StarCom Racing (SCR) is an American racing team that competes part time in the Michelin Pilot Challenge and formerly competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Based in Salisbury, North Carolina, the team fields the No. 12 Hyundai Elantra TCR in a partnership with Nitro Motorsports, with Andy Lally.[2][3][4] In NASCAR, the team fielded the No. 00 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE full-time for Quin Houff[1] in a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. Veteran NASCAR driver Derrike Cope served as the team's manager.[5][6] The team folded in 2021 and its assets were bought by 23XI Racing later that year.

StarCom Racing
Owner(s)William Woehlemann
Michael Kohler
Matthew Kohler
Derrike Cope
BaseSalisbury, North Carolina[1]
SeriesMichelin Pilot Challenge NASCAR Cup Series (Formerly)
Race drivers12. TBA
ManufacturerHyundai
Opened2017
Career
Debut2017 Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas)
Latest race2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (Phoenix Raceway)
Races competed164
Drivers' Championships0
Race victories0
Pole positions0

On February 1, 2024, it was announced that the team would reopen and run select races in the Michelin Pilot Challenge in collaboration with Nitro Motorsports.[7]

NASCAR Cup Series edit

On September 25, 2017 StarCom Fiber announced their intentions to field a car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team selected veteran driver Derrike Cope to drive the No. 00 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet, whom they had previously sponsored throughout the 2017 season at Premium Motorsports.[8] Almost a month later, ESPN reported SCR would be making its Cup Series debut at Kansas Speedway for the 2017 Hollywood Casino 400.[9]

On September 1, 2021, Catchfence.com reported that StarCom sold its charter.[10] On September 15, shop foreman and mechanical director Charlie Langenstein confirmed that StarCom Racing would shut down operations at the end of the 2021 season.[11] On November 16, it was revealed that StarCom's charter was sold to 23XI Racing.[10] Following the team's closure, Woehlemann and the Kohler brothers would join The Money Team Racing, owned by boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.[12]

Car No. 00 history edit

Part Time (2017) edit

 
Landon Cassill in the No. 00 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2019.

On September 25, 2017, StarCom Fiber, who had sponsored Derrike Cope throughout the season at Premium Motorsports, announced their intentions to field a car in the MENCS, selecting driver Derrike Cope to drive No. 00 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet.[8] On October 17, 2017, it was reported StarCom Racing would make its MENCS debut at Kansas Speedway for the 2017 Hollywood Casino 400.[9]

Before their first planned attempt at Dover, the No. 00 withdrew from the race due to not having sufficient staff for the team to successfully operate. On October 22, The team would go on to successfully debut at Kansas, starting 40th and finishing in 40th after numerous problems plagued the team. On October 29, Cope would later announce the team would attempt two more NASCAR premier series races next month at Texas and Phoenix.[13] That same day, SCR announced the team had decided that they would no longer attempt to race in Texas, instead focusing all of their effort on Phoenix. Phoenix once again got off to a rough start for the team, as they had to cut the first practice short with engine issues. When the problem was not fixed by qualifying, Cope and the team decided to skip qualifying and take the last position on the grid. The race, however, went much better for the team. After starting last, the team quickly moved out of the last position. After a series of problems for other teams, the No. 00 car managed a 32nd-place run, completing the race.

Full Time (2018) edit

On January 24, 2018, StarCom announced that they had secured a charter and will run the full schedule, with Cope planning to drive the majority of the races.[14] The charter was leased from Richard Childress Racing, which had closed down the No. 27 team.[15] However, Jeffrey Earnhardt was later announced as the driver for the 2018 Daytona 500.[16] Earnhardt piloted the car for the first five races of the season with sponsorship from VRX Simulators. He earned a best finish of 21st at Daytona. On March 18, 2018, Earnhardt and StarCom Racing had agreed to part ways.[17] Earnhardt was replaced by Landon Cassill, who brought two races of sponsorship from USFRA.org.[18] On April 10, 2018, the team announced that TW Cable, LLC and Superior Essex would sponsor Cassill at Bristol.[19] On April 17, 2018, it was announced that NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Joey Gase would drive the car at Talladega with sponsorship from Gase's Xfinity Series sponsor, Sparks Energy.[20] Cassill returned to the car at Dover with sponsorship from RNH Electric.[21] Road course ringer Tomy Drissi was hired to drive the #00 at Sonoma. At the fall Las Vegas race, Cassill finished 18th place, the best finish by the team so far, and the feat was achieved again at the 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 with Joey Gase behind the wheel.

Landon Cassill (2019) edit

After the 2018 season, StarCom Racing announced that Cassill had signed full-time with the team for the 2019 season. In addition, the team purchased the charter they were leasing from RCR.[1][22][15] He finished the season 33rd in points.

Quin Houff (2020-2021) edit

On November 25, 2019, crew chief Joe Williams announced that he had left the No. 00 team. StarCom Racing announced his replacement for 2020 was George Church.[23] The next day, it was announced that Quin Houff would pilot the 00 full time in 2020 and 2021.

StarCom had a disappointing 2020 campaign, earning just one top 15 finish the entire year, at Talladega.[24] During the 2020 O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas, Houff made an ill-timed maneuver towards pit road, causing damage to the cars of Christopher Bell and Matt DiBenedetto before colliding with the outside wall. He was heavily criticized by DiBenedetto and Brad Keselowski for his actions.[25][26] The team's average finish decreased from 29.3 in 2019,[27] (with Cassill at the helm), to 31.3 in 2020[28] with rookie Houff.

The team's run in 2021 fared worse, with just one top-20 finish at Talladega. The No. 00 finished the season 38th in points; three places lower than the previous season. The team closed its doors and sold its charter after NASCAR threatened to seize the charter. It would have been the first time that NASCAR exercised their charter seizure policy, where teams finishing in the bottom of the owner points standings for three seasons in a row could be required to sell their charter at NASCAR's discretion. The charter would then be sold to 23XI Racing for US$13.5 million.[29]

Car No. 00 results edit

Year Driver 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 Owners Pts
2017 Derrike Cope 00 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL MAR TEX BRI RCH TAL KAN CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY KEN NHA IND POC GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH CHI NHA DOV
Wth
CLT TAL KAN
40
MAR TEX PHO
32
HOM 43rd 6
2018 Jeffrey Earnhardt DAY
21
ATL
34
LVS
31
PHO
35
CAL
36
34th 259
Landon Cassill MAR
38
TEX
21
BRI
20
RCH
34
DOV
31
KAN
25
CLT
28
POC
31
MCH
32
CHI
36
KEN
33
NHA
37
POC
34
GLN
31
MCH
29
BRI
25
DAR
30
IND
31
LVS
18
CLT
29
DOV
33
KAN
29
TEX
35
PHO
26
HOM
31
Joey Gase TAL
27
DAY
25
RCH
35
TAL
18
MAR
35
Tomy Drissi SON
32
2019 Landon Cassill DAY
24
ATL
33
LVS
32
PHO
33
CAL
29
MAR
28
TEX
30
BRI
26
RCH
35
TAL
34
DOV
31
KAN
37
CLT
37
POC
31
MCH
29
SON
31
CHI
31
DAY
11
KEN
32
NHA
26
POC
28
GLN
29
MCH
30
BRI
25
DAR
25
IND
40
LVS
29
RCH
28
CLT
28
DOV
26
TAL
14
KAN
37
MAR
26
TEX
27
PHO
33
HOM
28
32nd 285
2020 Quin Houff DAY
39
LVS
32
CAL
35
PHO
34
DAR
36
DAR
26
CLT
35
CLT
32
BRI
27
ATL
32
MAR
34
HOM
33
TAL
27
POC
40
POC
31
IND
23
KEN
35
TEX
34
KAN
24
NHA
32
MCH
27
MCH
32
DAY
33
DOV
33
DOV
34
DAY
23
DAR
31
RCH
32
BRI
29
LVS
34
TAL
13
CLT
28
KAN
33
TEX
33
MAR
33
PHO
39
35th 214
2021 DAY
29
DAY
40
HOM
35
LVS
33
PHO
32
ATL
33
BRI
25
MAR
24
RCH
34
TAL
37
KAN
37
DAR
30
DOV
29
COA
34
CLT
32
SON
36
NSH
38
POC
31
POC
33
ROA
34
ATL
35
NHA
35
GLN
32
IND
22
MCH
30
DAY
38
DAR
30
RCH
35
BRI
34
LVS
34
TAL
19
CLT
30
TEX
31
KAN
35
MAR
34
PHO
37
38th 176

Car No. 99 history edit

 
Kyle Weatherman in the No. 99 at Pocono Raceway in 2018.

Team manager Derrike Cope was originally intended to pilot the No. 00 for the majority of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, however, after the hiring of Jeffrey Earnhardt to drive full-time, StarCom announced that they intended to field a second car, the No. 99, part-time for Cope and possibly other drivers. Cope announced that they were hoping to field the No. 99 beginning at Texas Motor Speedway, with Cope planning to drive unless another driver with sponsorship was found. However, the team didn't race at Texas, instead delaying the #99 car debut until the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway.[21] An early wreck relegated Cope to 37th in his first race in the 99. The 99 car returned at Pocono with Cope, finishing 34th. Garrett Smithley made his debut in the 99 at Michigan. The race did not last long, as Smithley stripped the gears in the transmission on lap 1.[30]Kyle Weatherman would take over the 99 for Chicagoland, finishing 33rd. Landon Cassill would pilot the 99 at Daytona while Joey Gase was in the 00. Smithley and Weatherman would run the next 3 races, with Smithley finishing 36th at Kentucky, while Weatherman would finish 31st at both New Hampshire and Pocono. Gray Gaulding would pilot the car for two races, finishing 33rd and 40th. Cope would return at Darlington to participate in the annual throwback weekend, with Bojangles sponsoring the car, paying homage to Cope's time with Cale Yarborough Motorsports. The 99 would finish second in Darlington's paint scheme contest while finishing 33rd in the race. Kyle Weatherman and Landon Cassill would split time between the 99 for the remainder of the season, with Weatherman's best finish coming at Las Vegas, a 26th, and Cassill's best finish coming at Talladega, a 22nd. After a 36th-place finish at Homestead with Weatherman, StarCom closed their No. 99 team for 2019 and they did not run a second car again.

Car No. 99 results edit

Year Driver 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 Owners Pts
2018 Derrike Cope 99 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL MAR TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV
37
KAN CLT POC
34
DAR
33
IND 39th 82
Garrett Smithley MCH
39
SON KEN
36
Kyle Weatherman CHI
33
NHA
31
POC
31
GLN LVS
26
KAN
35
TEX
34
PHO HOM
36
Landon Cassill DAY
24
RCH
36
CLT DOV TAL
22
MAR
32
Gray Gaulding MCH
33
BRI
40

Sports Car Racing edit

On January 18, 2024, Derrike Cope teased an announcement relating to the team on his personal Facebook page.

On February 1, StarCom Racing announced its part-time involvement in the Michelin Pilot Challenge in a partnership with Nitro Motorsports. They would field a Hyundai Elantra in the TCR class, starting with the round at Sebring in March. The team will also participate in the rounds at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America, Indianapolis, and Road Atlanta.[31] A driver lineup has yet to be announced.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "StarCom Racing purchases charter and locks up Cassill for 2019". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Service, IMSA Wire (March 11, 2024). "StarCom Racing Set for Sebring Debut With Lally, Tucker – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Allaway, Phil (February 1, 2024). "StarCom Racing Relaunches in Pilot Challenge". Frontstretch. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Beard, Brock (June 23, 2018). "Cope says Starcom Racing has "come a long way in a short period of time"". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  6. ^ McFadin, Daniel (December 14, 2018). "Richard Childress Racing reveals Daytona 500 cars, sponsors and Xfinity details". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  7. ^ "StarCom Racing Relaunches in Pilot Challenge". Frontstretch. February 1, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "StarCom Racing to compete In MENCS, withdraws from Dover". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. September 27, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "StarCom Racing to Debut at Kansas". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. October 17, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "StarCom Racing sells NASCAR Charter". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  11. ^ "StarCom Racing Crew Member Confirms Team Shutdown". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Pockrass, Bob (February 1, 2022). "Floyd Mayweather joining NASCAR with The Money Team Racing". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "Cope Plans to Attempt Phoenix". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. October 30, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  14. ^ "Derrike Cope, StarCom Racing Acquire Charter for 2018 Season". Motorsports Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "NASCAR Charters". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  16. ^ "StarCom Racing signs Jeffrey Earnhardt for 2018 season". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 30, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  17. ^ "Jeffrey Earnhardt and StarCom Racing part ways". Motorsport Network. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  18. ^ "Landon Cassill to drive next two races for StarCom Racing". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. March 19, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  19. ^ "StarCom Racing partners with TW Cable, LLC, Superior Essex and Landon Cassill for the Food City 500". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  20. ^ "Joey Gase Joins StarCom Racing for Talladega". www.frontstretch.com. April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  21. ^ a b "StarCom Racing Set to Field Second Car at Dover with Drivers Cassill & Cope - StarCom Racing". StarCom Racing. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "Landon Cassill to return to StarCom Racing in 2019". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  23. ^ Page, Scott (November 25, 2019). "Crew chief change at StarCom Racing". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  24. ^ Hardy, Sarah (October 9, 2020). "Quin Houff talks career best finish at Talladega, preparation for the Roval". Kickin' the Tires. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  25. ^ Albert, Zack (July 19, 2020). "Houff's gaffe alters complexion of Texas race, playoff hunt". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Long, Dustin (July 20, 2020). "NASCAR to speak to driver for 'very poor decision' at Texas". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  27. ^ Landon Cassill driver statistics at Racing-Reference
  28. ^ Quin Houff driver statistics at Racing-Reference
  29. ^ "StarCom Racing sells NASCAR Charter: UPDATES: to 23XI Racing". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  30. ^ Beard, Brock (May 6, 2018). "CUP: Corey LaJoie scores third engine-related last-place finish in four starts". LASTCAR. Blogger. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  31. ^ https://archive.today/20240210010408/https://twitter.com/StarcomRacing/status/1754497177047511417

External links edit