Category: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-April 18, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Apple Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Austin Dillon #3 Toys for Tots Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kyle Busch #8 Nicokick x zone Cranberry Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Chris Buescher #17 Dillon’s/Gold Peak Tea Ford Mustang-I like the look, not over done, and the leaves work well. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Boys & Girls Club of America Toyota Camry-The color and design schemes are good, and work well together. A

Riley Herbst #35 Tree Top Toyota Camry-The black and white aren’t needed, and give the car a cluttered look. It’s not terrible, but not great. C

Tyler Reddick #45 SupplyHouse Toyota Camry-This look kind of looks like a Jordan Brand look, and would work as a sneaker design. It’s well done, and has great color scheme, and that earns an A.

Cody Ware #51 True Brand Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic. F

Ryan Preece #60 Kickstand Cocktails Ford Mustang-A fade is only good if it’s across the whole car, and pastel does NOT belong in NASCAR. F

Paint Scheme Grades-April 11, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Fishing Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look at all. A

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kyle Busch #8 Bank OZK Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Ty Dillon #10 Ohio Logistics Chevy Camaro-A good look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ryan Blaney #12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chase Briscoe #19 Lance Snacks Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Bubba Wallace #23 WWE/Chumba Casino Toyota Camry-I like the color scheme, but the design scheme is awful. It’s too over designed. This gets a C.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, this gets a C.

Tyler Reddick #45 Comparion Insurance Toyota Camry-I do kind of like this scheme, but the darkest blue isn’t really needed, and the car is kind of over designed. B

Cody Ware #51 Costa Oil Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Muscle Milk Ford Mustang-When done well, a sky motif looks great. This is well done. A

Chad Finchum #66 Brian King Roofing Ford Mustang-My only complaint here is that the house motif could be moved back a bit. Otherwise, this is an A scheme.

Paint Scheme Grades-March 28, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Safety Culture Chevy Camaro-No real improvement from last year. F

Austin Cindric #2 Menard’s/Richmond Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Coatings Chevy Camaro-I like the look, it’s well done. A

Noah Gragson #4 Fuel by Franzia Ford Mustang-Pink and black is NOT a good color combo, and the design is awful. F

Daniel Suarez #7 Group 1001 Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Busch #8 FICO Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ty Dillon #10 Black’s Tire Chevy Camaro-Reversing the color really doesn’t make that much of a difference, and that’s a good thing. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang–No change. A

Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Thomas’ High Protein Bagels Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 Hardee’s Toyota Camry-It’s not the Hardee’s schemes from long ago, but it’s a solid A nonetheless.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Jack Links Non-Vegan Chevy Camaro-It’s no meat motif, but it’s so awesome, it gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-March 21, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Moose Fraternity Chevy Camaro-A slight downgrade from last year. A-

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevy Camaro-Too over designed, and while the color scheme is decent, it doesn’t save the scheme. F

Noah Gragson #4 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #34, same C grade.

Brad Keselowski #6 Solomon Plumbing Throwback Ford Mustang-I like the look, it’s very accurate, and I think this a good throwback. A

Daniel Suarez #7 NationsGuard Chevy Camaro-Not better, not worse, still a C.

Kyle Busch #8 BetMGM Chevy Camaro-This is too cluttered, too busy, and not even a good color scheme could save this from an F.

Denny Hamlin #11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Fifth Third Bank Throwback Ford Mustang-I like the look, the blue works well, and I think this a good throwback. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-Blue works better than gray and this scheme gets an A.

Todd Gilliland #34 Ruedbusch Development and Construction Throwback Ford Mustang-Admittedly, this scheme is over used, but this is a good interpretation of it. A

Riley Herbst #35 FRE Nicotine Pouches Toyota Camry-Decent color scheme, mediocre design scheme will earn a C.

Zane Smith #38 Mystik Lubricants Throwback Ford Mustang-I’m all for throwbacks, but I hated this in 2000, and I hate this now. This gets an F.

Erik Jones #43 Advent Health Toyota Camry-Petty Enterprise throwbacks usually are, and this is no exception. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Jack Links Non-Vegan Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ty Gibbs #54 SiriusXM Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Oscar Mayer/Heinz Throwback Ford Mustang-I like the look, it’s very accurate, and I think this a good throwback. A

Timmy Hill #66 Auto Direct USA Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Carson Hocevar #77 Chili’s Marg Machine Throwback Chevy Camaro-You can’t go wrong with a Dale Earnhardt Sr. throwback. This is a great scheme, and it gets an A.

Shane van Gisbergen #97 WeatherTech Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-March 14, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Noah Gragson #4 Curate Ford Mustang-Get rid of the white and this is a solid A. With the yellow, this is an A-

Brad Keselowski #6 Trimble Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #60, same scheme grade.

Ty Dillon #10 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-The new front stripes are awful, and take a B down to a C.

Denny Hamlin #11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry-The addition of white does NOT help this scheme at all. It takes it from a C down to a D.

AJ Allmendinger #16 U-Save Chevy Camaro-It’s a bold and unique look, the stripes look good, and aren’t over done, this gets an A.

Chris Buescher #17 Smith’s/Farm Rich Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Christopher Bell #20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Tri State Vacuum & Rental LLC Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-I like the look, it works well, and the color scheme is good too. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 NOS Energy Chevy Camaro-Not better, not worse, still a B.

Cody Ware #51 Yeego.ai/Habit Burger & Grill Chevy Camaro-The purple is really odd here, there’s no real pattern, and it clashes with the rest of the scheme. This is an AI sponsor, so was this done by AI? C

Carson Hocevar #77 Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Connor Zilisch #88 Jockey 150th Anniversary Camaro-I love the look, the gold works well, and the red stripe works well too. A

Shane van Gisbergen #97 SuperFile Chevy Camaro-We have our first contender for worst scheme of the year, and this ugly, over designed disaster will be hard to beat. F

Paint Scheme Grades-March 7, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Kubota Chevy Camaro-Adding more black is a slight upgrade. C

Austin Cindric #2 Menard’s/Quaker State Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Noah Gragson #4 Straight Talk Wireless Ford Mustang-Nothing really wrong here. The design and color schemes are solid. A

Brad Keselowski #6 Consumer Cellular Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-No real change one way or the other. B

Chris Buescher #17 Fry’s/Artesano/Kraft Ford Mustang-I really like the look of the cheese and the cheese sandwich. A

Christopher Bell #20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang-I really like the look here, this should be the primary scheme! A

Austin Hill #33 United Rentals Chevy Camaro-In a vacuum this scheme would get a D, but compared to last year, this gets a C, as it is a vast improvements.

Todd Gilliland #34 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry-In a vacuum this scheme would get an F, but compared to last year, this gets a D-, as it is a vast improvements.

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-I love the red fade, and the car has a nice design. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Pylon Aviation Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, and mediocre color scheme will always earn a C.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally/Best Friends Chevy Camaro-This is a much better look than previous years, and I like the look. It’s solid and not overdone. A

Cody Ware #51 Super.com Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme will ALWAYS earn an A.

Ty Gibbs #54 AMPM Toyota Camry-While I do like the color scheme, the design scheme is awful, and it kills the whole scheme. F

Connor Zilisch #88 Wendy’s Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #1, same F grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 28, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light For the Love of Texas Chevy Camaro-Much too over designed, especially when compared to 2025. Not terrible, so this gets a C-.

Austin Dillon #3 BREZTRI Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #6 Graza Olive Oil Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, it has a great color scheme, and it gets an A.

Ty Dillon #10 Patriot Mobile Chevy Camaro-NToning this down would earn an A. This gets a B.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Pennzoil Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Trimble Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Concrete Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Josh Berry #21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Jesse Love #33 C4 Energy Chevy Camaro-Too many colors, and too many designs, this gets an F.

Cole Custer #41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Chevy Camaro-Taking a bad scheme, and making it worse will ALWAYS earn an F.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Ram Self Storage Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Cody Ware #51 Blue Highway Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the rear stripes will take this scheme from an A- to an A.

Cody Ware #51 Parts Plus/Costa Oil Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look at all. A

Ryan Preece #60 Castrol Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #71 Katz Coffee Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Carson Hocevar #77 Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente Chevy Camaro-Black is a much better background color than white, and this gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 21, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Wendy’s Chevy Camaro-Far too over designed, and the pig tail is awful. F

Austin Dillon #3 Morgan & Morgan Chevy Camaro-Not bad, not great, just meh. C

Noah Gragson #4 TitleMax Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Ty Dillon #10 Sea Best Seafood Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Cole Custer #41 Haas/Andy’s Frozen Custard Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Tyler Reddick #45 Pinnacle Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ty Gibbs #54 Saia Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Red Baron Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will ALWAYS earn an A.

Michael McDowell #71 B’laster Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

BJ McLeod #78 Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

BJ McLeod #78 Superior Logistics/RepairableVehicles.com Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will ALWAYS earn an A.

Shane van Gisbergen #88 Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge Chevy Camaro-It’s a major improvement from the other schemes Tootsie’s has run.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 14, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Kyle Busch #8 Rebel Bourbon Chevy Camaro-I really like the barrel and mug motif, works well, and isn’t over done. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Peak Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ultra Premium Ford Mustang-In a vacuum, this would get an A, but compared to last year’s design, this gets an A-.

Chandler Smith #36 QuickTie Ford Mustang-Not terrible, but a major downgrade from 2025. C

JJ Yeley #44 Barnett Southern Corporation Chevy Camaro-In a vacuum, this would get an A, but compared to last year’s design, this gets an A-.

Tyler Reddick #45 Pala Casino Toyota Camry-Teal and pink is the WORST color combination on a race car that I’ve seen in a while. The design doesn’t help at all. F

Cody Ware #51 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Viva Ford Mustang-Smooth look, great color scheme, this gets an A.

Carson Hocevar #77 Spectrum Chevy Camaro-The purple has no real purpose, and the car as a whole is over designed. F

Shane van Gisbergen #97 SuperFile Chevy Camaro-I’m done with super heroes, and while this isn’t terrible, this isn’t great. C

Paint Scheme Grades-August 7, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Freightliner/eCascadia Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Frog Tape Ford Mustang-Green does NOT work with the Menard’s template. F

Austin Cindric #2 Autotrader Ford Mustang-A great look, can’t complain. A

Kyle Busch #8 zone Premium Nicotine Patches Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Great Lakes Flooring Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 BodyArmor Chill Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Joey Logano #22 Autotrader Ford Mustang-A great look, can’t complain. A

Zane Smith #38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Onin Staffing Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, evens out to a C.

Cody Ware #51 Evel Knievel/Parts Plus Ford Mustang-Reversing the colors works very well. A

Anthony Alfredo #62 Dude Wipes Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look at all. A

Casey Mears #66 Ford Mustang-\Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Casey Mears #66 SI Yachts/Gracie Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Michael McDowell #71 Modo Casino Chevy Camaro-Too much is too much. F

Carson Hocevar #77 MINER Chevy Camaro-Yellow is pointless here, and the new design looks awful. F

Michael McDowell #71 Delaware Life Chevy Camaro-Not better, not worse, same C- from last year.