Beyond the Flag
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NASCAR: 2018 Hendrick Motorsports outlook

By Tyler Callaway

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 11: Team owner, Rick Hendrick, Alex Bowman, driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stand on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 11: Team owner, Rick Hendrick, Alex Bowman, driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stand on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /
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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 11: Team owner, Rick Hendrick, Alex Bowman, driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 11: Team owner, Rick Hendrick, Alex Bowman, driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /

With many young drivers on the roster, what can Hendrick Motorsports expect in 2018? Will it be instant success or just a step toward NASCAR greatness?

Hendrick Motorsports have gone through the NASCAR version of a facelift this offseason with Dale Earnhardt Jr. retiring and Kasey Kahne moving on to drive for Leavine Family Racing. Filling the void are William Byron and Alex Bowman, who are 20 and 24 years old, respectively.

When the smoke cleared after a hectic offseason, Hendrick Motorspors still looked like a top contender even with three of their four drivers having an average age of only 22.

Despite the number swaps, all teams remained the same for Hendrick Motorsports, keeping continuity in the organization.

With so much talent crammed into one team, you’d think they’d be a favorite for the championship, but when that talent is so young an inexperienced paired with a 42-year old who could be reaching the twilight years of his career, it may not be quite the runaway everyone is expecting.

I don’t always agree with Kyle Busch, but I do think that the youngsters still have some growing to do, which means Hendrick Motorsports have a few years before all of their drivers are championship contenders.

That being said, there is still plenty to be looking forward to in 2018 for Hendrick Motorsports. There will be many talents on display and I’m sure a handful of wins will be had this year for the NASCAR juggernaut.

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