NASCAR's first week and the opening went in favor of Stewart-Haas Racing. They seemed to be having a ball after switching over to Ford.

It has been a very eventful tear for Clint Bowyer. It is a year ago that he qualified 34th at Daytona in the No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet. Now, chances are brighter as he almost grabbed the pole for the 59th running of the Great American Race in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

"It's Daytona. I know it's no big deal, but it feels good to be competitive again," Bowyer said. "I was down here last year and we were way off the pace. It was crushing because you know deep down you don't even have a chance, and when you've got a car like this - a hot rod like this and a team like this - I've got a chance," said an excited Bowyer, reported Foxsports.

He qualified fourth in Sunday's session and Bowyer stood first on the charts among the four SHR Fords. On Thursday night, he will start on the front row of the second Can-Am Duel race. What he will aim to keep is his strong starting position.

At the same time, Kevin Harvick did not win Sunday's Clash. But he did seem pleased after switching to Ford. "This is by far the best we've run speed-wise ... in the race since I've been at Stewart-Haas Racing,'' Harvick told. "I'm really looking forward to a really strong week.'' Danica Patrick completed the race and came fourth in the Clash with Harvick fifth, reported NBC Sports.

"It's a great effort, considering everything these guys have gone through all season long, switching manufacturers and everything that goes with that," said Bowyer about the transition of SHR from Chevrolet to Ford. "That's a lot. That's a huge undertaking and these guys did it without fail. It does seem that SHR is doing pretty well after the switch.

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