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Andy Houston

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This article is about racing driver. For politician, see Andrew Jackson Houston.
Andy Houston
Born (1970-11-07) November 7, 1970 (age 53)
Hickory, North Carolina, U.S.
Achievements1994 Hickory Motor Speedway Late Model Champion
Awards1996 NASCAR Dash Series Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
22 races run over 2 years
Best finish46th (2001)
First race2000 Pepsi 400 Presented by Meijer (Michigan)
Last race2001 Protection One 400 (Kansas)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
7 races run over 5 years
Best finish68th (2002)
First race1996 Kroger 200 (IRP)
Last race2002 Sam's Town 300 (Las Vegas)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 1 0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
121 races run over 8 years
Best finish3rd (2000)
First race1997 Cummins 200 (IRP)
Last race2005 O'Reilly 200 presented by Valvoline Maxlife (Bristol)
First win1998 Pennzoil/VIP Discount Tripleheader (Loudon)
Last win2000 LINE-X 225 (Portland)
Wins Top tens Poles
3 51 4
Statistics current as of July 10, 2012.

Andrew Houston (born November 7, 1970) is an American stock car racing spotter and former driver. He is a veteran of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, scoring three wins.

Houston is the son of legendary Busch driver Tommy Houston and the youngest of three brothers, one of them being part-time NASCAR driver Marty Houston and the other being the oldest of the three, Scott Houston. He is also the cousin of former team owner Teresa Earnhardt. Houston has also raced in the Winston Cup Series and the Busch Series. Houston is married to wife Lorie and has two children, Collin (born in 1997) and Clark (born in 2001).

Early racing career

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Houston won Hickory Motor Speedway's Late Model Championship in 1994, and, in 1996, he won the Goody's Dash Series Most Popular Driver Award.

NASCAR career

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Cup Series

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2000 marked Houston's first start in the Winston Cup Series as he competed in five races to prepare for his 2001 rookie campaign with PPI Motorsports. Out of the five races his best finish would come at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a 26th. Houston began the year 2001 well with a 9th-place qualifying effort at the Daytona 500 in the No. 96 McDonald's Ford. It would be one of the highlights of the year, as Houston ended the year with no Top 10's and a best finish of 17th at Martinsville; Houston only managed to qualify for 17 races and his team folded after McDonald's pulled its sponsorship late in the season. He has not returned to the Cup Series since.

Busch Series

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Houston made his Busch Series debut in 1996 driving the No. 0 Suburban Propane Ford at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He would start the race in the 21st position and finish in the 24th position, five laps down. He returned to the series in 1998 to make another start this time at Hickory Motor Speedway in the No. 50 Dr Pepper Ford. He would start the race in 7th and finish 20th. In 2000, Houston made one start for Team SABCO and brought the No. 82 Channellock Chevrolet home in the 36th position at the Milwaukee Mile. For the 2002 season, Houston was supposed to run the whole season with the Herzog-Jackson Motorsports team, but was released and replaced by Todd Bodine after Las Vegas Due to "performance issues". His best finish with the team was a 9th at Daytona.

Truck Series

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In 1997, Houston made his first Craftsman Truck Series start with Addington Racing. He would compete in four races for the team with a best finish of 11th at Martinsville. For the 1998 season, he returned to Addington Racing and ran full-time in the Truck Series. Houston would have a solid year winning his first race at New Hampshire International Speedway and posting 9 Top 10's, while finishing 12th in points. Houston again returned to Addington Racing for the 1999 season and he scored 14 Top 10's with an 8th-place finish in points. 2000 was a breakout year for Houston, as he won two races at Homestead and Portland, had 13 Top 5's, and 18 Top 10's, finishing 3rd in points to Roush Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch. He returned to the series in 2002 with Melling Racing where he ran one race at South Boston Speedway. After that Billy Ballew Motorsports hired him to run the remainder of 2002. He would post a best finish of 12th at California out of the five races he competed in. In 2003, Houston was still running races for Billy Ballew and Nelly when Vokal became his primary sponsor, until Billy ran out of money to run two trucks. Ballew kept Rich Bickle, leaving Houston without a ride. Later that year, Ultra Motorsports gave him a truck ride and he did very well, finishing no worse than tenth and earned a pole at Texas Motor Speedway. For the 2004 season, he continued driving for Ultra Motorsports until he was released after the race at Bristol. Andy's best finish with the team that year was a 7th at Dover. For the remainder of 2004 with the exception of Richmond, Houston raced with multiple teams, but with limited success. In 2005, he only ran one race with Key Motorsports at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 33rd after a crash in his final NASCAR race.

Post-racing career

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Following his racing career, Houston worked as a spotter for other drivers; he worked with Richard Childress Racing, spotting for Austin Dillon in the Nationwide Series in the early 2010s,[1] moving up with Dillon to the Sprint Cup Series in 2014.[2] He left Dillon's team after the 2019 season.[3] He announced in November 2019 on Twitter that he would spot for Cole Custer for the 2020 season in Custer's rookie campaign.[4] He also spotted for Ryan Preece in 2023. He will now be spotting for Noah Gragson in 2024.

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

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NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NWCC Pts Ref
2000 PPI Motorsports 96 Ford DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH
35 		BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT
26 		TAL CAR
28 		PHO
36 		HOM
42 		ATL 55th 314 [5]
2001 DAY
38 		CAR
DNQ 		LVS
DNQ 		ATL
21 		DAR
DNQ 		BRI
39 		TEX
32 		MAR
17 		TAL
21 		CAL
19 		RCH
42 		CLT
41 		DOV
23 		MCH
DNQ 		POC
DNQ 		SON
DNQ 		DAY
43 		CHI
43 		NHA POC IND
43 		GLN MCH
31 		BRI
40 		DAR
DNQ 		RCH
DNQ 		DOV
40 		KAN
18 		CLT MAR TAL PHO CAR HOM ATL NHA 46th 1187 [6]
Daytona 500
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Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
2001 PPI Motorsports Ford 9 38

Busch Series

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NASCAR Busch Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 NBSC Pts Ref
1993 DAY CAR RCH DAR BRI HCY ROU MAR NZH CLT DOV MYB GLN MLW TAL IRP MCH NHA BRI DAR RCH DOV ROU CLT MAR CAR HCY
DNQ 		ATL NA - [7]
1995 DAY CAR RCH ATL NSV DAR BRI HCY
DNQ 		NHA NZH CLT DOV MYB GLN MLW TAL SBO IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR HOM NA - [8]
1996 Houston Racing 0 Ford DAY CAR RCH ATL NSV DAR BRI HCY
QL† 		NZH CLT DOV SBO MYB GLN MLW NHA TAL IRP
24 		MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR HOM 89th 91 [9]
1998 Washington-Erving Motorsports 50 Ford DAY CAR LVS NSV DAR BRI TEX HCY
20 		TAL NHA NZH CLT DOV RCH PPR GLN MLW MYB CAL SBO IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT GTY CAR ATL HOM 102nd 103 [10]
2000 Team SABCO 82 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX NSV TAL CAL RCH NHA CLT DOV SBO MYB GLN MLW
36 		NZH PPR GTY IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR MEM PHO HOM 106th 55 [11]
2001 Team Rensi Motorsports 25 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL RCH NHA NZH CLT DOV KEN MLW GLN CHI GTY
17 		PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM PHO CAR HOM 101st 112 [12]
2002 Herzog-Jackson Motorsports 92 Chevy DAY
9 		CAR
17 		LVS
24 		DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL RCH NHA NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI GTY PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM ATL CAR PHO HOM 68th 346 [13]
† - Qualified but replaced by his father, Tommy Houston

Craftsman Truck Series

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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 NCTC Pts Ref
1997 AAG Racing 65 Chevy WDW TUS HOM PHO POR EVG I70 NHA TEX BRI NZH MLW LVL CNS HPT IRP
18 		FLM NSV
24 		GLN RCH
DNQ 		MAR
11 		SON MMR CAL PHO
32 		LVS
DNQ 		46th 441 [14]
1998 Addington Racing 60 Chevy WDW
27 		HOM
20 		PHO
4 		POR
16 		EVG
28 		I70
10 		GLN
15 		TEX
2 		BRI
28 		MLW
29 		NZH
15 		CAL
4 		PPR
18 		IRP
26 		NHA
1* 		FLM
20 		NSV
13 		HPT
32 		LVL
3 		RCH
12 		MEM
34 		GTY
30 		MAR
12 		SON
6 		MMR
9 		PHO
5 		LVS
11 		12th 3188 [15]
1999 HOM
5 		PHO
3 		EVG
14 		MMR
19 		MAR
17 		MEM
7 		PPR
4 		I70
3 		BRI
4 		TEX
7 		PIR
7 		GLN
8 		MLW
20 		NSV
6 		NZH
11 		MCH
19 		NHA
7 		IRP
8 		GTY
25 		HPT
11 		RCH
6 		LVS
22 		LVL
12 		TEX
8 		CAL
18 		8th 3359 [16]
2000 DAY
3 		HOM
1* 		PHO
3 		MMR
10 		MAR
11 		PIR
1 		GTY
24 		MEM
15 		PPR
3 		EVG
8 		TEX
4 		KEN
9 		GLN
6 		MLW
5 		NHA
5 		NZH
11 		MCH
4 		IRP
26 		NSV
6 		CIC
4 		RCH
25 		DOV
4 		TEX
2 		CAL
2* 		3rd 3566 [17]
2002 Midgley Racing 09 Chevy DAY DAR MAR GTY PPR
QL† 		DOV TEX MEM MLW KAN KEN NHA MCH IRP NSH RCH TEX 38th 578 [18]
HT Motorsports 17 Dodge SBO
21
Billy Ballew Motorsports 15 Ford LVS
12 		CAL
12 		PHO
17 		HOM
17
2003 DAY
5 		DAR
21 		MMR
12 		MAR
15 		21st 1487 [19]
Fasscore Motorsports 9 Ford CLT
30 		DOV TEX MEM MLW KAN KEN GTW MCH IRP NSH BRI RCH NHA
Ultra Motorsports 2 Dodge CAL
6 		LVS
6 		SBO
6 		TEX
5 		MAR PHO
10 		HOM
4
2004 DAY
30 		ATL
19 		MAR
11 		MFD
15 		CLT
19 		DOV
7 		TEX
9 		MEM
20 		KAN
31 		KEN
8 		GTW
13 		MCH
23 		IRP
19 		NSH
25 		BRI
19 		RCH 20th 2540 [20]
HT Motorsports 59 Ford MLW
19 		NHA
33 		LVS
14 		CAL
21
Green Light Racing 07 Chevy TEX
14 		DAR
34
ThorSport Racing 13 Chevy MAR
25 		PHO
16
Ken Weaver Racing 20 Chevy HOM
18
2005 Key Motorsports 40 Chevy DAY CAL ATL MAR GTY MFD CLT DOV TEX MCH MLW KAN KEN MEM IRP NSH BRI
33 		RCH
DNQ 		NHA LVS MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 86th 64 [21]
† - Qualified for Mike Hamby.

Winston West Series

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NASCAR Winston West Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 NWWSC Pts Ref
1998 Addington Racing 92 Chevy TUS LVS PHO CAL HPT MMR AMP POR CAL PPR EVG SON MMR LVS
1* 		54th 185 [22]
1999 Midgley Racing 09 Pontiac TUS LVS PHO CAL PPR MMR IRW EVG POR IRW RMR LVS MMR MOT
17 		70th 112 [23]

References

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  1. ^ "Home - Darlington Raceway".
  2. ^ Bruce, Kenny (February 20, 2014). "Night spotting adds tough element to Daytona Duels". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  3. ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (November 18, 2019). "Veteran NASCAR spotters Joey Meier, Andy Houston not returning to 2019 roles". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Super excited to be spotting for @ColeCuster in 2020! I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving!". Twitter. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Andy Houston – 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Andy Houston – 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  7. ^ "Andy Houston – 1993 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  8. ^ "Andy Houston – 1995 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  9. ^ "Andy Houston – 1996 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "Andy Houston – 1998 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  11. ^ "Andy Houston – 2000 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "Andy Houston – 2001 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "Andy Houston – 2002 NASCAR Busch Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  14. ^ "Andy Houston – 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  15. ^ "Andy Houston – 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "Andy Houston – 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  17. ^ "Andy Houston – 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  18. ^ "Andy Houston – 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "Andy Houston – 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  20. ^ "Andy Houston – 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  21. ^ "Andy Houston – 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "Andy Houston – 1998 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "Andy Houston – 1999 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
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