Category Archives: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-September 14, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Sherfick Companies Chevy Camaro-I think the black stripe is pointless, but it’s still a good look, with a good color scheme, so I’ll give it an A-.

Ross Chastain #15 Xchange of America/Busey Bank Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a good color scheme will always earn an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Ark.io Ford Mustang-This is an ugly, over designed mess of a scheme that doesn’t look good. F

Matt Tifft #36 Southeastern Equipment & Supply/Meijer Ford Ford Mustang-The shade of yellow is good, that’s the only good thing I can say about this scheme. D-

David Ragan #38 Mannington Commercial Ford Mustang-This is an ugly, over designed mess of a scheme that doesn’t look good. F

Kyle Larson #42 McDonald’s McDelivery Chevy Camaro-The added white, and yellow elements do not look good, and they take a solid A scheme down to a B.

Garrett Smithley #52 Honest Abe Roofing Ford Mustang-Were it plain blue, I would have no problem giving this an A. The sublimated logo, and Lincoln motif are bad, and detract from this scheme. B-

JJ Yeley #54 Maximum Elevation Chevy Camaro-Too much going on here. The cutting edge designs aren’t good, and the sublimated designs are awful. F

Joey Gase #66 Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Horizon Transport Toyota Camry-This is a bold look. It has a great color scheme, and it isn’t over done. This is a great look. A

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Paint Scheme Grades-September 7, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 StarCom Fiber Throwback Chevy Camaro-I always love metallic siver, and the Coors Light look is a great look. I also like the design as a whole. This is getting an A.

Kurt Busch #1 Chevrolet Accessories Throwback Chevy Camaro-The black Monster Energy area looks out of place. This is visually distracting and takes away. The scheme looks good, but the black takes it from an A to an A-.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Throwback Ford Mustang-The Miller scheme had a unique look, and while I preferred the standard Miller Genuine Draft scheme, this is still a great scheme. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Big Buck Hunter Ford Mustang-Red looks out of place here, and it doesn’t work with this design. Still, it is a decent look, so I’ll give it a B.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Dog’s Most Wanted Ford Mustang-I’ve never seen a car with the motif of someone sitting in a car before. It’s original, but it’s not really that great. Its not over done, but it’s not awful. I’ll give it a C.

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Throwback Toyota Camry-The white design is a unique look, and it’s a good throwback. I like this, and I’m giving it an A.

Erik Jones #20 SportClips Throwback Toyota Camry-This is a smooth, simple look, and it’s a great look. The black works, the red works, and the scheme works. A

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Throwback Ford Mustang-I was not a fan of the Harvick Shell/Pennzoil scheme, and I’m not a fan of this throwback. There are other Shell schemes that could work, but this is just a meh scheme. I’ll give it a C.

Ryan Sieg #27 SciAps, Inc. Chevy Camaro-My only complaint here is that the green is too light, and it could be darker. A-

Corey Lajoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Scooby Doo Ford Mustang-I never liked Scooby Doo, and I’m not a fan of this scheme. It’s not awful, but I don’t like it. I’ll give it a C.

Michael McDowell #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Mustang-This was a very unique scheme back in the day, and I like this faithgul representation. This is a good look, and I like the silver door numbers. A

Matt Tifft #36 Hilker Glass Throwback Ford Mustang-This is a bold look that isn’t over done. It’s also a faithful throwback. This is a great look, and I give it an A.

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Fast Lane to Flavor Chevy Camaro-This is an ugly, over designed mess. The only good thing I can say is that I like the color scheme, so that saves it from an F. D-

Kyle Larson #42 Clover Throwback Chevy Camaro-I never liked the green Kodiak scheme, I always preferred the white scheme. This is a faithful replication, but it doesn’t pop as much as some of the others. I’ll give this a B.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Throwback Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is so much better than his current Ally scheme, and it’s a faithful replica. This is a great scheme. A

BJ McLeod #51 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro-An underrated NASCAR movie with a lot of great cars, this is a faithful replica of the #7 Chicken Pit/Zenon Ford Thunderbird. This is an amazing look, and I give it an A.

JJ Yeley #52 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about it. A

Garrett Smithley #54 AQRE Throwback Chevy Camaro-Not the scheme I was expecting, but this is a good look, and it’s a faithful replica. I give this an A.

Reed Sorenson #77 Motor Racing Network Throwback Chevy Camaro-A fauxback, but a good one. Blue and gold works well, and the design is simple. I give this an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Toyota Throwback Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, it has a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 24, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Chevy Accessories Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro-Wave forms are over done this year, but this isn’t the worst I’ve seen. Black and orange is decent. All things considered, I give this a C-

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #21, same B+ grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Peak Lighting Ford Mustang-I do like the black and gold, but this isn’t a good look. The Peak designs aren’t necessary, and give the car a cluttered look. It’s not terrible, so I’ll give it a B-

Ross Chastain #15 Chantz Auto Group/Icey Tek Chevy Camaro-A smooth look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Incredible Bank Ford Mustang-I think the orange could be darker, and the side designs are a bit over done. Still, it’s a good look, so I’ll give it a B+.

David Ragan #38 MDS Ford Mustang-Orange doesn’t improve this design. Orange doesn’t detract from this design. It’s still a B+.

Ryan Preece #47 Kroger Throwback Chevy Camaro-I love this throwback! The shade of red works, the design looks great, and the car just looks awesome. I love good throwbacks, and this is a good throwback. A

BJ McLeod #51 Pinnacle Sports and Entertainment Chevy Camaro-The only good thing I can say here is that I like the color scheme. The design is an ugly, pointlessly over designed mess. I don’t know what look they were going for, but they missed. I’ll give this a D.

Kyle Weatherman #52 Belmont Classic Cars Chevy Camaro-Why tan? Why not blue, or red, or black, or any other color? You don’t see many tan race cars, and that’s because tan doesn’t work. If this were literally any other color it would get a higher grade, but this gets a B-.

J.J. Yeley #54 Slayer Chevy Camaro-I’m going to count this as an independent scheme, largely because of a bunch of stupid reasons. This is a great look. The color scheme works, and the design works flawlessly. It’s a shame that some people can’t handle Slayer.A

J.J. Yeley #54 PODS Chevy Camaro-So after all the nonsense, you have a race car that will race at Bristol. Why not just have PODS on a black background? Why keep the Slayer motif? This is god awful! Why PODS would agree to this, I have no idea. The only good thing I can say is that the color scheme is good. D

Paint Scheme Grades-August 17, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Creek Enterprises Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the black on the front would help. I also think that the shade of green could be darkened.  It’s still a good scheme so I’ll give it a B.

Aric Almirola #10 3D Systems Ford Mustang-Both the design and the color scheme are mediocre. I don’t hate them, but I don’t like them. This is getting a middle of the road C.

Ty Dillon #13 Geico/K&L Ready Mix Chevy Camaro-I love the color scheme here, but the design is over done, and it isn’t great. It almost looks like a reversed wave pattern.  Still, I’ve seen much worse, so I’ll give this a B-.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance 500th Start Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Paul Menard #21 Motorcraft/Ford Senior Master Technicians Ford Mustang-Black is always a good base color, and I do like the wrench motif. I would like to see a red with black as opposed to black with red. Still, this is a good scheme, so it gets an A

Matt Tifft #36 Meijer Ford Mustang-The color scheme is good, the design scheme is good, and I can’t say anything bad here. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Victory Junction Throwback Chevy Camaro-Spree was never one of my favorite sponsors. That said, after some time, I do see what they were doing with their scheme. This is a faithful representation of the old Spree scheme, and It works very well. A

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Fueling Futures/ Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy Camaro-Replacing the rear Ally logo is an improvement. This is a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about it. A

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

Spencer Boyd #53 Chelle Corporation Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #52 same A- grade.

Garrett Smithley #77 Victory Lane Quick Oil Change/Kendall Oil Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #15 same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 10, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Mane ‘n Tall Chevy Camaro-The only good thing I can say is that the color scheme isn’t awful. It’s not a great design scheme, and it’s very over designed. I’ll give this a D.

Landon Cassill #00 Whole Harvest Chevy Camaro-I don’t like wave designs, but this isn’t as bad as some, because the color scheme is great. This is actually a decent look, and earns a C.

Austin Dillon #3 Freightliner Chevy Camaro-Its a great color scheme, with a mediocre, over designed look. I’ll give this a C.

Chase Elliott #9 Hooters Spirits Chevy Camaro-A smooth look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

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

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Cares Toyota Camry-Orange and blue isn’t a great color scheme, and this is a very over designed mess. It does use white as a base color, which is the only thing keeping this above an F. This scheme does get a D.

Paul Menard #21 Motorcraft Throwback Ford Mustang-Glen’s 1956 Ford Fairlane had a great look, and this faithful replica is a great look. This is an amazing look, and I can’t give this less than an A.

William Byron #24 City Chevrolet/Hendrick Autoguard Chevy Camaro–Cole’s City Chevrolet Lumina is my favorite car in Days Of Thunder. This is a great replica, and it looks really good. This is getting an A.

Reed Sorenson #27 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Chevy Camaro-Orange on black is a great look, and the design works well. This is a perfect example of less is much more. A

Corey LaJoie #32 Samaritan’s Feet Ford Mustang-A smooth, simple look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

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

BJ McCleod #51 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro-Color scheme is good, design scheme is not. I think this is over designed. It isn’t too over designed, but it is over designed. I’ll give it a C.

Cody Ware #51 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro-This is an ugly, over designed mess with a bad use of color. This doesn’t work at all. This is just awful. F

Josh Bilicki #52 AQRE Chevy Camaro-Black is a great color for a car, and the building motif works very well here. This is a great look, and I give this an A.

Quin Houff #77 Rapid City Rush Chevy Camaro-The Rush motif works very well. The great color scheme works well, and the design is bold, but not over designed. I give this an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 3, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 StarCom Fiber Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Landon Cassill #00 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro-This is a good patriotic motif. Not over designed, good color scheme, unique. This works very well, and I give it an A.

Kurt Busch #1 Global Poker Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Camo doesn’t look good on a race car. This color scheme doesn’t work with the camo. The car doesn’t look good, so I give it an F.

Austin Dillon #3 Behr Ultra Chevy Camaro-The car is a bit over designed for my taste. Wave designs aren’t great, but this isn’t too bad. The front and back designs could be toned down. All things considered, this gets a B+.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Beer/National Forest Foundation Ford Mustang-The color scheme works very well, and the forest motif is a great look. This is a great look, and it earns an A.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Beer Gen X Ford Mustang-This is one of the most horrid, awful, and ugly schemes I have seen in some time. It looks like a bad 80’s movie poster. I can’t give this scheme anything better than an F, so I won’t.

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer/Velveeta Ford Mustang-The dot fade works well, especially with the great color scheme such as Velveeta and Oscar Meyer, this is a great look, and it earns an A.

Ryan Newman #6 Acronis Ford Mustang-The cutting edge design is over designed. The color scheme works, but could be lightened a little. It’s decent, and it earns a B.

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Patriotic Chevy Camaro-This is a good patriotic motif. Not over designed, good color scheme, unique. This works very well, and I give it an A.

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dewnited States Chevy Camaro-Recipe for an F grade: Take a great color scheme and design scheme, and add the ugliest, over designed and horrific mess of a design to the rear. It’s horrific, and I can’t give this a passing grade.

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

Ryan Blaney #12 Pennzoil Throwback Ford Mustang-Mike’s old Pennzoil scheme was simple, it was attractive, and it worked. This faithful replica works well, and earns an A.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Sylvania Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #21, same A grade.

Quin Houff #15 The Elease Project Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as Rim Ryderz, same A- grade.

Ross Chastain #15 YVARS Branding.com Chevy Camaro-Replacing blue with black would be a major upgrade. Hell, replacing this blue with a much darker blue would work better. This shade of blue doesn’t work well with red flames. Add in that it is a tad over designed, and you have a B scheme that could have been an A scheme.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Roush/Fastenal Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #6, same A grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Acronis Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #6, same A grade.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Richmond Ford Mustang-This new Menard’s template works well with black. This is a great look, and it earns an A.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/FVP Ford Mustang-The only good thing I can say is that the yellow looks good. Other than that, this is hideous, and it earns a D.

Paul Menard #21 Quaker State/Menards Steve Kinser Throwback Ford Mustang-It’s a good throwback, with a great design, and that will always earn an A.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Duracel Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #12, same A grade.

William Byron #24 Axalta Patriotic Chevy Camaro-This is a good patriotic motif. Not over designed, good color scheme, unique. This works very well, and I give it an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Coinlotto.com Ford Mustang-The stripes are very over designed, and that drags the whole design down quite a bit. The color scheme is good, and the lotto balls work well, but the stripes drag the scheme from an A to a B+.

Corey LaJoie #32 Weirs Motor Sales/Adirondack Tree Surgeons Ford Mustang-The color scheme works well, and the car design is bold, but not over done. This is a great scheme that earns an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Shine Armor Ford Mustang-The paint splatter fade works well here. The car has a great look. It’s bold and distinctive. I give this an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Throwback Ford Mustang-Jarrett’s Nestle scheme is an interesting throwback choice, but it’s well done, very faithful, and earns an A as a result.

Michael McDowell #34 Long John Silvers Ford Mustang-Wave patterns are iffy, this is over done. Add in the wood motif, and the color scheme and you have a B+ scheme.

Matt Tifft #36 Louis Kemp Crab Delights Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Matt Tifft #36 Ron Jon Surf Shop Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme. I also love the Ron Jon logo, especially the lettering. This is a great look, and it gets an A.

Matt Tifft Southwestern Trucking Ford Mustang-Red, black, and silver is a great color scheme. The design is over designed. I don’t like wave patterns anymore. So I’m taking everthing into concern when I give this scheme a C.

Chris Buescher #37 Maxwell House Chevy Camaro-Plain blue with a white stripe on the bottom works well, looks good, and earns an A.

Chris Buescher #37 Planters Chevy Camaro-Plain blue with a yellow stripe on the bottom works well, looks good, and earns an A.

David Ragan #38 Shriners Hospitals for Children Throwback Ford Mustang-David Pearson’s 1969 Torino Cobra is a great look, and this is a great throwback. I can’t give this less than an A.

David Ragan #38 Long John Silvers Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #34, same B+ grade.

David Ragan #38 Compressor World Ford Mustang-Another example of a great color scheme, but an over-designed mess of a design scheme. Toned down, this scheme could be a lot better, but this isn’t great, and earns a C.

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Patriotic Chevy Camaro-This is a good patriotic motif. Not over designed, good color scheme, unique. This works very well, and I give it an A.

Kyle Larson #42 Ronald McDonald House Charities Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #34, same A grade.

B.J. McLeod #51 Jacob Companies Patriotic Ford Mustang-This is a good patriotic motif. Not over designed, good color scheme, unique. This works very well, and I give it an A.

Bayley Currey #52 Monarch Crypto Wallet Ford Mustang-A great fade with a great color scheme will ALWAYS look great! This is no exception. A

J.J. Yeley #52 DriveSmartWarranty.com Ford Mustang-Yet another example of a great color scheme, but an over-designed mess of a design scheme. Toned down, this scheme could be a lot better, but this isn’t great, and earns a C.

B.J. McLeod #52 Jacob Companies Patriotic Ford Mustang-This is a good patriotic motif. Not over designed, good color scheme, unique. This works very well, and I give it an A.

Austin Theriault #52 Bangor Savings Bank Chevy Camaro-Wave designs rarely look great. This is a good example. It’s too over designed, and it looks bad. Add in a mediocre color scheme and you have a B-.

Joey Gase #53 Connected Claim Services/Action Restoration Chevy Camaro-Some patriotic motifs are over designed, and this is another example. The torn flag motif could be good, but this needs to be toned down. I’ve seen much worse, so I’ll give this a C-.

Josh Bilicki #53 Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Quin Houff #77 Sleep6/Abt Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Quin Houff #77 Go-Parts.com Chevy Camaro-Blue and white is a great scheme. This shade of orange doesn’t work here. The car is a bit over designed. Still, it’s not over designed so I’ll give it a B-.

Quin Houff #77 #MyTrackMyRoots Chevy Camaro-Black and red works well as a color scheme, and the checkered flag motif works well here too. This is an all-around great scheme, and it earns an A.

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide Children’s Chevy Camaro-The toned down stripes look amazing, and they take an A scheme and make it much better. This is awesome, and I give it an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Anest Iwata Toyota Camry-A great fade with a great color scheme will ALWAYS look great! This is no exception. A

Paint Scheme Grades-June 29, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Chevy Camaro-Black and pink is a bold color choice, and the overall look is really good. I can’t say anything bad about this scheme, so I won’t. A

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Throwback Chevy Camaro-You could put all of Bill Elliott’s pre-1999 schemes in a hat, pick one out at random, and be guaranteed to pick a great scheme. 1981 was a great scheme, and this faithful throwback is an amazing representation. I love this scheme! A

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Throwback Toyota Camry-Darrell’s 1990’s Parts America scheme was a great scheme. It looked amazing, and still holds up today! This is a great throwback scheme, and I can’t give this less than an A!

Ricky Stenhouse #17 Fastenal Throwback Ford MustangDarrell’s 1990’s Parts America scheme was a great scheme. It looked amazing, and still holds up today! This is a great throwback scheme, and I can’t give this less than an A!

Corey LaJoie #32 Morton Group/GMN Ford Mustang-Matte black with sponsor logos is always a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about this scheme. A

Matt Tifft #36 Acquire Investments/Bounce Innovation Hub/Unshackled Ventures Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, but way too over designed. If toned down, this scheme would be better. C

Chris Buescher #37 Hellmann’s Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, but way too over designed. If toned down, this scheme would be better. D

David Ragan #38 Thanks DW Ford Mustang-Darrell’s chrome scheme was a bold look that would look just as awesome today. While I think that metallic silver isn’t chrome, I do love this look, and I think this scheme is great. A

David Ragan #38 Compressor World Mustang-Great color scheme, but the car is a tad over designed. I think that the designs on the side are a bit too much. It’s still a good scheme, so I’ll give it a B.

Kyle Larson #42 Clover Chevy Camaro-It’s a simple look, and a good one. Black and green are an underrated color combination, and the design works very well. A

J.J. Yeley #51 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro-This toned down Jacob Companies scheme works very well, and the car looks great. A

Cody Ware #52 SBC Contractors Chevy Camaro-The American flag motif works very well, and the car as a whole looks amazing. I also like that they took a picture of a real flag and used that. This is a great looking scheme. A

Joey Gase #66 Cocopah Speedway/IMCA Winter Nationals Toyota Camry-Metallic silver is a great color for race cars, and this is no exception. I also love the mountain and flag motifs as well. This is a great scheme. A

Justin Haley, #77 Formula One Imports Chevy Camaro-Matte black with sponsor logos is always a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about this scheme. A

Alex Bowman #88 Valvoline Patriotic Chevy Camaro-It’s a minimalist design, white as the base color, and patriotic materials have been added. This is a great look, and I can’t complain about this! A

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Procore Thanks DW Throwback Toyota Camry-Faithful 1970’s schemes always look awesome, and this is no exception. This is an amazing look, and I love everything about this scheme! A

Paint Scheme Grades-June 15, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 DOW Salutes Veterans Chevy Camaro-Dale’s Olympic scheme was a great scheme. This somewhat faithful replica looks really good, and I can’t really say anything bad. A

Ryan Newman #6 Coca Cola Ford Mustang-Another great patriotic look. This is a good design, it isn’t over designed, and the car looks great. A

Daniel Hemric #8 Chevy Accessories Chevy Camaro-Changing the angles to curves is a good look. The car looked great last year, and it looks great this year. A

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield/Meijer Ford Mustang-Another example of a scheme that has two good elements that combine to be a mediocre design. The blue Meijer would work, as does Smithfield. Together, this isn’t a great look, I’ll give it a C.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Wrangler Riggs Ford Mustang-Red as a base color is a good look, and the 2018 Menard’s template works very well. This gets a well-earned A.

Ty Dillon #13 Twisted Tea Patriotic Chevy Camaro-The bottom motif works well, it’s simple yet well done. A

Clint Bowyer #14 Haas Automation/IT Savvy Ford Mustang-This is a decent scheme, but this would work so much better with a black-to-orange fade. Still, it’s decet, so I’ll give it a B.

Garrett Smithley #15 Victory Lane Quick Oil Change/Kendall Oil Chevy Camaro-The red and white curves look really good on the black background. The car as a whole looks great. A

Erik Jones #20 Craftsman/SportsClips Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Craftsman, same A grade.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Nibco Ford Mustang-This works well, I’m beginning to come around on the new template. This is a good look. A

Corey LaJoie #32 Harvest Investments Ford Mustang-I don’t know for sure if Big Bird has his own shade of yellow. I hope he does, because this is a great shade of yellow. Add in that the car has a smooth look, and you have an A.

Michael McDowell #34 Melling Engine Parts/Dockside Logistics Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Dockside Logistics, same B+ grade.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Air Force Chevy Camaro-I love everything about this design! The A-10 is one of my favorite Air Force planes. This look is a great look. A

Josh Bilicki #52 Mariott Companies Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A

Alex Bowman #88 Axalta Throwback Chevy Camaro-The Tim Richmond Folgers scheme was a great scheme, and it’s nice that Axalta is doing a faithful throwback. This is a great look. A

Paint Scheme Grades-June 8, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Madison Group Chevy Camaro-The gray on white designs could be toned down.  That would be a great improvement.  It’s not a terrible design, but it has room for improvement. B

Brad Keselowski #2 Wabash National/Supreme Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Fathers Day Ford Mustang-The cluttered rear quarter panel is a downgrade, and the car as a whole suffers as a result.  It’s still great, but the new design does take the scheme from an A to an A-

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer/Velveeta Throwback Ford Mustang-Full disclosure, I loved the old Mark Martin Valvoline design.  This new version with Oscar Meyer and Velveeta colors is not as great.  The red, white, and blue design works well.  Red, green and white doesn’t work as well.  It’s still decent, so I’ll give it a B+.

Daniel Hemric #8 Kalahari Resorts Chevy Camaro-This is getting a higher grade, because it’s a better scheme…by comparison.  It’s over designed, and I don’t like the shade of blue.  But compared to last year’s scheme, it’s an improvement.B+

Aric Almirola #10 Valley Tech Academy Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2019, white front, fades to dark blue rear, red stripe on sides. B-

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Throwback Ford Mustang-For Tony Stewart’s Hall of Fame election, Stewart-Haas Racing’s cars are being painted in the colors of Tony’s Cup Championship schemes.  The first from 2002, is based on Tony’s Home Depot.  It’s a faithful replica, so that’s good, and I do like the Home Depot’s shade of orange.  All things considered, this gets an A.

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang-This second Tony Stewart Throwback is based on his 2011 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy.  Like the #10, it’s a faithful replica, with correct colors.  I liked the design back then, and I like this now, so this gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. #17 NOS Ford Mustang-NOS has had some schemes over the years that would not get a passing grade.  This isn’t one of them.  This is a good scheme.  The colors work well, the car is not over designed, and it has a smooth look.  All things considered, this gets an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Visone RV/Wildcat Adventures Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Matt Tift #36 Surface Sunscreen Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

David Ragan #38 Exploria Resorts Ford Mustang-Gray isn’t always the best base color for a race car.  Add in a pointlessly over designed mess of a scheme, and you get an F grade.

Daniel Suarez #41 Haas Throwback Ford Mustang-The third Tony Stewart Championship throwback scheme is based on his 2005 Home Depot scheme, which is the best of the three.  It’s faithful, and it has a great look, and that will always earn an A.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Victory Junction Ford Mustang-My only complaint here is that the designs on the front are over designed.  Other than that, this is a good scheme. A-

J.J. Yeley #52 Steakhouse Elite/Weis Markets Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 1, 2019

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By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 StarCom Fiber Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

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

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Patriotic Ford Mustang-The patriotic motif would work, or the Oscar Meyer motif would work. Combined, they don’t work. This is a rare scheme that clashes with itself. It’s not horrible, it’s not great, it’s worth a C.

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

Ryan Blaney #12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang-This could theoretically work if the colors were reversed. Dark over light works with the Penske template, but light over dark doesn’t. This just doesn’t look good. F

Ross Chastain #15 Cross Country Adjusting Chevy Camaro-Blue, white, and orange work well, the car isnt over designed, and the car has a great look. I can’t say anything bad here, so I won’t. A

Erik Jones #20 Reser’s Main St. Bistro Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Reser’s, same A grade.

Reed Sorenson #27 VIP Racing Experience Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #15, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Love’s Truck Stops Patriotic Ford Mustang-When used correctly, camouflage can work well. This is not one of those cases. I give teams grief for using modern camo, but old school camo does not work on the side of a race car. This is not a good scheme at all. F

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Thrill of the Grill Chevy Camaro-Black with flames…need I say any more than that? A

David Ragan #38 Select Blinds Patriotic Ford Mustang-This may be the most over designed cars I have seen this year. The amount of flames is amazing, the colors don’t mix well with the design, and the whole car is giving me motion sickness while looking at a picture of it. F

Daniel Suarez #41 Coca Cola Ford Mustang-Coca Cola has a great shade of red, and they use it quite effectively here. Add in a smooth look, and you have a car worth an A.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Orange Vanilla Coca Cola Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #43, same A grade.

Joey Gase #46 Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #66, same B- grade.

Cody Ware #51 Jacob Companies P-40 Warhawk Ford Mustang-For this car, I had to go to the thesaurus and look up synonyms for amazing, because I didn’t know enough. This is a prodigious looking car based on an empyreal aircraft design. I can’t begin to say how much I love this car. A

Bayley Currey #52 Rick Ware Racing SR-71 Ford Mustang-See above. A

Quin Houff #77 NASCAR Mobile App Chevy Camaro-The black looks good, and the NASCAR logo elements are a unique touch. The car isn’t over designed, and it has a great look. A

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide Patriotic Chevy Camaro-It’s unique, I’ll give it that. The sublimated designs shouldn’t be sublimated. With this design, it looks like the patriotic was an element is secondary. It’s not the worst, but not the best. C

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Procore-Safety Qualified Toyota Camry-Another example of why camo has no place on a race car. Add in some pointless green designs, and you have an F worthy scheme.