paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-August 12, 2017

dgf2099 auto racing, paint scheme grades

By David G. Firestone.

Kasey Kahne #5 Rated Red Road To Race Day Chevy SS-Red and black is a good combination, and this shade of red really works. I also like the fade motif, and the design as a whole is great. I can’t give this less than an A.

Clint Bowyer #14 Five Star Urgent Care Ford Fusion-By itself, the stripe motif is decent, though a bit over designed. The odd designs on the bottom stripe are out of place and don’t work well with the scheme. It looks odd. Still, the scheme is not horrible and I’ll give it a B.

Gary Klutt #15 Fusilo Construction/Color Compass Corporation Chevy SS-A solid, smooth look with a good color scheme will always earn an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 NESN Fuel Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Boris Said #33 Genesee Light Beer Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Landon Cassill #34 Jacob Companies Ford Fusion-Same scheme as #38, same C- grade.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Axalta Throwback Chevy SS-It’s a faithful replica of Dale’s first scheme, and the car as a whole looks good. It’s a great throwback, and for Dale to run this in his final race, it comes full circle! A

Michael McDowell #95 WRL Contractors Alan Kulwicki Throwback Chevy SS-A bit of an odd choice for a throwback, but it’s faithfully done, and the car looks great. It works, and I give it an A.

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Paint Scheme Grades-August 5, 2017

dgf2099 auto racing, paint scheme grades

By David G. Firestone.

Jamie McMurray #1 General Hydroponics/Cessna Chevy SS-Same scheme as Cessna, same B+ grade.

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

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Patriotic Chevy SS-The faded glory scheme works well, and the car has a really good look. It’s going to get the A it deserves.

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Throwback Chevy SS-Dale Earnhardt’s Wrangler scheme is classic look, and this tribute works very well. The car has a great color and design scheme, and is getting the A it deserves.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Molykote Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, but the design scheme isn’t great. The gear motif doesn’t work, and the wave design is mediocre. I’ll give it a C.

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips/Shark Week Chevy SS-Unlike other Shark Week designs, this scheme is not over designed, and the car has a great color scheme. This scheme is getting an A.

Danica Patrick #10 Nature’s Bakery/Feeding American Chevy SS-This is a really good shade of orange, and the design scheme works well. It’s a great looking scheme. A

Danica Patrick #10 Code 3 Associates/CSU One Cure Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Code 3 Associates, but with CSU One Cure on sides, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Cares Toyota Camry-This new look is distinctive, and has a great design scheme, as well as a great color scheme. It earns an A

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Smokey Yunick Throwback Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Nature’s Bakery/Feeding American Chevy SS-Same scheme as #10, same A grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Stops Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Mobil 1 same A grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Carolina Dodge Dealers Ford Fusion-They chose a great car, and made no changes, other than #14 from #1. It’s a great look, and it earns an A.

Reed Sorenson #15 Loser’s Bar Chevy SS-Good look, good color scheme, no complaints here, A.

Joey Gase #15 Lisa Foundation Chevy SS-The blue waves work very well, and the shades of blue work well against the white. It’s an amazing scheme! A

BJ McLeod #15 American Campus Chevy SS-Good look, good color scheme, no complaints here, A.

Gray Gaulding #15 La Colombe Draft Latte Chevy SS-It’s a bold look, and it has a great color scheme, and a nice design scheme, so it’s worth an A.

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Toyota Camry-Were the scheme plain brown with Snickers logos, it would be worth an A. The pointless designs just take it from an A to a B-.

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Toyota Camry-The slight change in design doesn’t take away from the scheme at all, it’s a good scheme and worth A.

Matt Kenseth #20 Toyota Care Toyota Camry-The phrase “you can’t polish a turd” comes into play here. The color was changed, some of the designs are changed around, but it still looks awful, just slightly less awful. D-

Ryan Blaney #21 Quick Lane Ford Fusion-The new design is a bold look, the color scheme works well. I like the large wrench motif on the sides. The whole scheme is good. A

Corey LaJoie #23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, with a good color scheme. A

Corey LaJoie #23 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Toyota Camry-The color scheme is good, and the design scheme works well. I like the logo near the front wheel well. It gets an A.

Chase Elliott #24 NAPA Patriotic Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same D+ grade.

Chase Elliot #24 NAPA Throwback Chevy SS-This throwback has a great look, and has great color scheme. It works well, and there is nothing bad I can say about it. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Moen Chevy SS–Black and blue work well with the Menard’s template, and the car has a great look as a result. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Sylvania Chevy SS– Orange, black, and yellow can work when done right. Sadly, this isn’t the case here. If it were black with orange accents, I could get behind it, but the orange just doesn’t work here. F

Ryan Newman #31 Caterpillar Throwback Chevy SS-Dale Earnhardt’s Wrangler scheme is classic look, and this tribute works very well. The car has a great color and design scheme, and is getting the A it deserves. A

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Weir’s Motor Sales Ford Fusion-This is an ugly, over designed mess with an ugly color scheme. It doesn’t look good at all, and there is nothing nice I can say about it. F

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Anest Iwata Ford Fusion-It’s a good concept for a paint scheme, but to me, it’s a bit over designed. Still, it’s not terrible, and it’s worth a B.

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Dick Stevens Snacks Ford Fusion-The white motif could work, or the green motif could work, but this is a mess. It just doesn’t work together. They are great looks by themselves, but this is akward. I’ll give it a C-.

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Keen Parts Bobby Allison Throwback Ford Fusion-I love throwbacks, and I love metallic gold. This scheme combines the best of both. I also like the redesigned Keen Parts logo to look like the Miller High Life logo. I can’t give this less than an A.

Landon Cassill #34 Love’s Truck Stops Support The Troops Ford Fusion-Changing the numbers and lettering from yellow to black does NOTHING to help this scheme. Camouflage isn’t a great thing for a race car. This scheme is getting the F it deserves.

Chris Buescher #37 Coffee Mate Chevy SS-The patriotic wave motif works very well, and the car has a great look. A

Chris Buescher #37 Bryers Chevy SS-Black and green can be an odd color scheme, but this scheme uses it very well. Add in a great design scheme, and you have a solid A scheme.

Chris Buescher #37 Clorox Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same A grade.

David Ragan #38 Shriner’s Hospital Ford Fusion-Replacing white with blue is a bold move, but they went with a great shade of blue, and the car looks good. It’s worth an .

David Ragan #38 Brandies Machinery Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Patriotic Chevy SS-Let’s take a paint scheme that’s bad to begin with, and shoehorn some patriotic elements in awkwardly. The end result looks even worse than the original. I wish I could give a grade lower than an F.

Kyle Larson #42 Energizer Chevy SS–No change. C-

Aric Almorla #43 STP Throwback Ford Fusion-This is a throwback to one of the most legendary paint schemes of the 1980’s. It’s a faithful replica of Richard Petty’s 1984 Pontiac Grand Prix that he used to win his 200th NASCAR Winston Cup race. This couldn’t get any grade lower than an A.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger/Cheerios/Hellmann’s Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same B+ grade.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger/Nature Valley/Hellmann’s Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same B+ grade. B+

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger/Bryers/Velveeta Throwback Chevy SS-The Piedmont scheme is a great look, and the car is designed very well. It is a good look, and I’ll give it an A.

BJ McLeod #51 Chevy SS-When an A scheme looks better without logos than it does with logos, you’ve done something right! A

Josh Bilicki #51 Prevagen Chevy SS-Good look, good color scheme, good all around design. A

Reed Sorenson #55 Royal Teak Toyota Camry-The switch from white to black was a great move, the car looks great, and I have no complaints. A

Gray Gaulding #55 Check It For Andretti Chevy SS-Black carbon fiber is a good look for a race car, and the simple, smooth design works wonders. It’s worth an A.

Derrike Cope #55 Sundance Vacations/United Way Toyota Camry-Black carbon fiber is a good look for a race car, and the simple, smooth design works wonders. It’s worth an A

Cole Whitt #72 RTIC Coolers Patriotic Chevy SS-Some schemes look awful when patriotic elements are added, this scheme looks good. It’s a good look, and the scheme works very well. The red and white stripes look good with the blue background, and the car has an A level look.

Cole Whitt #72 Moen Chevy SS-It’s a bit over designed, but it’s not terrible, and it has a great color scheme, so I’ll give it a B.

Cole Whitt #72 Unique Pretzel Company Chevy SS-The car as a whole looks good, but the vertical fade should be down the whole side. Other than that, I don’t have any complaints. A-

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Museum Toyota Camry-This new scheme is bold, but not under-designed. It has a great look, and it works very well as a scheme. A

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Wix Filters Toyota Camry-It’s horribly over designed, and it has a terrible color scheme. It just looks awful. I’ll give it an F.

Ryan Sieg #83 J&S Trucking Toyota Camry-The original scheme was over designed, and had a terrible look which earned a D+. Then this scheme came out, which fixed everything I hated about the old scheme, and went from D+ to A. This is a great scheme.

Ryan Sieg #83 BK Racing Graphics Toyota Camry-While I understand that this is meant to show off BK Racing Graphics, you could come up with something better than an over designed mess with a mediocre color scheme. It needs work, but it’s not completely terrible. B-

Stephen Light #83 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry-Dustless Blasting took a bad scheme, and made it worse. The black does not work with the design scheme, and it is just an awful look. This scheme gets the F it deserves.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Throwback Chevy SS-Not only is this a throwback to Dale Jr.’s Xfinity Series AC Delco scheme, it’s also a throwback to Dale Sr.’s Japanese AC Delco scheme. It’s a great scheme, and it looks great! A

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Paint Scheme Grades-July 1, 2017

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By David G. Firestone.

Brad Keselowski #2 Freightliner Ford Fusion-Blue and silver work well with the Penske template, and the car has a good look. It gets the A it deserves.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Kilz Chevy SS-Same scheme as Dow, same A- grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion-Same basic scheme as Mobil 1, same A grade.

Kasey Kahne #5 Microsoft Windows Chevy SS-Microsoft has a great shade of blue, and the car design is bold but not overdone. Its a great scheme! A

Clint Bowyer #14 Cars 3 Ford Fusion-Same scheme as #42, same B+ grade.

Kevin O’Connell #15 SBC Construction /Apollo Opening Roofing System Chevy SS-The American flag motif works well, the car looks good, no complaints. A

Alon Day #23 Earthwater Toyota Camry-Neon green and light blue does not look good on a black background. The only reason this scheme gets a passing grade is because it’s not over designed. D-

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Tarkett Chevy SS-The Tarkett color scheme works very well with the new Menard’s template, and the car has a great look. A

Ryan Newman #31 Chevy Accessories Chevy SS-Same scheme as Chevy, same A grade.

Boris Said #33 Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017,Same scheme as Hulu, same A grade.

Josh Bilicki #51 Marriott/Climate Fieldview Chevy SS-While the color scheme is decent, the car as a whole is seriously over designed, and the car has a terrible look. There is no way I can’t give this scheme an F.

Tommy Regan #55 OscaroParts.com/Capri Tools Chevy SS-The color scheme is great, and the simple, smooth look is worth an A.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Axalta/Fix Auto Collision Chevy SS-Same scheme as Axalta, same F grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 24, 2017

dgf2099 auto racing, paint scheme grades , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By David G. Firestone.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Patriotic Chevy SS-I like the new design, I think the silver works well with it, and the car looks good as a whole. A

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Throwback Chevy SS-The All-Star Racing in yellow and white looks really good, and the design works very well. It’s an A scheme for sure.

Clint Bowyer #14 HAAS CNC Ford Fusion-Reversing colors on a paint scheme is iffy, but this design looks really good, and the reversing worked well. A

Reed Sorenson #15 Corrigan Oil Chevy SS-The red and black stripes are a bold look, the car looks good, and has a great color scheme. I give it an A.

Matt Kenseth #20 Freightliner Toyota Camry-Solid white works well as a background color, and the design is great. Definitely worth an A.

Ryan Blaney #21 OmniCraft Auto Parts Ford Fusion-While the car does look good, the orange looks out of place. The red works much better. Still, it’s a good scheme, and worth an A-.

Ryan Newman #31 Velveeta Shells and Cheese Chevy SS-Going to do some revisionist stuff here. When I first graded this scheme, I blasted it because in the photo that I used, the car looked beige. Between then and now, the yellow was brightened, and the car looks better as a result. This change took the car from a C+ to an A.

Kyle Larson #42 Target/Cars 3 Chevy SS-I like the idea here, but it’s not well executed. The tearing of the Target scheme into a Cars 3 motif looks forced. One or the other would work. It’s not terrible, but it needs work, so I’ll give it a B+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Mountain Dew Chevy SS-Metallic green is a great color to use on race cars, and the designs work well with the color scheme. It’s a great scheme, and I give it an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 17, 2017

dgf2099 auto racing, paint scheme grades , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By David G. Firestone.

Reed Sorenson#15 Energex.com Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look with a good color scheme. I give it an A.

Ryan Newman #31 Velveeta Shells and Cheese Chevy SS-It’s never a good sign when the driver suit looks better than the car. That shells and cheese motif could be a lot better, and the yellow used could be brighter. It’s worth a C-.

Landon Cassill #34 CSX Play It Safe Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher#37 Liberty Tax Service Chevy SS-I like the color scheme here, but think that the car is a tad over designed. The subtle Liberty motif doesn’t really work. Still, it’s not horrible, and I give it a B+.

Cody Ware #51 Clemson Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, and the design scheme is good too. It’s an A scheme for sure.

Derrike Cope #55 Star Com Fiber Chevy SS-Green polka dots didn’t work for Dusty Rhodes, and it doesn’t work here. But the scheme as a whole isn’t horrible, and it’s worth a B-.

Erik Jones #77 GameStop/Cars 3 Toyota Camry-The scheme works well, the color looks good, and the design is good too. It gets the A it deserves.

Martin Truex Jr. #78 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry-While I still think the car is over designed, it looks much better with the toned down scheme. I’ll give it a B+, still room for improvement, but it’s much better.

Michael McDowell #95 FDNY Foundation Chevy SS-It’s a smooth look with a good color scheme. I give it an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 10, 2017

dgf2099 auto racing, paint scheme grades , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By David G. Firestone.

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Signature Crafted Recipes Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as McDonald’s, but with Signature Crafted Recipes on hood. A

Ross Chastain #15 Protect Your Mellon Chevy SS-The shade of red is good, and I like the stripe design on the sides. A

Kyle Busch #18 Pedigree Toyota Camry-Same scheme as 2016, same A grade.

Matt Kenseth #20 Toyota Care Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Toytoa, same F grade.

Gray Gaulding #23 Addiction Campuses Toyota Camry-The sunburst logo could work, as could the fade, but they don’t work well together. I like the basic idea, but the design as a whole is a mess. I’ll give it a D+.

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Hulu Chevy SS-I like the shade of green used here, and the design looks good. I give it an A.

Chris Buescher #37 Maxwell House Max Chevy SS-Bold look, isn’t over designed, and has a great color scheme…it’s worth an A.

Cody Ware #51 ECU Pirates Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, and I like the stripe designs on the side. I also love the pirate logo on the hood. I’ll give it an A.

Timmy Hill #66 Waltrip Brothers Charity Championship Chevy SS-Same scheme as Poker Palace, same D- grade.

Cole Whitt #72 Chevy SS-Looks good, nothing to complain about. A

Paint Scheme Grades-June 3, 2017

dgf2099 auto racing, paint scheme grades , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By David G. Firestone.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Patriotic Chevy SS-Wood grain is a really great pattern, and the American flag motif works very well. This is a good looking car. A

Kasey Kahne #5 Liftmaster Chevy SS-While I like metallic silver, the white works very well here, and the car looks good as a whole. A

Trevor Bayne #6 Ford Eco-Boost Ford Fusion-Another instance of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, the new Ford Eco-Boost patriotic design scheme is no improvement over the old one. I give it the same B+ grade the old scheme got.

JJ Yeley #7 Accell Construction Patriotic Chevy SS-The simple American flag motif works very well, and it’s not overdone. It looks good, and earns an A.

Reed Sorenson #15 Internetwork Engineering Chevy SS-A smooth look with a great color scheme will earn an A every single time.

Reed Sorenson #15 Low T Center Chevy SS-Same scheme as #55, same F grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Patriotic Ford Fusion-I like the reversed scheme, with the side pattern reversed, but I miss the red. I think this would be a solid A, but without the red, it’s just an A-.

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Patriotic Toyota Camry-Same scheme as 2016, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft Throwback Ford Fusion-This is a good throwback, it’s a more unique look than Ryan normally runs. The car looks good, and earns an A.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion-The orange and white color scheme works very well with the Penske template. This is a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about this scheme. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Knauf Chevy SS-This shade of blue just doesn’t work with the Menard’s template. It’s not awful, but it doesn’t work. I don’t like the color combination. I think the blue is too bright. It’s still not a bad scheme, and worth a B-.

Landon Cassill #34 CSX Patriotic Chevy SS-The design scheme works surprisingly well with the color combination, and the result is a great looking car that earns an A.

David Ragan #38 Shriner’s Hospital Ford Fusion-The white with red and gray design on the sides is a good look, and the car looks really good, and earns an A.

David Ragan #38 Jacob Companies Ford Fusion-Jacob companies decided to take a good look, and redesign it into an over designed mess. It’s an awful look, and not even a good color scheme can save it from an F.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Harris Teeter/Express Lane/Heinz Chevy SS-The design scheme works well, and the green and red color scheme is a great look. It’s worth an A.

Timmy Hill #51 Charlie’s Soap Chevy SS-A smooth look with a great color scheme will earn an A every single time.

Derrike Cope #55 Twin Peaks Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will earn an A every single time.

Corey LaJoie #83 Hope For Warriors Toyota Camry-Compared to the disaster that was last year’s design, this is much better. Don’t misunderstand me, there is a lot of room for improvement, but this new scheme goes from an F to a C.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.#88 Axalta/Maaco Chevy SS-Same scheme as Axalta, same F grade.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Patriotic Chevy SS-The white with a minimalist patriotic scheme works very well, and has a great look. I love this scheme, and it earns an A

Michael McDowell #95 WRL Contractors Camouflage Chevy SS-The drywall scheme worked well. The camouflage scheme…not so much. The over use of camouflage is awful, and the car has a horrible look. I’ll give it an F.