Cain: Alex Bowman takes his place among NASCAR’s up-and-comers

RELATED: Bowman to follow Dale Jr. in No. 88 in 2018 Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that Alex Bowman will succeed Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Chevrolet when the sport's 14-time Most Popular Driver retires from full-time NASCAR competition at the end of this season. And so the 24-year-old Bowman will become Google's hottest commodity this week. And one of the sport's biggest story lines for months to come. Two weeks ago, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that 21-year old Erik Jones would take over the No. 20 Toyota driver's seat for the veteran Matt Kenseth, who says he doesn't know yet where he'll race in 2018. And now Bowman is getting the nod in Earnhardt's No. 88. RELATED: Key players in NASCAR's Silly Season It's more of the inevitable generational turnover. And new superstars will emerge. They always do. Seven-time champions Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson represent three distinct eras in NASCAR competition. In each of their high-achieving primes, fans wondered how anyone could be that fabulous again, ever win that many championship trophies, ever be that fantastic. And sure enough, the next "great one" emerged. We just don't know who it will be. Yet. The youth rush continues in NASCAR, and that's such a positive thing. Twenty-somethings Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney are all setting themselves up to vie for this year's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. Jones and 25-year-old Daniel Suarez are competing for Rookie of the Year. The generational turnover ensures the health of the sport and raises the excitement level. Competition between experience and youth is mutually beneficial and sustains the sport. NASCAR's Camping World Truck and XFINITY series are stocked with exceptional young talent and personality, too, from Christopher Bell to William Byron to John Hunter Nemechek to Cole Custer. So Bowman's opportunity succeeding Earnhardt makes a lot of sense. RELATED: Reaction to Bowman's big news Obviously, he has big talent to hone. And he comes into the job with high, but not unrealistically high, expectations. He still is creating his own unique profile. His youth allows him to develop at his pace in his own way instead of being immediately overwhelmed. Following Earnhardt in the lineup -- any lineup -- is a tough, tough proposition. But Bowman doesn't have to be Earnhardt. He isn't. The Arizona native has always marched to his own beat, which happens to be electronic dance music. And, for the record, he was active on Twitter years before Earnhardt vowed to be, and wowed fans regularly after winning the 2014 Daytona 500. While part of a sport-sustaining group of young drivers with personality, promise and pizzazz, Bowman has always been humble to his opportunity and ready to make good on it. Now he will have his chance full-time driving for a championship team. MORE: Bowman's NASCAR career statistics | Hendrick Motorsports stats "Alex impressed the heck out of us last year with his talent, poise and professionalism," said Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick said of Bowman's performance last year as a substitute driver in the No. 88. "He stepped up in a very demanding situation and showed that he can run with the best and compete for wins. His ability to stay focused through it all, and the way he's handled himself since then, has shown a lot of character." As Bowman, appropriately enough, posted on his Twitter feed in the moments after his news, "This is a dream come true." It is good news for Bowman, and for NASCAR. [gallery_content baseUrl="https://www.nascar.com" galleryID="1070" photocount="0"]