But that hasn't kept them from being frustrated.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it's tough," Knaus said Friday after rejoining reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 team at Michigan International Speedway to prepare for Sunday's 3M Performance 400.

Knaus and Letarte, who works with the No. 24 of four-time Cup champion Gordon, were banned from attending six races after NASCAR technical inspectors found front fenders that were not approved on their entries before the June 24 race at Sonoma.

"It's very frustrating," said Letarte, who had never before been suspended. "I (could) do everything Monday through Thursday to prepare them, give them my notes, give them my ideas, this is how the last race went, this is how the next race might go. But, when they leave and come out to the racetrack, they're kind of on their own."

Knaus has had suspensions in the past - and they don't get any easier.

"I've never done anything else my whole life and Steve's in the same boat," Knaus said. "In 24, 25 years of racing, I've been gone every weekend, every week I'm gone somewhere else, some other town going racing.

"When you instill that kind of competitive nature into your blood, it's kind of difficult to unplug yourself. But it's what happens, you just have to deal with it. I didn't enjoy it, that's for sure. It's good to be back."

Both teams have done a decent job in the absence of their leaders.

Gordon, leading the season standings, has posted top-10 finishes in all six races and increased his points lead over runner-up Denny Hamlin from 171 - after NASCAR docked both Gordon and Johnson 100 points for "Fender-gate" - to 344.

Johnson hasn't been quite as fortunate.

He was fourth, 366 behind his teammate after the points deduction. Heading into Sunday's event - one of four races left before the 12-man field for the Chase for the championship is set - Johnson is seventh, 595 points behind Gordon, who has already clinched a spot in the postseason.

There's little chance Johnson will miss out on the Chase, since he is still 356 points in front of 13th-place Ryan Newman. But momentum is key heading into the stock car playoff.

Crashes in consecutive races at Chicago and Indianapolis relegated Johnson to finishes of 37th and 39th and seriously slowed his team's progress. But he has since righted the ship, finishing fifth at Pocono and third at Watkins Glen.

Both teams greeted the return of their crew chief with a strong effort Friday, with Gordon winning his series-leading sixth pole of the year and Johnson qualifying seventh.

"I think that Steve just brings a little something special," Gordon said. "He's the guy who's gotten us into the situation, leading the points, winning four races and qualified for the Chase."

Since the crew chiefs were suspended only from coming to the tracks, Knaus and Letarte were able to take the lead in repairing Johnson's battered cars.

"We share a shop and the No. 24 has been fortunate," Letarte said. "We've had some pretty good luck all year. The No. 48 has been a little unfortunate, getting caught up in some of those accidents. So we've just been making sure that the two teams have a full stable of cars entering the Chase."

Johnson appeared relieved to have Knaus, the only crew chief he's had in his six seasons in Cup, back at the track.

"We're very proud of the team and the effort we've put out through all of it, but there's no doubt that we've been less of a team without Knaus at the track," the driver said.

Neither one of the crew chiefs was repentant about the technical violations that prompted the penalties.

"I'm sorry for what happened but, for the reason that it happened, I'm not sorry because what we did was not something that we thought was bad," Knaus said. "We didn't feel like we were breaking the rules.

"I don't feel any regret, remorse or anything like that. Am I sorry I missed the races? Am I sorry that I wasn't there? Absolutely. ... But regret or remorse, no, that's not even an option."

Letarte said he too is just ready to move on.

"If you're asking if I laid awake at night thinking about it, no," he said. "I'm not too worried about it. I kind of have bigger goals. I lay awake more at night trying to figure out how we're going to win a championship (rather) than for not being here for the last six races."