Clint Bowyer racing for more than Chase

— -- BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Clint Bowyer entered Bristol Motor Speedway clinging to two key pieces of NASCAR gold.

He still has a grasp on the 16th and final Chase for the Sprint Cup. And he has his sponsorship from 5-Hour Energy, which could help him shop for a new ride in 2016.

Nothing is a certainty. But Bowyer still has a measure of control over his future, even though he won't be joining Michael Waltrip Racing co-owner Rob Kauffman at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2016.

So Bowyer and his crew will take the green flag Saturday night, racing not only to make the Chase but to prove themselves to prospective employers who might hire them when MWR closes its doors in November.

"The future for me is uncertain right now," Bowyer said Friday morning at the media center at Bristol Motor Speedway. "We've got a lot of work to do. ... [Kauffman] made a business decision to move forward, and that direction, as we all know from his previous statements, is the Ganassi organization.

"For my career and me and my future, it's just unfortunate that Rob and I, our futures didn't align anymore. It's as simple as that."

Bowyer is expected to bring the 5-Hour Energy sponsorship with him, just as he did when he went from Richard Childress Racing to MWR after the 2011 season. Although neither Bowyer nor 5-Hour would confirm that they would stick together, Kauffman said Friday that he expects 5-Hour to join Bowyer in his new home.

Any organization that can expand and remain within the four-team NASCAR limit could take Bowyer, especially if it could pair the 5-Hour Energy sponsorship with another sponsor.

One sticking point could be that Bowyer would be among the candidates to replace Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing when Stewart retires, whether that be after next season or later. That means Bowyer would want to have flexibility in his new deal, and it appears Bowyer at least has a good indication of what will happen even though nothing appears finalized.

"What I'm going to have in the future and what that future holds for me will be another announcement, and I'll tell you as soon as possible," Bowyer said.

There are several organizations that could be in play for Bowyer. Only Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas don't have room next year (as long as Stewart-Haas re-signs Kurt Busch, as it has previously indicated). Penske is unlikely to think about adding a driver for one year, especially when it is trying to get development driver Ryan Blaney more Sprint Cup races. The same could be said for Roush Fenway and development driver Chris Buescher, and RCR and development driver Ty Dillon.

Richard Petty Motorsports has not named a 2016 driver for the car currently driven by Sam Hornish Jr., who said last week that he did not know whether the team will keep him. RPM could be more accepting of a short-term deal for Bowyer in hopes of building its program, as could HScott Motorsports and JTG-Daugherty Racing.

The one thing for certain is that Bowyer's future won't include Ganassi. The organization, according to a team spokesman, will field two Cup cars.

"I'm not sure a third car [at Ganassi] really makes sense at this stage," Kauffman said. "We'll see how things develop."

Bowyer isn't the only one searching, as more than 200 employees at MWR now know they need jobs. By announcing the closure this week, MWR gave them three months to look.

"Unfortunately a lot of history in this industry is telling people the day after Homestead at the end of the season what the deal is -- I don't think that is a very good way to treat people," Kauffman said. "Even though this is difficult news, I'd rather tell people the deal straight up and as early as possible so they can kind of get on with things and treat them as best we can."

Employees already knew they might need to look for jobs in 2016. The team, currently with Toyota, had no manufacturer deal signed for next year. And the No. 55 car of David Ragan lacked a sponsor agreement, as Aaron's had yet to announce its plans. This week's announcement put an end to any lingering doubts or hopes that remained about the future.

"Obviously everybody is definitely concerned," said Bowyer crew chief Billy Scott. "Unfortunately this has become a part of this business over the years, and I think everybody on the team has dealt with it at some point or another.

"Even when your company is not going away, there's often times you don't know what is going on year to year. It is not completely foreign to anybody."

Scott described the mood of the team as "OK" and said he isn't worried about people's focus at the track.

"Everybody has stayed light and still make some jokes here and there about things," Scott said.

It's hard not to be joking when Bowyer is around. A good ol' country boy, he can turn even the most serious moods into laughter with a quick one-liner. But despite his great racing talent, he can get distracted and frustrated on the racetrack if things don't go his way.

A crash last week at Michigan saw his cushion go from 50 points to 23 points for the final Chase berth. If a driver outside the top 15 wins a race in the final three regular-season events -- at Bristol, Darlington and Richmond -- Bowyer likely would be out, as he is 32 points behind Jeff Gordon.

"We're still in control of our destiny," Bowyer said. "You're backed up against the wall, and [if someone else earns a win] that picture doesn't look pretty.

"If that doesn't happen, we're still in control."

They're in control for this year. Nothing beyond.

"After our announcement Wednesday ... my guys, in particular these road guys that are on the road with me every week, all of them said, 'Listen, we have a job to do, you get your damn head straight and let's go after this championship and end this on a bang,'" Bowyer said.

"That's the fire, the desire and the passion that racers have, and you can't take that from any of us."