So the Stewart Haas Racing debut in the No. 14 Ford didn't go quite as planned last year. Bowyer's uneven season had its bright spots and highlights to be sure, but the 13 Top-10 finishes and no victories fell short of expectations. The veteran driver failed to make the Chase for the Cup and would finish 18th in the final driver standings. While those were pretty good strides to take over his prior two years of racing, Bowyer was left feeling a bit empty after his first season at SHR. Mike Bugarewicz returns as crew chief for this driver and team, and the Bowyer will hope to continue improving and working his way back towards the top of the sport. We expect he'll do just that as his talent is unquestionable, and the resources of Stewart Haas Racing dictate that Bowyer and this team can achieve even better success.

Bowyer will be the driver to beat in 2017 for the rebound driver of the year award. You couldn't have a much more frustrating season than what he did in 2016 at HScott Motorsports. Bowyer struggled to only three Top 10's the entire year and a career-low 27th-place finish in the driver standings. Now that the Michael Waltrip Racing and HScott Motorsports chapters of his career are now behind him, Bowyer can get headed back towards the elite tier in NASCAR. This driver won three races, captured 23 Top 10's and finished runner-up the driver standings in 2012, so that potential is there. Those would be overly lofty goals for 2017, but taking over the No. 14 Ford of Tony Stewart at Stewart Haas Racing does inspire some thoughts of high ceiling potential. Bowyer and crew chief Mike Bugarewicz will certainly aim to make the Chase and perhaps win a race or two.

The new season brings lots of changes for 10-year veteran Bowyer. Michael Waltrip Racing folded at the end of the 2015 season and left him in search of a ride. It was announced in October that Bowyer would take over the No. 14 Chevrolet of retiring Tony Stewart, but not until 2017. That left him in limbo for the upcoming season, but not for long. Shortly after that announcement, a deal was disclosed where Bowyer would take over the No. 51 Chevrolet of HScott Motorsports for just one season in the interim. He'll be paired with crew chief Steve Addington and bring his personal sponsor, 5-Hour Energy on board the team's car. There are a lot of moving pieces and parts in this deal and a lot has to happen, but there are some very positive things to point to here. Bowyer won't be racking up the 15-20 top-10 finishes he used to at MWR, but there's potential for 7-10 top 10s and some pretty decent racing for a middle tier driver in the Sprint Cup Series.

By all accounts Bowyer was the biggest surprise of last season. His move to Michael Waltrip Racing was clouded in speculation and uncertainty, but it paid off big time for the former Richard Childress Racing driver. Bowyer had by far his best season in his eight-year career. He posted three victories, 23 Top-10 finishes and finished a career-best second in the Chase standings. While all these accomplishments are worthy of admiration, it’s probably best to hold a more conservative opinion of the driver of the No. 15 Toyota in the upcoming season. While we do believe Bowyer is the best driver in the Michael Waltrip Racing stable, to expect a repeat performance of his 2012 is probably too ambitious. One or two victories and about 18 Top 10’s is a far more realistic follow-up to Bowyer’s torrid 2012.

Bowyer will make his bid for the rookie of the year (R.O.Y.) award in 2006. He had a successful but short stint in the Busch Series, and should have a very up-and-down season due to the unsettled nature of the #07 team.