NASCAR Busts: Andy Houston

[@quasimoto7662]

This one was just such a shame. Andy did have some talent He just came up too quickly with a team that was too green. He definitely needed a couple of years in the busch series to really solidify himself.

[@NGPG]

Did win the Daytona 500 as a spotter, so at least he made a mark

[@folzyfantasy15]

Those McDonald's schemes were really awesome. It sucks that he had struggled in the Cup Series. That 60 scheme as well in trucks was pretty neat.

[@nathanstroud2223]

I like Reddick's CAT Rental scheme from 2021, among many other great RCR schemes from that season.

[@austinemms9772]

He may have ran out of talent many times in his career but whoever designed his McDonald’s scheme sure didn’t.

[@mpf1947]

Yeah, but it wasn't much different from the versions Bill Elliott drove in 1999 and 2000.

[@williamlim5234]

@@mpf1947 whatever it's still iconic

[@ChapmanAutomotive]

I think they bought some of Elliott cars

[@whaduzitmatr]

@@ChapmanAutomotive some of Elliott's cars also went to Phoenix Racing

[@whaduzitmatr]

loved the McDs scheme when Bill Elliott ran it

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

*Fun Fun about the 92 Excedrin car:* Yes, it's true that Andy was the one who replaced Jimmie Johnson in that car. But I have reason to believe he was just a place holder & Todd Bodine was the team's actual intended driver: There was an article from The New York Times (Of all things) called "Driving the Company Car" published on February 10th, 2002. It was a VERY long article regarding Andy, Excedrin, & marketing in NASCAR. This was at the very end of the article word for word: _Towards the end of the meeting, as (Keith) Botner and Houston got down to the nitty gritty of that season's marketing plan, they explained to Houston how Wal-Mart planned to do a major Nascar promotion this summer. "So that's when we'll put the Excedrin Nascar displays on the stores, which will have either your likeness or the car's," Hancock said._ *_"Do the car," (Crew Chief Tony) Liberati abruptly chimed in, "because the car will be around a lot longer than the driver."_*_ There was a brief pause before everyone laughed._ Conclusion: Andy was essentially used as a place holder for Herzog, who waited until Todd Bodine's Cup ride folded. After that happened, they ditched Andy for Todd. Andy was loyal to the team & Excedrin, but Herzog was not loyal to him. I personally feel that's what cost Herzog the Excedrin sponsorship after 2002, & eventually their entire team in 2003. NASCAR *BUSTED:* Herzog Motorsports

[@DavidJameson89]

You know what they say about karma...

[@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon]

Agreed, I hope we get a NASCAR Busted: Herzog Jackson Motorsports video because the fact they replaced Andy with Todd Bodine was stupid and it's their fault for ruining Andy's 2002 Busch series season by releasing him after Las Vegas. P.s. this video is the best Nascar bust video in my opinion.

[@DennyDeliversYT]

it took until 2020 for Andy Houston to have a win in NASCAR… *…and he wasn’t the guy driving the car* lol

[@scottpeters371]

You forgot about his 3 Truck wins as a driver, right??

[@patrickfoote9047]

1:07 "Guess what, Chevrolet is tightening the noose today." Did I...Did I just hear that?

[@DammitAbby82]

:( This breaks my heart. LOVE this guy. Got to meet him at Watkins Glen in '19. I was standing outside the 3 hauler holding a 96 diecast and Ty Dillon walked by and goes, "Hey! Is that an Andy Houston diecast??" Ended up getting Andy to sign the diecast and got to talk to him a little bit about his Truck Series career. Nice guy but yeah...by no means had a good Cup career.

[@TylerDohar]

Houston just got caught in a time where owners thought truck guys were cup ready. Couple that with PPI's constant 2nd car struggles and it was a recipe for him not to succeed.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Yea I was wondering why he directly skipped Busch...entirely.

[@AEMoreira81]

You can thank Kurt Busch for that as he jumped from Trucks to Cup.

[@quentinparhiala9415]

@@AEMoreira81 That's horrible Kurt Busch wanted Andy Houston to skip the Bush series and race in Nascar

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

@@quentinparhiala9415 What he meant was Kurt Busch did the exact same thing. Kurt only succeeded because he was with the established Roush team & not 2nd year PPI.

[@burdensdown5038]

It was brief but very unsuccessful trend. If I remember Mike Bliss, Stacy Compton also made the jump straight from trucks the same year.

[@Brett_Baker_]

He spotted Austin Dillon to the Daytona 500 in 2018 and his Coke 600 win in 2017

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

*Fun Fact about the 96:* Andy Houston was not the original driver of choice to drive to that car. An *actual* NASCAR (& really an all around racing) Bust named Anthony Lazarro was gonna be in that ride. But Anthony was so horrible in the 97 McDonald's car in the Busch Series in 2000, the idiot owner who brought Anthony over from CART ditched him & replaced him with Andy.

[@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon]

Cal Wells is definitely an idiot like I said on your comment on the bust video on Bobby Hamilton Jr, like I don't know what made him an idiot car owner/team manager or something but I can't believe I'm saying this I pray to God that he gets fired from legacy motor club because he shouldn't be part of NASCAR teams.

[@e93sports80]

His only full time season in the Cup Series pretty much killed his NASCAR career.

[@austinemms9772]

It’s ironic how he’s related to someone who’s as awful a person as Houston was as a cup series driver.

[@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon]

I mean his dad Tommy Houston ran 13 Cup races from his cup series debut at Richmond in 1980 to his final Cup Series start at the southern 500 in 1985.

[@ic3man]

@@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameonI think he meant Teresa Earnhardt

[@baxmiaggi8027]

Houston, we have a problem.

[@jameswormsley460]

🤣🤣🙈🙈🙈

[@chevyfan8084]

Well, at least he won some Truck Series races and some races as a spotter. And those #96 cars were so awesome!

[@peteneems]

I met him in 1998, very nice guy. I have a piece of his truck from that day signed by him, Greg Biffle, couple of other drivers, I was rooting for him.

[@davids.7567]

I just loved that 96 car's design!

[@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon]

Same.

[@NASCARFAN93100]

He's ranked #8 on Ultimate23Dragon's Top 10 Unluckiest NASCAR Drivers list

[@SomeUsernameSomeoneElseTookIt]

Who's ranked #20573?

[@NawnyaBusinaz]

One person’s opinion…

[@chrisguardiano6143]

Andy Houston's 2001 season was one of the reasons why McDonalds left NASCAR & they actually took a break from racing for a year. They would return to racing in Champ Car in 2003 as the primary sponsor for Sebastian Bourdais during his 4 straight Champ Car titles until he left for F1 following the 2007 season which also turned out to be the final year for Champ Car/CART before it merged with the IRL to form the current Indycar Series in 2008.

[@richieosborn2639]

He’s Dale Earnhardt Jr’s cousin?! Wow!

[@RedneckRacin]

1:12 this finish makes me think we need a Underrated Legends video on Dennis Setzer

[@jc1424]

McDonald's couldn't pull out of this sponsorship. They were getting a lot TV time.

[@bhumiriady]

I have to admit, Andy Houston has plenty of talent, but his team held him back and that contributed to him becoming a NASCAR Bust. On a side note, that McDonald's paint scheme he ran though... 😍

[@lordshankracing4724]

I feel like it was his team that let Andy down.

[@jefferyrobertson7520]

I Know About Andy Brother Scott And Marty Houston Crew Members For Father Tommy In The 80s And Early 90s Busch Grand National Series ☺😎 Thanks For Uploading

[@briantaylor9285]

Those old Trucks looked so right.

[@ChrisMolyneaux93]

NASCAR Team Busts: PPI Motorsports

[@stephenholloway6893]

They won twice with Ricky Craven but other then that, yeah possibly a bust.

[@jinglebell61]

This is the NASCAR Bust video I always dreamed about.

[@parkersheline3640]

4:28 haha same thing happened to another nascar bust driver in the same race.Another great video.

[@INFINIEON1]

1:08 Jesus Christ,can you say that?💀 wtf was going through Marty Reid’s mind saying that

[@bentowers3614]

Back then, it was just another word. That was just a figure of speech. It had no meaning back then. No one cared.

[@kenzschueler]

I agree with what you said at the end. It's not all his fault. He was put with ill-equipped teams.

[@kristenangier9673]

Fun fact: Kevin Harvick almost drove the 96 car for 2001. His dad Mike supposedly helped broker the deal with Cal Wells and Kevin almost signed the contract until Ron Hornaday talked him out of it. This is apparently one of the reasons why Kevin and his dad don't talk to each other anymore.

[@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon]

Do you have a video of him saying he was originally going to drive it?

[@kristenangier9673]

@@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon he talked about it on the Dale Jr download.

[@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon]

​@@kristenangier9673I see, I did find where he talked about it by looking up the episode on Spotify, and Kevin was not going to drive the 96 car in 2001 instead it would have been 2000, but he did not say it's one of the reasons why he doesn't talk to his dad no more.

[@briangriffinfamilyguyfan81]

NASCAR Busts: David Stremme

[@KR_Diecasts]

I feel like he was ok as an Xfinity series driver.

[@TWProductions90]

I remember him and it's because everytime he'd wreck I'd want them to say Houston we have a problem. So he's a bust that I remember very well

[@frankisfunny2007]

I'd like a series dedicated to "unlucky drivers" in, not just NASCAR, but motorsports as a whole...... Drivers who had a ton of driving talent, but wasted it with illegal activity, or didn't have the money to be on a good team, or just had bad, bad luck. I'd start with John Andretti. I'm bias, but he's the emphasis of "unlucky driver"

[@hunnerd4566]

NASCAR busts: L.W. Wright

[@DaHomieBurns]

Houston we have a problem. You are a NASCAR bust

[@zh2motorsports867]

Are you a call a guy a bust if you was on PPI Motorsports the team barely managed to get 20th let alone first

[@DaHomieBurns]

@@zh2motorsports867 It was more of a play on words with the, "Houston we have a problem." Yes it's corny but the door was open

[@hehateme71]

I was wondering if you were going to do Houston! Great vid!

[@FastEvan47]

I’m the very first clip in this video, during that interview he said something that stuck with me when I was a kid and I still remember to this day. I remember thinking, “why would he say that?” He said, “it was really over before it started.” Referring to the big wreck in the 2001 500 that he was collected in, but looking back now, was it foreshadowing..? 🤔

[@jduke93]

It’s always a good day when BFM posts a new video

[@siteofalexa]

One of the most unlucky drivers in my Opinion

[@jamesgentry13]

Exactly. Not a bust

[@briangriffinfamilyguyfan81]

Admit it or not, that McDonald's car he drove was awesome looking

[@areasevenpro]

I've been waiting for this episode ever since the first NASCAR Bust.

[@nathanakers45]

1:40 Off topic but I want to see that 215 MPH lap Barrichello did around Silverstone! (Obviously a typo but that would be quite the sight)

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

The description literally says "Another case of *A TEAM* ruining a potential prospect". You've also did a Bust video on Scott Pruett, who drove for that same team... Doesn't that make Cal Wells the bust instead? That would mean that both Scott Pruett & Andy Houston were *_Not a Bust._*

[@coca-colatrackhousewarrior9925]

Ricky Craven won twice for the 32

[@zh2motorsports867]

@@coca-colatrackhousewarrior9925 so it was Ricky Craven? The kid could take the car and get The most out of it But still doesn't mean PPI Motorsports what's a good team

[@saddamhusseinthagod4518]

You know it's his Opinion Bleeding Douchebag

[@coca-colatrackhousewarrior9925]

@@zh2motorsports867 Craven took 15th in 2002 points with PPI

[@81casperflip]

What about the biggest bust David Stremme? Somehow got two good rides and didn't do anything

[@K9RacingAndStuff]

Was the 12 really a good car in 2009 though? Kes' struggles in 2010 kinda has me wondering. I felt like the Dodge teams as a whole weren't really that great until 2011, partly because the only good Dodge drivers between 07-10 were Newnan, Kahne, and Busch, who I think elevated their equipment.

[@81casperflip]

@@K9RacingAndStuff yeah but based on Kurt winning 2 races and finishing 4th in points and Stremme didn't even have 1 top 10 lol

[@81casperflip]

@@K9RacingAndStuff I get what you're saying though I'm sure he got last pick on cars and crew members but still think he was expected to do better than that

[@K9RacingAndStuff]

@@81casperflip oh God being a Dale Jr fan really did cause me to erase 2009 from my memory didn't it lol

[@81casperflip]

@@K9RacingAndStuff lol 2009 was a weird year

[@patrickracer43]

We have a Wicked Witch of the South connection... watch this video quickly

[@FMecha]

Andy Houston was apparently planned to be in NT2002, due to an error in NT2004's Sonoma Night pit boxes that causes rear pit stalls to display 2001 logos.

[@NascarNo.8DaleJrFlameon]

I know about it too, I wish we could mod him In to NASCAR thunder 2002 or even NASCAR thunder 2004, Nascar 2005 Chase for the cup, and NASCAR 2006 Total team control, etc.

[@e93sports80]

Someone mod the 2000 cup series cars and drivers to NT 2003.

[@richbreedlove23]

That's cool. I feel bad for Andy cause he had a great thing going with Addington Racing in the truck series before making the leap to the cup series. Granted, Andy's 2001 season was a flatout disaster, but his McDonald's paint scheme, along with all the others, was really good. Now that I think about it, did McDonald's ever have a bad paint scheme?

[@YellowAMc6]

Surprised we haven’t gotten a F1 Bust video by now! Formula 1 Busts: Nikita Mazepin Okay, of course I didn’t like him as a driver. But that was based on his lack of talent. But under the circumstances that he is going through, I feel sorry for him! NOBODY deserves to go though this! What a shame!! : (

[@mattconaway7925]

Championship Seasons: Cale Yarbrough 1976-77-78 Championship Seasons: Rusty Wallace 1989 Good Seasons: Bobby Allison 1972 Good Seasons: Darrell Waltrip 1979 Good Seasons: Rusty Wallace 1993-94 Good Seasons: Buddy Baker 1975 Good Seasons: Jamie McMurray 2010 Bad Seasons: Matt Kenseth 2001 Bad Seasons: Dale Earnhardt 1997 Bad Seasons: David Pearson 1962-63 Bad Seasons: Joey Logano 2010-11 Bad Seasons: Chase Elliott 2016-17

[@WJ1439]

Fun Fact: his son currently works at Spire Motorsports

[@crash6581]

Houston was just like those college football/basketball players who kill it in college but no matter where they go after, they can't handle the pressure to go any further.

[@MarvelMTs]

I personally felt that the #96 McDonalds car looked great when I was younger.

[@johnvandeventer8668]

Wish he wasn't rushed

[@beneymotorsport4296]

I kinda hard to watch because when Houston does something well it basically falls apart

[@bryanrodriguez7636]

still better than the one who was supposed to take over that 96 car in '01 COUGH Anthony Lazzaro COUGH

[@yeetsgaming8463]

this dude really understood what to do with a run. he passed really well. i agree the busch series would have made him a star for sure.

[@SuperNASCARrocks]

I believe he is a cup spotter now.

[@22LIGHTNING4]

More clips of other drivers wrecking him or parts failures than him screwing up.

[@willflint5014]

I have a die cast car of his. It was like my 3rd favorite car to play with when I was like 3-4.

[@xNobodyOfConsequenceX]

I know they've only been around for about 20 years, give or take but it's kinda surreal seeing these tracks without SAFER barriers. Fun fact: they were developed by Dr Dean Sicking at University of Nebraska.

[@txpeshxtblaney]

i honestly feel so bad for houston as a driver, but as a spotter he is very successfull and i love it

[@gothard5]

I never knew he was Tommy’s son. Interesting. I remember following his truck career pretty closely as the owner of that 60 truck lives here in my local area. I think his name is Addington.

[@sportballotaku2139]

For a second, when I saw the title I thought Andy was Tommy. Then I learned Andy never ran Xfinity. #themoreyouknow

[@NotSteveCook]

Mike Addington. Travis Kvapil took Houston's place in 2001.

[@sportballotaku2139]

@@NotSteveCook Travis Kvapil. Another bust.

[@davidpeters2625]

IndyCar Busts: AJ Foyt IV NASCAR Busts: Reed Sorenson David Stremme Stephen Leicht Coleman Pressley Good Seasons: Jeff Burton 2006 Good Seasons: Carl Edwards 2007 (Busch Series) Good Seasons: Sam Hornish Jr 2013 (Nationwide Series)

[@patrickracer43]

Honestly, all of Super Tex's kids were busts in IndyCar and NASCAR

[@davidpeters2625]

@@patrickracer43 pretty Much...

[@plisskenationbackfromthede3657]

@@patrickracer43 we used to call aj III the turd lol

[@davidpeters2625]

@@plisskenationbackfromthede3657 well AJ Foyt IV's career was equivalent to Wally Dallenbach Jr.... he was the type of guy that would do okay, very sparingly... yet another story that just because you do well at Indy Lights, does not guarantee IndyCar Success... and his NASCAR Career? Crash, Burn, Gone.... just like that

[@f1champ551]

A cousin of... The woman who basically buried DEI??? Good Lawd!

[@paulelliott682]

I recently found out the possible motive for the WWotS for taking DEI from it's rightful owners. Dale Sr. had an illegitimate daughter with a publicly unnamed female the same year but in Spring NOT FALL as Theresa's daughter Taylor. There are publicly posted pics of her with her name. She has Dale's eyes & cheekbones, jawline like her older 1/2 sister Kelly. So Taylor Nicole is the only one of his 5 kids that doesn't at least have their dad's eyes or more.

[@Lubbock_Kid1959]

NASCAR busts: Larry Foyt

[@brantbridges526]

You should add (Driver) after his name

[@SMCSRacingNetwork]

He had (and has) a pretty solid future compared to a lot of NASCAR busts

[@realbaron5714]

As Danica, Scott Lag ass, Steve Wall ace, etc.

[@mattcoleman7886]

It’s going to be great to see the Cup cars at Portland next year.

[@slayori.designs]

Say what you want about Andy, that McDonald’s car was nothing short of gorgeous.

[@lucasblanton5203]

I still remember Houston but I forgot that he is a bust

[@Dannyedelman4231]

Andy was the spotter for the car of Austin dillon

[@samster101229]

Andy Houston began the McDonalds curse

[@e93sports80]

NRF did a video about McDonald's in NASCAR.

[@TheNewChevyRoll48]

My dude got thrown in a Bill Elliott reskin and got whooped by the real Bill Elliott

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

As someone who is a huge fan of both drivers, I can say that Bill was definitely more awesome. But I will also say that Andy's true talents never got the chance to shine except with Addington Racing. Andy even won on a road course with them & Andy said he was terrible on road courses. So unfortunately because of the bad quality of rides after leaving Addington, we'll never know of Andy's talent level as a racer was truly comparable to Bill's. I however believe there was potential for Andy to be similar to Bill. Better than? No, & I'm sure Andy would be the first to admit that. But I think in the right situation the stats could have been similar... except maybe on road courses...

[@TheSabresfan1]

Andy was really just wrong place at the wrong time. He was nowhere near a bad driver but he just never had much of a chance in the cup series with PPI. I think if Andy came to the cup series a year or two later and not with PPI, he might have carved out a decent career for himself.

[@xavierjuno4572]

And you know build some experience in the Busch series

[@Cynon]

I think the name "Andy Houston" screams "NASCAR driver" more than any other name in motorsport history, honestly. You could ask someone what sport Andy Houston was in, without them knowing who he is, and I think you'd get a lot of people saying he was in NASCAR. I think he would have been a reasonable, but unspectacular competitor if given the time to develop. That horrible rookie season in Cup really hurt him, I think.

[@brandonjones6698]

If you think he's a bust, just wait until I get to Cup

[@DavidJameson89]

I always thought it was bogus that he was let go from all the other teams in Busch and Trucks just because of how his Cup career was. He was driving for what wasn’t even a fringe team that somehow managed to get high dollar McDonald’s as a sponsor.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

McDonald's had sponsored Anthony Lazzaro's horrendous Busch Series season in 2000. He was intended to be the original driver of the 96, but he was so awful, Cal Wells, the guy who brought him over from open wheel cars, ditched him. That's how Andy got involved in that ride.

[@xfatkid177x]

I. Love. This. Series.

[@billfeld5883]

Thousands of us would give about anything just to be able to race in one race!!!! 2022

[@quentinparhiala9415]

Andy Houston had talent and it's a shame and he should've raced in the Bush Series for a few years and it sucks didn't do good in Nascar

[@Ktaurus26]

He’s not a bust as a spotter though ;)

[@TheDarkKnightOfGothem]

He was pretty good in the truck series…what a shame he couldn’t have the success in the cup series as he did in the trucks race.

[@94nolo]

Never heard of the guy, and I started watching heavily in 04

[@MegaMr46]

Do “Not a Bust: Brian Scott (Xfinity)” he’s got an impressive top 10s, despite of not winning

[@ItzSkylandersGamerYT]

He had a ton of good finishes with RCR

[@MegaMr46]

@@ItzSkylandersGamerYT also with Gibbs (15) and Braun Racing (4) Just because you couldn’t wins, but with the high number of top 10s, it’s a good thing to prove that you are NOT A BUST.

[@BuddyWright93]

How the heck did that team get both Tide AND McDonald’s to fund them? Those are two major sponsors and iconic Nascar 90s brands.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

The teams that had them prior folded. Ricky Rudd's team shut down & Tide went to them. Then Bill Elliott's team folded & in their last year McDonald's also sponsored the horrendous Anthony Lazarro's Busch effort & then fully went to them, but with a different driver because of how bad Anthony was.

[@naswii4360]

That 96 car in 2001 was pure fire at least

[@richbreedlove23]

With Andy being related to Teresa Earnhardt, does that make him related to Dale sr. and Dale jr.? Keep up the great work.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

To an extent, yes.

[@Meighouighn]

Would you consider Ryan Reed to be a bust?

[@Emerald24Zulu]

From driver to spotter.

[@meisJ420]

Considering he's still in the cup series as a spotter he was definitely a driver bust but not a complete bust

[@jamesgentry13]

I wouldn't call him a bust. He never had a shot in good equipment

[@TERMINATE7]

Can you please do a Gone to Soon episode on Nicky Hayden the 2006 MOTOGP world champion?

[@NYstacker11]

thats still my favorite mcdonalds car

[@johnbrown3947]

Should've stayed in trucks and become a champion in that series

[@thedirtybubble9613]

He drove that sexy #60 truck for Addington racing.

[@FallingPicturesProductions]

Rookie driver rushed up to a shitty Cup car in a mediocre team, because Jeff Gordon's crazy success made everyone think that WAY younger drivers were ready for the sport then they actually were.

[@zh2motorsports867]

In all honesty Andy Houston is not a Bust All the Fault should go to PPI Motorsports a 20th to 30th Place team should not even be Fielding 1 lead alone 2 cars. PPI only Valued Andy Houston for The McDonald's money and nothing else. The Team just Was not Prepared to expand.

[@redracer1985]

that sucked for Andy Houston, one of the best Truck Series, and agreed with Quasimoto7, he had some talent for sure. Moral of the story: never skip the Busch / Nationwide / Xfinity Series in a driver's development

[@iankhan4614]

Do one on David Reutimann BFM.