Category Archives: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-February 20, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Kurt Busch #1 Advent Health Chevy Camaro-It’s an ugly, over designed mess, and the color scheme is awful. I give this an F.

Kyle Larson #5 Hendrickcars.com Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota Camry-I don’t like the off-center design on the sides, but I do like the overall design as well as the fade. The good and the bad cancel each other out, and this gets a C.

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

Garrett Smithley #13 Trophy Tractor Ford Mustang-Not even a good color scheme can save this disaster from an F grade. This might be one of the worst schemes I have ever seen.

Kaz Grala #16 Hyper Ice Chevy Camaro-I think that the black is over designed a bit, but it isn’t terrible. This gets an A-

Michael McDowell #34 Love’s Truck Stops Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

David Ragan #36 Select Blinds Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Ryan Preece #37 Cottonelle Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Ross Chastain #42 Clover Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Cody Ware #51 Nurtec ODT Chevy Camaro-I love the fade of the stripe, and the blue is really good too. The car has a smooth and bold scheme, and this gets an A.

Joey Gase #53 Page Construction Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2021, black, with green and teal stripe. B+

I don’t like the shade of green used, it needs to be darker. Also, the teal is needless. Still, it’s a decent scheme, so it gets a B+

Timmy Hill #66 VSI Racing Ford Mustang-The only thing keeping this scheme above an F grade is the color scheme. Other than that, this is an F scheme.

Jamie McMurray #77 Advent Health Chevy Camaro-A good color scheme balanced by a bad color scheme will always earn a C.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 13, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 Mane ‘n Tail Chevy Camaro-Another example of a scheme not improving with new design elements. F

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro-It’s a very simple, yet bold look. It’s not over designed, and has a good color scheme. A

Kyle Larson # 5 Nations Guard Chevy Camaro-The large white section is pointless, and visually distracting. Without that, it would earn an A, but this scheme earns a B+

Ryan Newman #6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Tyler Reddick #8 Lenovo Chevy Camaro-I like the design, it works well, the waves look good. The color scheme works well too, so I give it an A.

Tyler Reddick #8 I Am Second Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods 10th Anniversary Ford Mustang-I like the checkered flag motif, and the car as a whole has a great look. A

Denny Hamlin #11 Offerpad Toyota Camry-A good gradient works well, and the color scheme is great, so this gets an A.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Great Lakes Flooring Ford Mustang-The light blue really doesn’t work here. Darker blue would work better. This get a C

Derrike Cope #15 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro-This is a great look! The minimal amount of red works, and the side design is great. This gets an A.

Chris Buescher #17 Castrol Ford Mustang-I’m not the biggest fan of green on race cars, but this works very well. This is a good design, and it gets an A.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 DeWalt Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #20, same A- grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 Root Insurance Toyota Camry-The color scheme works well, and the design scheme works well, so this gets an A.

Anthony Alfredo #38 Dude Wipes Ford Mustang-The blue should be one of the primary colors, instead of the stripes. Speaking of, I think the stripes are useless, and visually distracting. But it’s not bad, so I’ll give it a B.

Erik Jones #43 Armor All Chevy Camaro-If the black areas were a stripe, I would give this a solid A. I don’t like that part, but it still gets an A-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/NOS Energy Drink Chevy Camaro-While I do like the color scheme, this is way too over designed, and it’s just not good. F

Josh Bilicki #52 Wisconsin Lighting Lab Ford Mustang-The white is completely pointless here. The car is somewhat over designed. The color scheme is good, so I’ll give it a D+

Noah Gragson #62 Beard Oil Chevy Camaro-Nothing wrong with updated scheme. It looks great. A

Justin Haley #77 General Formulations, Royal Sovereign, and Mutoh America Chevy Camaro-This is a scheme where nothing is really right, and nothing is really wrong. The good and the bad cancel each other out, so this gets a C.

Justin Haley #77 Mutoh America and Royal Sovereign and General Formulations Chevy Camaro-Same basic scheme as previous, same C grade.

BJ McLeod #78 NASCAR Heat 5 Collection Chevy Camaro-Another example of a scheme with nothing really wrong, and nothing really right. This is just a meh scheme, and it gets a C

Ty Dillon #96 Bass Pro Shops/Black Rifle Coffee Toyota Camry-This is just bad. Camo is bad on the sides of race cars, and the orange and yellow doesn’t work. This gets an F.

Daniel Suarez #99 Commscope Toyota Camry-It’s a bad scheme with a worse color scheme. This gets an F.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 6, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Kurt Busch #1 Gear Wrench Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang-The shade of blue is great, and the mountain motif works well. This gets an A.

Brad Keselowski #2 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 Youtheory Chevy Camaro-I hate the black roof! This is a decent scheme, but the black roof ruins it. I’ll give this a B.

Tyler Reddick #8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevy Camaro-This is way too over designed for my taste. This might work better with another color scheme, but this is awful. F

Chase Elliott #9 Hooters Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry-My only complaint is that the gradient should be a fade. Other than that, this gets a A.

Austin Cindric #33 Verizon Ford Mustang-It’s bold, with a smooth look, and a great color scheme. That will ALWAYS earn an A.

Erik Jones #43 RP Funding Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Daniel Suarez #99 iFly Chevy Camaro-It’s an ugly, over designed mess. The only reason this is getting a passing grade, is because I like the color scheme. D-

Daniel Suarez #99 Pump It Up Party Chevy Camaro-It’s an ugly, over designed mess, with an awful color scheme. F

Daniel Suarez #99 K1 Speed Chevy Camaro-It’s an ugly, over designed mess. The only reason this is getting a passing grade, is because I like the color scheme. D-

Paint Scheme Grades-January 30, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Corey LaJoie #7 Schluter Systems Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme here, and I like the design scheme, so this gets an A.

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Chevy Camaro-I think that the new elements take away from the scheme just a bit, so it goes from B+ to a B.

Chase Elliott #9 Kelly Blue Book Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang-This new toned down scheme works very well. It’s simple, yet bold, and it works well with the color scheme. A

Cole Custer #41 Dixie Vodka Ford Mustang-I like the wood motif, and the color scheme is great. When I can’t say anything bad about a scheme, it gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-January 23, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Kurt Busch #1 Monster Energy Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Money Lion Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Newman #6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang-The waves are way too over done, and the scheme is a little cluttered. Still, it’s a good scheme, so I’ll give it a B+

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 DoorDash Toyota Camry-I like this look. The shade of red is really good, and the overall design is great too. A

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy Camaro-I think the color scheme is good, which is the only good thing I can say about this scheme. D

Anthony Alfredo #38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-I hate the color scheme, and I hate the design scheme, so I’ll give this an F.

Paint Scheme Grades-January 16, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #2 Autotrader Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D+ grade.

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

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Cole Custer #41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang-I think the side designs are over done, but the car does have a good look, and a good color scheme, so I’ll give it a B.

Paint Scheme Grades-January 9, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Pirtek Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang-I think the sublimated designs are over done, and the white stripe isn’t great. Still it’s not bad, so I’ll give it a B+

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Ford Mustang-It’s way too over designed and it just looks ugly. F

Chase Elliott #9 LLumar Window Film Chevy Camaro-I love a good fade, and this is a great fade. The sublimated designs work well, and this gets an A.

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

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

Chase Briscoe #14 HighPoint Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look with a great design scheme, and that will ALWAYS earn an A.

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

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Christopher Bell #20 Rheem Toyota Camry-An amazing looking scheme with a great color scheme. This gets an A.

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-I think the stripes are a bit over done, but it’s not a bad scheme so I’ll give it an A-

Christopher Bell #20 Irwin Tools Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Christopher Bell #20 Stanley Toyota Camry-Nothing to complain about here! This is an amazing scheme. A

Christopher Bell #20 Craftsman Toyota Camry-Take an amazing color scheme, give it an ugly design scheme, and you have the recipe for a C scheme.

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menard’s/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Joey Logano #22 AAA Insurance Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D+ grade.

Joey Logano #22 AAA Southern California Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy Camaro– really like the simple look here, and the color scheme is great, so I’ll give this an A.

Paint Scheme Tracker-January 6, 2021

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Mustang–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Pirtek Ford Mustang–No Change. F

STEWART HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2021, green with white and dark green stripes. B+

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford Mustang–No Change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang–No Change. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2021, redesign with a series of sublimated designs. F

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #9

Chase Elliott #9 LLumar Window Film Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2021, white fade to green fade to red with sublimated designs. A

STEWART HAAS RACING #10

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods Ford Mustang–No change. A

TEAM PENSKE #12

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang–No change. B+

Ryan Blaney #12 Dex Imaging Ford Mustang–No change. A

STEWART HAAS RACING #14

Chase Briscoe #14 HighPoint Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2021, white with blue curves and stripes. A

IROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Ford Mustang–No change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry–No change. F

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry–No change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry–No change. C-

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Christopher Bell #20 Rheem Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2021, black with red and white stripes. A

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2021, yellow with a series of black stripes. A-

Christopher Bell #20 Irwin Tools Toyota Camry–No change. C

Christopher Bell #20 Stanley Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2021, yellow with red and black stripes. A

Christopher Bell #20 Craftsman Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2021, black and red with stripes and designs. C

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Ford Mustang–No change. A

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menard’s/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang–No change. C

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 AAA Insurance Ford Mustang–No change. D

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang–No change. D

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford Mustang–No change. D+

Joey Logano #22 AAA Southern California Ford Mustang–No change. D

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, white with red flames and red and blue stripes. A

The Final Paint Scheme Grades of 2020-November 14, 2020

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 UNITS Moving and Portable Storage Chevy Camaro-This design is over designed a bit. It’s not horrible, and it has a good color scheme. I’ll give it an B+.

Brad Keselowski #2 Wabash National/Thank A Trucker Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Wabash National, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light #FACEATTHERACE Ford Mustang-It’s a really good scheme, and the car has a really good look. A

Garrett Smithley #7 Victory Lane Quick Oil Change/Kendall Oil Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #53, same F grade.

Tyler Reddick #8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, yellow door numbers in honor of Jimmie Johnson. B-

The yellow door numbers are a downgrade, and they take a B+ scheme down to a B-.

Aric Almirola #10 Go Bowling Throwback Ford Mustang-It’s a great looking throwback, and I love the door numbers. A

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota Camry-Same scheme as FedEx, same B+ grade.

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

Clint Bowyer #14 Clint Bowyer Tribute Ford Mustang-The wood grain motif works well, and the car has a great look. This is a great scheme, and it gets an A.

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Ford Mustang-This is a massive upgrade from previous schemes. This looks great, the car looks smooth, and the scheme gets an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Joey Logano #22 PPG Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #2, same A grade.

JJ Yeley #27 Figgers Wireless Ford Mustang-Another case of a bad design scheme with a great color scheme. They cancel each other out, and this gets a C.

JJ Yeley #27 Ford Mustang-A smooth look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

JJ Yeley #27 Red Rock Secured Ford Mustang-I don’t like the white hood here. I think it is visually distracting. I give this an A-

Corey LaJoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang-Even a great color scheme can’t save this over designed mess from getting an F.

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #47, same A grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Chevy Camaro-I like the new look. This is a much smoother look, and the car looks great. A

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-Silver is such an improvement here. The Ally scheme works well with silver, and the car earns an A.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Throwback Chevy Camaro-The Richard Petty motif would work, the Dale Earnhardt motif would work, the two together just look odd. Add in the odd door numbers, and I will give it a C.

Joey Gase #51 Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Joey Gase #51 Donate Life Texas Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Donate Life Virginia, same F grade.

Joey Gase #51 PageKC Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Page Construction, same B grade.

James Davison #53 Virginia International Raceway Ford Mustang-Another case of a bad design scheme with a great color scheme. They cancel each other out, and this gets a C.

Joey Gase #53 Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

James Davison #53 Hopegivers International Ford Mustang-Another example of a scheme with nothing wrong, and nothing right. It’s just meh, and gets a C.

Timmy Hill #66 CrashClaimsR.us Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Pit Boss Grills, same A grade.

Garrett Smithley #77 DECK Leadership Chevy Camaro-The scheme is way too over designed, and the red is pointless. The scheme has a decent color scheme, and isn’t horrifically over designed, so I’ll give it a B-

Alex Bowman #88 ChevyGoods.com Chevy Camaro-Same as Adam’s Polishes, same A grade.

Alex Bowman #88 Truck Hero/Chevy Group Chevy Camaro-The clashing yellow door numbers are a downgrade, and they take a A scheme down to a B+.

Daniel Suarez #96 T-Ten Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Toyota, same B- grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-November 7, 2020

Posted on by
Reply

By David G. Firestone

Josh Bilicki #7 Junction Fuels Chevy Camaro-Camo does not, has never, and never will look good on the side of a race car, and this is more proof. F

Josh Bilicki #7 Insurance King/Wounded Blue Chevy Camaro-The police car motif works well, the car is well designed, and I give this an A.

Tyler Reddick #8 Motor Trend Chevy Camaro-Another example of a great color scheme being countered with a bad color scheme. This gets a C.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Shipathon Toyota Camry-I like the bow look, it looks good, and the rest of the car has a great look too. It’s much better than regular FedEx, and it gets an A.

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

Ty Dillon #13 GEICO Stir Up Savings Chevy Camaro-I think the shade of green can be adjusted, but it’s still a solid Halloween motif, and it earns an A.

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Zombie Toyota Camry-I rarely, if ever complain about a scheme being under designed, but I think there could have been more focus on the dirt and zombies. Also, why no zombie M&M characters? Still, this isn’t bad, and it gets an A-

JJ Yeley #27 Fat Boy Ice Cream Chevy Camaro-Very smooth look, and it has a great color scheme. This gets an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford Mustang-This might be the best Halloween motif I’ve seen in a while. Smooth, not over designed, and great color scheme all combine to earn an A.

Michael McDowell #34 CarParts.com Ford Mustang-It’s horribly over designed, and the colors don’t do it any favors. This gets an F.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 DoorDash Vote Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Chad Finchum #49 Octane Mania/Sharelife Vacations Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #66, same A grade.

Joey Gase #51 Donate Life Texas Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Donate Life Virginia, same F grade.

Timmy Hill #66 Dreamworks Motorsports Toyota Camry-It’s far too over designed, and the car has a very cluttered look. F

Alex Bowman #88 Planters Chevy Camaro-The look here is really good, and the car is well designed. A

Christopher Bell #95 Procore Toyota Camry-I never really liked this scheme back then, and I don’t really like it now. It’s not awful, but not great. It gets a C.

Daniel Suarez #96 The NASCAR Foundation Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Daniel Suarez #96 Peacock Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.