Category: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-February 4, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro-Camo is a downgrade, the car looks cluttered. It’s a downgrade from last year. B

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

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-A bit more cluttered than last year’s design, but still not bad. A-

Michael McDowell #34 Quincy Compressor Ford Mustang-I hate the shade of purple, and the design looks awful, so this gets an F.

Todd Gilliland #38 Quincy Compressor Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #34, same F grade.

Ty Dillon #77 Ferris Mowers Chevy Camaro-The lack of white works, but the new design is too cluttered up to get anything more than a B+

Advertisement

Paint Scheme Grades-January 28, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #6 Castrol Ford Mustang-A good color scheme, and a great design scheme will always earn an A.

Corey LaJoie #7 Celsius Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kyle Busch #8 Netspend Chevy Camaro-The only good thing I can say is that I like the shade of red. Other than that, this car has no redeeming qualities. D-

Chandler Smith #13 Quick Tie Chevy Camaro-I like the design and the shade of red, but the teal looks really out of place. It’s not bad, so it gets a B

Chase Briscoe #14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Castrol Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #6, same A grade.

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

Todd Gilliland #38 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Todd Gilliland #38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Ryan Preece #41 United Rentals Ford Mustang-This scheme is neither better nor worse than last year, so this gets the same B as last year.

Ryan Preece #41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang-Definitely an upgrade, with a better primary color, and new designs. A

Paint Scheme Grades-January 21, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #6 Esperion Therapeutics Ford Mustang-Good look, not over designed, good color scheme. A

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Chevy Camaro-Adding the blue looks great, and the stripes work better too. A

Chris Buescher #17 Esperion Therapeutics Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #6, same A grade.

William Byron #24 RAPTOR Chevy Camaro-Like last year, adding the white takes away from a great scheme, and takes it from an A to a B+ because it looks so out of space

Michael McDowell #34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Day Chevy Camaro-It’s a downgrade. The smooth looking scheme has been replaced by a cluttered mess. I can say that the color scheme is good, but this gets a D.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Night Chevy Camaro-Changing from white to black does help, but only to take the grade from a D to a C.

BJ McLeod #78 B’laster Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Jimmie Johnson #84 Carvana Chevy Camaro-I like the metallic blue, the stripes have a good color, and they are not over designed. A

Paint Scheme Grades-January 14, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang-No real change, neither better or worse. B+

Kevin Harvick #4 Rheem Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

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

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

Harrison Burton #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-January 7, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Kubota/Onx Homes Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

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

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

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

Brad Keselowski #6 Elk Grove Manufacturing and Technology Expo Ford Mustang-I think the car is a bit too over designed. It’s not bad, but it can be toned down. B

Corey LaJoie #7 The Jessie Rees Foundation Chevy Camaro-I think the teal isn’t needed, and the car is a little over designed, so this gets a C

Kyle Busch #8 Alsco Uniforms Chevy Camaro-The adding of black doesn’t work, and takes the whole scheme down to a B+. Without the black, this gets an A.

Kyle Busch #8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevy Camaro-With the sides cleaned up, this gets an A!

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Buescher #17 Pala Casino Resort and Spa Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Pala Casino Resort and Spa Ford Mustang-Even a smooth design can’t be saved with a horrid color scheme like this!. D

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

Chris Buescher #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry-The changes do not change the grade, it’s still a C- scheme.

Christopher Bell #20 Rheem Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

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

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

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

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

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy Camaro-I like this new look, the color and design work, so this gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Cottonelle Chevy Camaro-Cleaning up the front is a massive improvement! This goes from an F to a C.

Josh Bilicki #78 Zeigler Auto Group Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

2022 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 4-The Grand Finale

By David G. Firestone

Well, all the votes have been counted, and the final Paint Scheme Leaderboard is complete. Without further ado, the final post of 2022:

1-Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:43 of 46

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:4.00

2-NY Racing #44 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:5

GPA:4.00

3-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:37 of 46

Number of Schemes:9

GPA:3.85

4-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:7 of 46

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:3.75

5-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:6 of 46

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:3.71

6-MBM Motorsports #55 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:3 of 46

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:3.70

7-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:18 of 46

Number of Schemes:21

GPA:3.65

8-Team Hezenberg #27 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:4

GPA:3.50

9-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:5 of 46

Number of Schemes:9

GPA:3.51

10-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:26 of 46

Number of Schemes:6

GPA:3.33

11-Rick Ware Racing #51 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:10 of 46

Number of Schemes:6

GPA:3.33

12-Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:16 of 46

Number of Schemes:3

GPA:3.33

13-Richard Childress Racing #33 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:3.30

14-Stewart-Haas Racing #41 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:38 of 46

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:3.02

15-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:14 of 46

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:3.30

16-Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing #6 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:36 of 46

Number of Schemes:16

GPA:3.15

17-Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:1 of 46

Number of Schemes:9

GPA:3.15

18-Rick Ware Racing #15 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:28 of 46

Number of Schemes:27

GPA:3.09

19-Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:21 of 46

Number of Schemes:16

GPA:3.04

20-Kaulig Racing #16 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:8 of 46

Number of Schemes:18

GPA:3.01

21-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:42 of 46

Number of Schemes:10

GPA:3.00

22-Wood Brothers #21 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:12 of 46

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:2.96

23-Stewart-Haas Racing #4 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:22 of 46

Number of Schemes:18

GPA:2.90

24-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:27 of 46

Number of Schemes:7

GPA:2.86

25-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:4 of 46

Number of Schemes:2

GPA:2.85

26-Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:39 of 46

Number of Schemes:11

GPA:2.78

27-Front Row Motorsports #34 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:13 of 46

Number of Schemes:11

GPA:2.76

28-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:9 of 46

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:2.71

29-23XI Racing #45 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:2.70

30-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:44 of 46

Number of Schemes:25

GPA:2.66

31-23XI Racing #23 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:11 of 46

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:2.64

32-Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:35 of 46

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:2.96

33-Richard Petty Motorsports #42 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:12

GPA:2.61

34-Kaulig Racing #31 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:3

GPA:2.57

35-Live Fast Motorsports #78 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:23 of 46

Number of Schemes:28

GPA:2.56

36-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:32 of 46

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:2.30

37-Front Row Motorsports #38 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:25 of 46

Number of Schemes:17

GPA:2.25

38-Trackhouse Racing #1 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:2.21

39-Spire Motorsports #7 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:41 of 46

Number of Schemes:19

GPA:2.08

40-The Money Racing Team #50 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:2

GPA:2.00

41-MBM Motorsports #66 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:24 of 46

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:2.00

42-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:15 of 46

Number of Schemes:7

GPA:1.90

43-Trackhouse Racing #99 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:46 of 46

Number of Schemes:13

GPA:1.53

44-Team Hezenberg #26 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:0.00

GPA:1

45-Trackhouse Racing #91 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:0.0

With that, 2022 is over, and we will start back up next week, and next year!

2022 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 3-Toyota

By David G. Firestone

The 2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard rolls on, this week, it’s the Toyota teams time to shine!

1-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:7 of 8

Number of Schemes:9

GPA:3.85

2-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:1 of 8

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:3.71

3-Team Hezenberg #27 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:4

GPA:3.50

4-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:6 of 8

Number of Schemes:6

GPA:3.33

5-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:2 of 8

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:2.71

6-23XI Racing #45 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:2.70

7-23XI Racing #23 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:3 of 8

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:2.64

8-Team Hezenberg #26 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:0.00

Next week, The Grand Finale!

2022 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 2-Ford

By David G. Firestone

This week, the 2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard shifts focus to the blue oval. Ford’s rankings are up for this week.

1-Wood Brothers #21 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:23 of 23

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:4.00

2-Rick Ware Racing #51 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:2 of 23

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:3.70

3-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:8 of 23

Number of Schemes:21

GPA:3.65

4-Rick Ware Racing #51 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:4 of 23

Number of Schemes:6

GPA:3.33

5-Stewart-Haas Racing #41 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:21 of 23

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:3.02

6-Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing #6 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:20 of 23

Number of Schemes:16

GPA:3.15

7-Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:1 of 23

Number of Schemes:9

GPA:3.15

8-Rick Ware Racing #15 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:16 of 23

Number of Schemes:27

GPA:3.09

9-Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:11 of 23

Number of Schemes:16

GPA:3.04

10-Wood Brothers #21 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:5 of 23

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:2.96

11-Stewart-Haas Racing #4 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:12 of 23

Number of Schemes:18

GPA:2.90

12-Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:22 of 23

Number of Schemes:11

GPA:2.78

13-Front Row Motorsports #34 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:6 of 23

Number of Schemes:11

GPA:2.76

14-Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:19 of 23

Number of Schemes:20

GPA:2.62

15-Live Fast Motorsports #78 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:13 of 23

Number of Schemes:28

GPA:2.56

16-Front Row Motorsports #38 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:15 of 23

Number of Schemes:17

GPA:2.25

17-MBM Motorsports #66 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year:14 of 23

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:2.00

Next week, Toyota.

2022 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 1-Chevy

By David G. Firestone

Thanksgiving has passed, holiday music and decorations are abound, and the 2022 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-NY Racing #44 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:5

GPA:4.00

2-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:3 of 21

Number of Schemes:8

GPA:3.75

3-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:2 of 21

Number of Schemes:9

GPA:3.51

4-Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:8 of 21

Number of Schemes:3

GPA:3.33

5-Richard Childress Racing #33 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:3.3

6-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:6 of 21

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:3.24

7-Kaulig Racing #16 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:4 of 21

Number of Schemes:18

GPA:3.01

8-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:19 of 21

Number of Schemes:10

GPA:3.00

9-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:10 of 21

Number of Schemes:7

GPA:2.86

10-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:1 of 21

Number of Schemes:2

GPA:2.85

11-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:20 of 21

Number of Schemes:25

GPA:2.66

12-Richard Petty Motorsports #42 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:12

GPA:2.61

13-Kaulig Racing #31 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:3

GPA:2.57

14-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:14 of 21

Number of Schemes:14

GPA:2.30

15-Trackhouse Racing #1 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:2.21

16-Spire Motorsports #7 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:18 of 21

Number of Schemes:19

GPA:2.08

17-The Money Racing Team #50 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:2

GPA:2.00

18-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:7 of 21

Number of Schemes:7

GPA:1.90

19-Trackhouse Racing #99 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:21 of 21

Number of Schemes:13

GPA:1.53

20-Trackhouse Racing #91 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes:1

GPA:0.0

Next week, Ford.

Ladies and Gentlemen…THE 2022 PAINT SCHEMIES!

By David G. Firestone

Well, it’s that time again! We have the annual Paint Schemie Awards for the 2022 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, 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:

Ross Chastain #1 Advent Health Chevy Camaro

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

Harrison Burton #21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang

Daniil Kyvat #26 Hezeberg Systems Toyota Camry

Todd Gilliland #38 Frontline Ford Mustang

Kurt Busch #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Nature Valley Chevy Camaro

BJ McLeod #78 Motorsport Games Ford Mustang

Kimi Räikkönen’s #91 Recogni/iLOQ Chevy Camaro

The 2022 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to:

Kimi Räikkönen’s #91 Recogni/iLOQ Chevy Camaro

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.

The 2022 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Exhibition or Throwback Paint Scheme goes to…

Kevin Harvick #4 Rheem “Chasing a Cure” Throwback Ford Mustang

The next award of 2022 is the Paint Schemie for Worst Paint Scheme Set of 2022. This is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

23XI Racing #23 Toyota Camry

Team Hezenberg #26 Toyota Camry

Front Row Motorsports #38 Ford Mustang

Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro

23XI Racing #45 Toyota Camry

Live Fast Motorsports #78 Ford Mustang

Trackhouse Racing #91 Chevy Camaro

Trackhouse Racing #99 Chevy Camaro

The 2022 Paint Schemie Award for for Worst Paint Scheme Set goes to…

Trackhouse Racing #91 Chevy Camaro

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 2022 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme are:

Kevin Harvick #4 Gear Wrench Ford Mustang

Brad Keselowski #6 Castrol Ford Mustang

Aric Almirola #10 Ford BlueOval City Ford Mustang

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry

Daniel Hemric #16 South Point Hotel Casino & Spa Chevy Camaro

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry

Bubba Wallace #23 Wheaties Toyota Camry

Greg Biffle #44 Grambling State University Chevy Camaro

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Food 4 Less/Slim Jim Chevy Camaro

The 2022 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to…

Bubba Wallace #23 Wheaties Toyota Camry

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 2022 winner for best throwback is:

Daniel Suarez #99 Coca Cola Throwback Chevy Camaro

The final award of 2022 is the Paint Schemie for Best Paint Scheme Set. Like the Worst Set, this is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevy Camaro

Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro

Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry

Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

Team Hezenberg #27 Toyota Camry

NY Racing #44 Chevy Camaro

MBM Motorsports #55 Ford Mustang

The 2022 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Paint Scheme Set goes to…

Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

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