StarCom Racing signs Quin Houff to replace Landon Cassill in No. 00 car

Quin Houff tips his hat during driver introductions for the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup series auto race at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Quin Houff has finished on the lead lap four times in 33 starts across four NASCAR series. He now has a full-time Cup Series ride. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

StarCom Racing has a new driver for the next two seasons.

The backmarker Cup Series team announced Wednesday that it had signed Quin Houff as its driver for 2020 and 2021. Houff replaces Landon Cassill.

Calling Houff, 22, an up-and-coming talent is certainly one way of describing a driver who has made 33 starts across four NASCAR series with just two top-10 finishes and four lead-lap finishes. Houff made 17 starts in the Cup Series for fellow backmarker teams Spire Motorsports and Premium Motorsports in 2019. His average finish was 32.6 with a best finish of 28th. He was parked at Dover in the spring for being too slow.

Houff’s best NASCAR finishes came in his first Xfinity Series season when he finished 15th at Bristol and 12th at Iowa in the No. 46 car. Those two races were the only time he’s finished on the lead lap in a NASCAR Cup or Xfinity Series race.

Cassill has been with StarCom since 2018

The 30-year-old Cassill joined StarCom in 2018 after he didn’t return to Front Row Motorsports after the 2017 season. In 65 races with the team he had an average finish of 29.5 and ranked as one of the least-frequent crashers in the Cup Series. But Cassill has never been a driver who brings sponsorship. And sponsor money can mean a lot more than performance at all levels of NASCAR these days.

The former Hendrick Motorsports developmental driver has been a mainstay in the Cup Series since 2010 driving for teams at the back of the field. Cassill has made 324 Cup Series starts over the last 11 seasons and his lone top five came in 2014 when he finished fourth at Talladega driving the No. 40 car.

– – – – – –

Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

More from Yahoo Sports: