Category: friday feature

By David G. Firestone

Thanksgiving has passed, holiday music and decorations are abound, and the 2019 Paint Scheme Leaderboard is here! Here’s how the process works. I will rank all of the Cup Series teams by their paint scheme GPA. I will rank them by manufacturer, then all of them in one final list. There is no committee this year, as Zoe chose to skip the proceedings. Here is the Chevy list:

1-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 26^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 4.00

2-Tommy Baldwin Racing #71 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

3–XCI Racing #81 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

4-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 15^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.87

5Motorsports Business Management #66 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 3^rd of 47

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.82

6-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 4^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.78

7-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 21

GPA: 3.70

8-Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 34^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 3

GPA: 3.67

9-Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 23^rd of 47

Number of Schemes: 11

GPA: 3.63

10–Wood Brothers Racing #21 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 8^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.60

11-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 4^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 11

GPA: 3.52

12-Go FAS Racing #32 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 4^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.50

13-Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 16^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.49

14-Premium Motorsports #15 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 22^nd of 47

Number of Schemes: 17

GPA: 3.43

15-Stewart-Hass Racing #41 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 3^rd of 47

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 3.42

16-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 11^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.41

17-Premium Motorsports #27 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 3.39

18-Stewart-Haas Racing #4 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 7^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.36

19–Motorsports Business Management #46 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 3.35

20-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 44^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.34

21-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:17^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.33

22-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 37^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 3.28

23-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 30^th of 47

Number of Schemes:16

GPA:3.18

24-Hendrick Motorsports #88 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 32^nd of 47

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.18

25-Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 24^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 3.18

26-Front Row Racing #34 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 1^st of 47

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.12

27-StarCom Racing #00 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 42^nd of 47

Number of Schemes: 31

GPA: 3.10

28-Chip Ganassi Racing #42 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 40^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.10

29-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 3.10

30-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 19^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.09

31-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 11^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 3.03

32-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 9^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 4

GPA: 3.00

33-Leavine Family Racing #95 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 39^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.00

34-Front Row Racing #36 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 2.85

35-Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 10^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 9

GPA: 2.82

36-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 2^nd of 47

Number of Schemes: 25

GPA: 2.75

37-Chip Ganassi Racing #40 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 3

GPA: 2.67

38-Roush-Fenway Racing #6 Ford Mustang

Ford Mustang Rank Last Year: 12^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 20

GPA: 2.66

39-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 9^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 2.59

40-Richard Childress Racing #31 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 31^st of 47

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 2.50

41-JTG Daugherty Racing #37 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 31^st of 47

Number of Schemes: 23

GPA: 2.46

42-Germain Racing #13 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 24^th of

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 2.45

43-Rick Ware Racing #54 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 5

GPA: 2.50

44-Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 18^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 2.16

45–Front Row Racing #38 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 14^th of 47

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 2.08

46-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 1^st of 47

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 2.00

47–Roush-Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 33^rd of 47

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 1.95

Well, that was the 2019 year for The Driver Suit Blog. I’ve had fun, and I hope to see you again soon. Next week, Wheel Reviews returns for 2020!

By David G. Firestone

The 2019 Paint Scheme Leaderboard rolls on, this week, it’s the Toyota teams time to shine!

1-XCI Racing #81 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

2-Motorsports Business Management #66 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 3^rd of 9

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.82

3-Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 6^th of 9

Number of Schemes: 3

GPA: 3.67

4-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 4^th of 9

Number of Schemes: 11

GPA: 3.52

5-Motorsports Business Management #46 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 3.35

6-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 2^nd of 9

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.33

7-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 7^th of 9

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 3.28

8-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 8^th of 9

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 3.03

9-Leavine Family Racing #95 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.00

Next week, the Grand Finale!

By David G. Firestone

This week, the Paint Scheme Leaderboard shifts focus to the blue oval. Ford’s rankings are up for this week.

1-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 4^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.78

2-Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 12^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 11

GPA: 3.63

3-Wood Brothers Racing #21 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 7^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.60

4-Go FAS Racing #32 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 4^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.50

5-Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 10^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.49

6-Stewart-Hass Racing #41 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 2^nd of 18

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 3.42

7-Stewart-Haas Racing #4 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 6^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.36

8-Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 13^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 3.18

9-Front Row Racing #34 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 1^st of 18

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.12

10–Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 3.10

11-Front Row Racing #36 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 2.85

12-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 5^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 25

GPA: 2.75

13-Roush-Fenway Racing #6 Ford Mustang

Ford Mustang Rank Last Year: 8^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 20

GPA: 2.66

14-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 14^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 2.59

15-Rick Ware Racing #54 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 5

GPA: 2.50

16-Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 18^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 2.16

17-Front Row Racing #38 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 9^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 2.08

18-Roush-Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 13^th of 18

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 1.95

Next week, the Toyota Leaderboard

By David G. Firestone

Thanksgiving has passed, holiday music and decorations are abound, and the 2019 Paint Scheme Leaderboard is here! Here’s how the process works. I will rank all of the Cup Series teams by their paint scheme GPA. I will rank them by manufacturer, then all of them in one final list. There is no committee this year, as Zoe chose to skip the proceedings. Here is the Chevy list:

1-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 26^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 4.00

2-Tommy Baldwin Racing #71 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

3-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 7^th

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.87

4-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes: 21

GPA: 3.70

5-Premium Motorsports #15 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 10^th

Number of Schemes: 17

GPA: 3.43

6-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 11^th

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.41

7-Premium Motorsports #27 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 3.39

8-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 25^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.34

9-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 15^th of 26

Number of Schemes:16

GPA:3.18

10-Hendrick Motorsports #88 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 17^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.18

11-StarCom Racing #00 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 23^rd of 26

Number of Schemes: 31

GPA: 3.10

12-Chip Ganassi Racing #42 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 22^nd of 26

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.10

13-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 3.10

14-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 9^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 18

GPA: 3.09

15-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 3^rd of 26

Number of Schemes: 4

GPA: 3.00

16-Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 4^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 9

GPA: 2.82

17-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 2^nd of 26

Number of Schemes: 25

GPA: 2.75

18-Chip Ganassi Racing #40 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 3

GPA: 2.67

19-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 9^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 2.59

20-Richard Childress Racing #31 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 16^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 2.50

21-JTG Daugherty Racing #37 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 11^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 23

GPA: 2.46

22-Germain Racing #13 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 24^th of 26

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 2.45

23-Rick Ware Racing #54 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 5

GPA: 2.50

24-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 1^st of 26

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 2.00

Next week, the Ford Leaderboard.

By David G. Firestone

Well, it’s that time again! We have the annual Paint Schemie Awards for the 2019 season. As per the usual, every year, I pick the best and worst paint schemes and award them the Paint Schemie. This was done using the Driver Suit Blog executive committee for paint scheme analysis and consists of me and Driver Suit Blog assistant, my cat Zoe, who replaced the late Alejandro, and uses the following standards:

*Color Scheme:How the colors look, and how they work with each other.

*Overall Design:How good the design itself looks, is there too much, or not enough.

*Primary Sponsor Logos: How the primary sponsor logos look on the car

*Originality: How original is the scheme.

All of the above can work for or against a scheme, and all will be taken into consideration.

Let’s get the bad Paint Scheme Awards out of the way…First, the Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.

The nominees are:

Landon Cassill #00 International Marine Chevy Camaro

Kurt Busch #1 Advent Health Chevy Camaro

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dewnited States Chevy Camaro

Ryan Blaney #12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

Corey LaJoie #32 Adirondack Tree Surgeons Ford Mustang

David Ragan #38 Exploria Resorts Ford Mustang

Joey Gase #66 Fan Memories at Richmond Raceway Toyota Camry

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Procore Safety Qualified Toyota Camry

The 2019 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to:

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

The next Paint Schemie Award is for Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes. This category is a little different, as the Schemie will go to the best and worst throwback. For this category, all exhibition race and throwback paint schemes qualify automatically.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Millennial Ford Mustang

Kyle Larson #42 Advent Health Chevy Camaro

The 2019 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes goes to…

Kyle Larson #42 Advent Health Chevy Camaro

The next award of 2019 is the Paint Schemie for Worst Paint Scheme Set of 2019. This is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Germain Racing #13 Chevy Camaro

Roush-Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry

Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

Rick Ware Racing #54 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

Leavine Family Racing #95 Toyota Camry

The 2019 Paint Schemie Award for for Worst Paint Scheme Set goes to…

Roush-Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Now after talking about the bad, we discuss the good. Here are the winners in the best category…

First, the Paint Schemie Award for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.

The nominees for the 2019 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme are:

Kurt Busch #1 Monster Energy Chevy Camaro

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Mustang

Austin Dillon #3 Chevy Accessories Chevy Camaro

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Ford Mustang

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance 500th Start Toyota Camry

Erik Jones #20 Craftsman Toyota Camry

Paul Menard #21 Motorcraft Ford Mustang

William Byron #24 Hertz Chevy Camaro

The 2019 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to…

William Byron #24 Hertz Chevy Camaro

The next category is Paint Schemie Award is for Best Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes, and it should come as no surprise that the competition was strong this year.

The 2019 Paint Schemie Award for Best Exhibition or Throwback Paint Scheme goes to…

Austin Dillon #3 DOW Salutes Veterans Chevy Camaro

The final award of 2018 is the Paint Schemie for Best Paint Scheme Set of 2019. Like the Worst Set, this is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang

Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Wood Brothers Racing #21 Ford Mustang

Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro

JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

Motorsport Business Management #66 Toyota Camry

Tommy Baldwin Racing #71 Chevy Camaro

XCI Racing #81 Toyota Camry

Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry

The 2019 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Paint Scheme Set goes to…

JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

That’s it for the Schemies, next week, the Paint Scheme Leaderboard begins with Chevy!

By David G. Firestone

I did something like this a few years ago, and I felt I should bring it back for 2019. I’ve compiled a list of the firesuit manufacturers that the drivers of the Cup Series, IndyCar, F1, and the professional categories of the NHRA. I will link a picture of the driver suits in question. If I list a driver as “Unknown,” It means I wasn’t able to find a picture of the suit in question. Without further ado, the list:

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES

Landon Cassill #00-Impact!

Kurt Busch #1-Alpinestars

Brad Keselowski #2-Puma

Austin Dillon #3-Sparco

Kevin Harvick #4-Simpson

Ryan Newman #6-Sparco

Daniel Hemric #8-Sparco

Chase Elliott #9-Alpinestars

Aric Almirola #10-Alpinestars

Denny Hamlin #11-Jordan Branded Simpson Made

Ryan Blaney #12-Puma

Ty Dillon #13-Sparco

Clint Bowyer #14-Sparco

Ross Chastain #15-Simpson

Joe Nemechek #15/27–Simpson

Garrett Smithley #15/52/54/77-G-Force

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17-OMP

Kyle Busch #18-Adidas

Martin Truex Jr. #19-Impact!

Eric Jones #20-Simpson

Paul Menard #21-Puma

Joey Logano #22-Puma

William Byron #24-Alpinestars

Casey Mears #27-Sparco

Ryan Sieg #27-Impact!

Quin Houff #27/77-G-Force

Reed Sorenson #27/77-Simpson

Tyler Reddick #31-Sparco

Corey Lajoie #32-Adidas

Michael McDowell #34-Sparco

Matt Tift #36-Impact!

John Hunter Nemechek #36-Sparco

Chris Buescher #37-Sparco

David Ragan #38-Impact!

Jamie McMurray #40-Sparco

Daniel Suárez #41-Alpinestars

Kyle Larson #42-Sparco

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43-Sparco

Ryan Preece #47-Sparco

Jimmie Johnson #48-Alpinestars

Gray Gaulding#51-Adidas

D.J Kennington #51-K1

Andy Seuss #51-Leaf

Bayley Currey #51/52- Simpson/Impact!

BJ McLeod #51/#52-Simpson

Austin Theriault #51/52-K1

Cody Ware #51/#52-Simpson

Kyle Weatherman #51/52-Simpson

Josh Bilicki #51/52/53-Tri Star

J.J. Yeley #51/52/53/54-Simpson

Jeb Burton #52-Simpson

Stanton Barrett #52-TriStar

Spencer Boyd #53-Simpson

Brendan Gaughan #62-Sparco

Joey Gase #46/66-Simpson

Timmy Hill #66 Sparco

Ryan Truex #71-Alpinestars

Justin Haley#77-Sparco

Jeffrey Earnhardt #81-Simpson

Alex Bowman #88-Alpinestars

Matt DiBenedetto #95-Simpson

Drew Herring #96-Simpson

Parker Kligerman #96-K1

FORMULA 1

Daniel Ricciardo #3-Alpinestars

Lando Norris #4-Sparco

Sebastian Vettel #5-Puma

Kimi Räikkönen #7-Sparco

Romain Grosjean #8-Alpinestars

Pierre Gasly #10-Puma

Sergio Perez #11-Alpinestars

Charles Leclerc #16-Puma

Lance Stroll #18-Alpinestars

Kevin Magnussen #20-Alpinestars

Alexander Albon #23-Alpinestars

Daniil Kvyat #26-Alpinestars

Nico Hulkenberg #27-Alpinestars

Max Verstappen #33-Puma

Lewis Hamilton #44-Puma

Carlos Sainz #55-Sparco

George Russell #63-Alpinestars

Valtteri Bottas #77-Puma

Robert Kubica #88-Alpinestars

Antonio Giovinazzi #99-Sparco

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

Josef Newgarden #2-Puma

Helio Castroneves #3-Puma

Matheus Leist #4-Sparco

James Hinchcliffe #5-Sparco

Marcus Ericsson #7-Sparco

Scott Dixon #9-Sparco

Felix Rosenqvist #10-Sparco

Will Power #12-Puma

Tony Kanaan #14-Sparco

Graham Rahal #15-Sparco

Sebastien Bourdais #18-Sparco

Santino Ferrucci #19-Impact!

Ed Carpenter #20-Sparco

Ed Jones #20/63-Sparco

Spencer Pigot #21-Sparco

Simon Pagenaud #22-Puma

Charlie Kimball #23-Impact!

Sage Karam #24-Impact!

Conor Daly #25/59-OMP/Simpson

Zach Veach #26-OMP

Alexander Rossi #27-OMP

Ryan Hunter-Reay #28-OMP

Takuma Sato #30-Sparco

R.C. Enerson #31-Sparco

Patricio O’Ward #31-Sparco

Kyle Kaiser #32-Sparco

James Davison #33-Sparco

Pippa Mann #39-Hinchman HP2

Jordan King #42-Sparco

J.R. Hildebrand #48-Sparco

Max Chilton #59-Sparco

Jack Harvey #60-Sparco

Frenando Alonso #66-Sparco

Oriol Servia #77-Stand 21

Ben Hanley #81-Adidas

Colton Herta #88-Sparco

Marco Andretti #98-OMP

NHRA MELLO YELLOW DRAG RACING SERIES TOP FUEL

Justin Ashley-Impact!

Antron Brown-Impact!

Troy Buff-Impact!

Lee Callaway–Impact!

Greg Carrillo-Simpson

Steven Chrisman-DJ

Richie Crampton-Stand 21

Pat Dakin-Simpson

Steve Faria-Simpson

Cameron Ferre-Stand 21

Brittany Force-Simpson

Terry Haddock-DJ

Lex Joon-Simpson

Doug Kalitta-Stand 21

Chris Karamesines-Impact!

Kebin Kinsley-Simpson

Dom Lagana-Impact!

Bill Litton-Stand 21

Jim Maroney-Taylor

Dan Mercier-Simpson

Mike McIntire Jr–Taylor

Terry McMillen-Stand 21

Clay Millican-Stand 21

Wayne Newby-Simpson

Luigi Novelli-Taylor

Scott Palmer-RJ’s

Rob Passey-Unknown

Todd Paton-Taylor

Leah Pritchett-Impact!

Austin Prock-Simpson

Shawn Reed-Stand 21

Mike Salinas-Stand 21

Ron Smith-Unknown

Smax Smith-DJ

Billy Torrence-Stand 21

Steve Torrence-Stand 21

Terry Totten-Taylor

Jordan Vandergriff-Stand 21

Audrey Worm-Stroud

Kyle Wurtzel-Simpson

TJ Zizzo-Simpson

NHRA MELLO YELLOW DRAG RACING SERIES FUNNY CAR

Blake Alexander-Stand 21

Jeff Arend-Stand 21

Jack Beckman-Impact!

Bob Bode-Taylor

Phil Burkart Jr.-Impact!

Jim Campbell-DJ

Ron Capps-Impact!

Dale Creasy Jr.-DJ

Gary Densham-Simpson

Steven Densham-DJ

Jeff Diehl-Simpson

John Force-Simpson

Bob Gilbertson-Unknown

Steve Graham-Sparco

Terry Haddck-DJ

Matt Hagan-Impact!

Robert Hight-Simpson

Tommy Johnson Jr-Impact!

Shawn Langdon-Stand 21

Paul Lee-Simpson

Jonnie Lindberg-Stand 21

Ray Martin-Unknown

Mike McIntire Jr-Taylor

Cruz Pedregon-Stand 21

Frank Pedregon-Simpson

Dave Richards-Simpson

Justin Schriefer-Unknown

John Smith-Simpson

Mike Smith-Simpson

Bob Tasca III-Stand 21

J.R. Todd-Stand 21

Tim Wilkerson-Simpson

Jack Wyatt-Unknown

NHRA MELLO YELLOW DRAG RACING SERIES PRO STOCK

Greg Anderson-Simpson

Bob Benza-Unknown

Rodger Brogdon-Sparco

Bo Butner-Simpson

Jeg Coughlin Jr-Sparco

Cristian Cuadra-Unknown

Fernando Cuadra-Impact!

Kenny Delco-Sparco

Erica Enders-Sparco

Richard Freeman-Unknown

Steve Graham-Sparco

Joey Grose-DJ

Matt Hartford-Impact!

Mark Hogan-Unknown

Jeff Isbell-DJ

Deric Kramer-Sparco

Alex Laughlin-Sparco

Jason Line-Stand 21

Jeremy Martorella-G-Force

Chris McGaha-Sparco

Dave Miller-Unknown

Alan Prusiensky-Simpson/PROFOX

Robert River-Unknown

Val Smeland-Sparco

Richie Stevens-Sparco

Wally Stroupe-Unknown

Shane Tucker-Simpson

Here is the Suit Manufacturer Percentage Breakdown:

Sparco-54-24.6%

Simpson-43-19.6%

Impact!-23-10.5%

Stand 21-20-9.1%

Alpinestars-18-8.2%

Puma-14-6.3%

Suits of Unknown Make-13-5.9%

DJ-9-4.1%

Taylor-7-3.1%

OMP-6-2.7%

Adidas-4-1.8%

G-Force-3-1.3%

K1-3-1.3%

RJ’s-1-0.4%

Stroud-1-0.4%

Total: 219

Next week, the 2019 Paint Schemie Awards!

By David G. Firestone

Little Guy November ends a week early this year. I’ve been working on a project that will happen next week. Sports car racing doesn’t get the respect it deserves in America. NASCAR gets the most attention, IndyCar takes center stage on Memorial Day, and the NHRA is the star on Labor Day. Even with the lack of respect shown to sports car racing, it has a very dedicated fan base. The racing is always great.

One driver who has had a lot of success is Robert “Butch” Leitzinger. In his years of racing in American LeMans and Grand Am he has 15 wins in ALMS and 9 wins in Grand Am. He also has 4 wins in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, two in 1994, one in 1995, and one in 1996. During his 2001 season, he raced in Grand Am for 10 of the 13 races. He won five times, at Homestead, Lime Rock, Circuit de Trois-Rivieres, Watkins Glen, and the second Daytona race. He and Dyson Racing finished second in the standings. During that season, he wore this Stand 21 undershirt, which he also autographed. The shirt is in decent condition, and doesn’t show much use.The collar has a STAND 21 tag. There is no tag in the cowl.Butch signed the front torso in black Sharpie.There is a tag sewn into the left side of the shirt.The shoulders are unadorned.. The sleeves are unadorned. The back is unadorned, and doesn’t show any wear. Next week…a surprise!

By David G. Firestone

Little Guy November continues, this time in Britain. In 1980, Steve O’Rourke, manager Pink Floyd founded EMKA Racing. The team raced in British sports car racing, and occasionally Formula 1. The team had some success, including 3 wins, 6 class wins, 18 class podiums, and several championship runs.

The team went through a series of drivers, including a British driver by the name of Guy Holmes. Holmes was a small-time driver, who raced in various British series, and even raced in the 1996 24 Hours of LeMans. He raced in Britain for several years before EMKA Racing. In 1986, he wore this Mobil 1 double layer AWS Racewear firesuit. The suit shows light use, but is in great condition.The collar has a Velcro strap, and a MOBIL 1 logo is embroidered on the neck.The cowl has a standard tag with washing instructions. There is also a Nomex tag inside of the Velcro strap. The right chest features an AWS Racewear logo embroidered on the white background.The left chest is unadorned.The upper torso features a MOBIL 1 logo embroidered. There is a red stripe separating the white and the blue material.GUY HOLMES is embroidered in white on the blue material of the belt.The legs have standard cuffs, and are unadorned.The shoulders have white epaulets that are unadorned, and outlined in blue. The sleeves have white material on the outside, a red stripe, and blue material on the inside. There is an AWS Racewear logo embroidered, but the sleeves are otherwise unadorned. The back of the suit doesn’t show any real wear.The back of the neck has NORME 1986 1986 STANDARD ADVANCED WEAR AND SAFETY FIA FIA 1.082R.A.C.88 certification embroidered. I should point out that this is how I determined this suit from 1986. Information on Guy Holmes outside of 1995-1997 is impossible to find, so that’s how I came to that conclusion.The upper front torso features a MOBIL 1 logo embroidered.Guy Holmes is a racer who got to the top of his racing of choice, but who couldn’t get the job done, so he has faded into obscurity.

Next Week, an undershirt.

By David G. Firestone

Little Guy November starts in earnest. Hailing from Philo, IL, the self-proclaimed center of the universe, Kyle Schuett has raced the sprint car scene since at least 2005. He has numerous race wins and championships. He races in the southern Illinois area.

Even the little guys need to upgrade equipment, and Schuett is no exception. Suits, helmets, shoes, and gloves all need to be replaced. This SFI 3.3/5 rated K1 gloves is proof of this. The gloves show decent use, and have been autographed on the wrists. The right gloves features wear on the palm. There are certification tags present, and Kyle has signed the wrist. The left gloves features wear on the palm. There are certification tags present, and Kyle has signed the wrist. Admittedly, this was a short column this week, so I present…

TAILGATING TIME

Since this is November, there will be parties and get-togethers. You want to bring something interesting to the event, so I present:

Pumpkin Date Squares

6 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons

1/4 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup cooked pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking power

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Instructions:

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2-Mix dates, walnuts, 2 teaspoons flour and set aside.

3-Melt butter and stir in sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla.

4-Beat inn eggs, sift in remaining 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking power and spices. Mix well.

5-Stir in floured dates and nuts.

6-Pour into greased 8×8 square baking pan.

7-Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Next week, a British racing suit.

By David G. Firestone

So last week I was ready to present this Ray Neveau driver suit, because from what I had researched, I thought that he was a professional driver. After doing my research, I realized that he was a weekend warrior. As such, I decided to push this article back a week, and start Little Guy November a week early. For those who don’t know, Little Guy November is a celebration of items worn by drivers who aren’t in the big leagues. These include minor league professional drivers, and weekend warriors. So, without further ado, let’s get to the suit!

Hailing from Santa Ana, CA, Ray Neveau founded Class Auto Center in 1981. He is also in charge of a number of other auto body shops in the Orange County, California area. Many auto body shops race cars as a method of promotion. Owners also like to race cars as a hobby. Ray Neveau is no exception.

In 1993, Ray Neveau raced in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour. He raced in three races at Saugus, CA, Tuscon, and Mesa Marin. His attempts weren’t successful. He also raced in a number of local events, as evidenced by this black firesuit. This double layer non-certified suit shows light use.The red collar has white stitching and a Velcro closure.Inside the cowl is a standard Simpson tag. There are two flags present, one with MSL, the other has a manufacture date of 2/93.The right chest features two small SIMPSON patches and RAY NEVEAU embroidered.The left chest is unadorned.The front torso features the word SHARP in red chain-stitched lettering with a white outline. You don’t see chain-stitching on driver suits that often, and that’s why I love this suit!The suit has a belt. It is black with white stitching.The legs have standard cuffs, and are unadorned.The shoulders have red epaulets that are unadorned. The right sleeve is unadorned. The left sleeve has a SIMPSON patch on the upper part, the rest of the sleeve is unadorned. The back of the suit has no real wear.The back of the neck has no adornment on the red material.The back torso is unadorned.Next week, Little Guy November continues with a pair of gloves.