NASCAR Cup Series: Quin Houff to drive part-time for Spire Motorsports in 2019

Quin Houff is set to drive part-time for Spire Motorsports in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season, which is set to be both his and the team’s first season in the sport.

After confirming that they would be partnering with Chip Ganassi Racing to field the #40 Chevrolet in the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season opener, the Daytona 500, for Jamie McMurray, it was clear that Spire Motorsports, the newest team in the Cup Series, would not have a full-time driver for the 2019 season.

Spire Motorsports purchased the charter that was used by the now defunct Furniture Row Racing team to field the #78 Toyota earlier this offseason. This charter was was the most expensive charter sale in Cup Series history.

Spire Motorsports were set to field the #77 Chevrolet in each of the 36 races on the 2019 schedule. While McMurray is set to drive the #40 Chevrolet as opposed to the #77 Chevrolet, this is the case because of the team’s partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing for the Daytona 500 and the Daytona 500 only. There is no additional #77 Chevrolet for this race.

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With McMurray set to set to serve as an analyst on the Fox Sports NASCAR broadcast team this year, he will not compete for the team on a full-time basis, meaning that the team needed to sign at least one driver to drive in the other 35 races on the 2019 schedule.

One of these drivers is set to be Quin Houff. Houff is set to drive for the team in roughly half of the 2019 season’s races, although the races in which he is set to compete have not yet been determined. How many races in which he is set to compete has also not yet been determined, but it has been determined that he is set to make his season debut in the fourth race of the season, the TicketGuardian 500, at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona on Sunday, March 10.

Here is what 21-year-old Weyers Cave, Virginia native had to say about the opportunity to drive part-time for Spire Motorsports in the 2019 season, according to RACER.

"“I’m so excited to be able to make my Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at ISM Raceway in March. I cannot thank [team co-owners] Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr from Spire Motorsports enough for the opportunity to make my dream a reality.“There are thousands of drivers who make racing on Sundays their goal. To be one of the few drivers who get to realize that goal is a true blessing. It’s humbling for me to compete at the pinnacle of the sport, but it’s also a testament to all those who stood behind me to this point and those who will continue to do so in the future.”"

Here is what Spire Motorsports team co-owner Jeff Dickerson had to say about Houff being set to drive part-time for the team in the 2019 season, according to RACER.

"“We’re eager to get to Phoenix and have Quin in the car for the first of his races with us this season. Quin was very good at finishing races and keeping his equipment intact. That’s one of the most important things to do in order to learn and grow.”"

Houff has only made 10 starts across NASCAR’s top three series, and all 10 of them have come in the Xfinity Series. He competed in five races in the series in the 2017 season and an additional five races in the 2018 season. His average career starting position in the Xfinity Series is 28.0 and his average career finishing position is 23.2.

In 10 career Xfinity Series starts, Houff’s career-high finish is his 12th place finish in the June race at Iowa Speedway in the 2017 season. Aside of this 12th place finish, he has earned two other top 20 finishes, including a 14th place finish in the October race at Kansas Speedway in the 2018 season and a 15th place finish in the April race at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 2017 season.

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How will Quin Houff perform in his first season as a part-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series driving for Spire Motorsports? His season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 10 with the TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. This race is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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