DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, Clint Bowyer definitely didn't have numerology on his side.

If he had, on the date of 7/07/07 his No. 07 Chevrolet might have been marked for a Pepsi 400 victory.

As it was, warped numerology was in play, as Bowyer finished seventh. But the result was totally created by an onslaught of Hendrick and Roush horsepower more than any mystic quality.

And despite being part of a rollicking, 20-car battle to the finish that was certainly more fulfilling than his upside-down, in flames 18th-place finale at February's Daytona 500, there was little thrill in RCR land.

Bowyer's crew chief Gil Martin summed up everyone's feelings as he hustled from his pit box to the car, queued up in an inspection line in the far end of the garage.

"If we were to sit here talking about it and it was Tuesday, we'd be looking at the point sheet and we'd be pretty happy about that [finish]," Martin said. "But [Saturday night], it's a pretty sour sandwich to have a car that good [and not win]. But it's just Daytona."

Martin leads a team that has never been far out of the top 10 all season and currently sits 11th, 15 points out of 10th and 151 points clear of the first driver not currently qualified for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, which happens to be race-winner Jamie McMurray.

The bitterness -- and Bowyer's dismay when he emerged from his motor coach to answer all questions before sent by golf cart to his plane -- came from the unlikely circumstances Bowyer faced on his way to the checkers.

Bowyer started 12th and quickly marched to the lead by Lap 18. He ultimately led a race-high 55 laps and couldn't believe his latest shot to win had evaded him, again.

"We needed a good points day to get us back in this thing but man I wanted to win that thing," Bowyer said. "I hate it for those guys [on the team].

"I wanted to win that thing for those guys so bad -- but we'll get one. We've just got to keep doing what we're doing. They can't keep it from us forever."

RCR's vice president of competition, Mike Dillon, is Bowyer's spotter and he knew what his driver had to work with.

"We had a car that could have won the race and unfortunately it just didn't shuffle out right for us," Dillon said. "We had a great night -- [Clint] was fast all weekend [but] you know how it is here in the draft, you've got to get shuffled right.

"You could say coming in here if can we get a top-10 we'd be pleased, but we had a car we could have won with so everybody is going to be a little bit disappointed. We'll take it and go to next week." (Continued)