Primarily a car builder and mechanic as well as a riding mechanic, Houser served as a relief driver in the 1923 Indianapolis 500 and 1924 Indianapolis 500 races for Wade Morton and Joe Boyer, respectively. He drove a Miller in the 1926 race and finished 13th in the rain-shortened event. In July of that year he made his only other Championship Car start at Rockingham Speedway in New Hampshire and finished 18th after being black-flagged 15 laps in. His attempt to qualify for the 1929 Indianapolis 500 was thwarted by a broken supercharger on his Duesenberg, but he served as relief driver for Jimmy Gleason for eleven laps. Gleason would go on to finish third in the race.