Three years after finishing runner-up in the championship and two years after last qualifying, Bowyer is back in the Chase. He did so on the strength of eight top-10s in the second half, which came even as Michael Waltrip Racing imploded with the team announcing in August it would fold at season's end.
Continuing the hot streak he rode in on, Bowyer easily gets out of Round 1. He then scores a surprise win at Talladega to guarantee advancement to the third bracket, where ultimately he's eliminated.
With Bowyer and his team facing uncertain futures, the distraction becomes too much leading to a hasty Round 1 exit.
Even amid the upheaval within MWR, Bowyer should continue to flourish and avoid an early elimination. Starting in Round 2, however, better performance will be required and that's where his Chase ends.