Paint Scheme Grades-October 7, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light #Break4Busch Ford Mustang-It’s still bad, but a major improvement from last year’s F scheme. C

Chase Briscoe #14 Old Spice Ford Mustang-While I’m not the biggest fan of the movie itself, this scheme is a good throwback. A

Christopher Bell #20 DEWALT Electrical Solutions Toyota Camry-It’s not bad, but it isn’t good. It looks really forced, and it looks off. C

Justin Haley #31 Morris-Shea Bridge Co., Inc. Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the clutter on the front would elevate this to a solid A, this gets an A-

Riley Herbst #36 Beast Unleashed White Haze Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Ryan Preece #41 Wonder Bread Ford Mustang-While I’m not the biggest fan of the movie itself, this scheme is a good throwback. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread Chevy Camaro-Motif schemes can be used to make the product look good. In this case, the white powder across the bread motif looks like mold, thus making me not want to buy it. The Country Crock logo is also oddly placed, and, because of the motif, is difficult to read. F

Paint Scheme Grades-September 30, 2023

By David G. Firestone

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

Chase Briscoe #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Pink Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade

J.J. Yeley #15 Steakhouse Elite Ford Mustang-I like the look, and the car is well designed with a great color scheme. A

J.J. Yeley #15 Patriot Mobile Patriotic Ford Mustang-The Patriot Mobile look works well with blue. A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Barger Precast Chevy Camaro-The colors might work better reversed, too much white, and the cutting edge designs are over done. C

Erik Jones #43 VsEverybody.com Chevy Camaro-I hate mosaic schemes, and the sublimated words don’t help. F

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-The neon green looks out of place here, and the designs are just childish. F

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-Well, more neon green, and over done designs don’t do this scheme any favors. F

Ty Gibbs #54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Holy hell! This is a massive improvement over the green look! This is a great scheme! A

Ty Dillon #77 Shelton Energy Solutions Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade

Daniel Suarez #99 Aerial Recovery Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Daniel Suarez #99 Kubota/Onx Homes Chevy Camaro-Reversing the colors worked well here. A

Paint Scheme Grades-September 23, 2023

By David G. Firestone

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

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevy Camaro-A great look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-Take last week’s amazing paint scheme, add a horrific color scheme, and you have an F scheme.

Justin Haley #31 MTN Dew Chevy Camaro-The front is fine, but the rear is too over designed to get anything than an F.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Scott Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the stripes would make this an A scheme, with the stripes, this is an A-

Paint Scheme Grades-September 16, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Kevin Harvick #4 Sunny Delight Ford Mustang-Adding more blue does not change the fact that this car is an over designed mess. F

Kyle Busch #8 Casey’s General Store Chevy Camaro-Great color scheme, great design scheme, great pizza, A.

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield/Whataburger Ford Mustang-Adding orange to all of the black would work better, but this is still pretty good. A-

J.J. Yeley #15 Jungle Law Ford Mustang-This is a horrible, over designed mess. F

Christopher Bell #20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota Camry-This is a bold look, and a unique look. It isn’t over designed, and it works well. A

Harrison Burton #21 Menard’s/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-A good fade is a good look, and this is a great look! A

Carson Hocevar #42 Sunseeker Resort Chevy Camaro-Holy hell is this a great look! They should have done this from the start! A

Ty Dillon #77 Raze Tea Chevy Camaro-Another awful, over designed Raze scheme, this time with another bad color scheme. F

Paint Scheme Grades-September 9, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1/Take 5 Ford Mustang-Nothing wrong wit this, though making the car Take 5 red might work better. A

Chase Briscoe #14 HighPoint.com Lady in Black Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

JJ Yeley #15 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Ford Mustang-I think the added black takes the scheme down from an A to an A-.

Ty Dillon #77 Raze Energy Chevy Camaro-Sometimes reversing the color scheme works, other times it doesn’t. Here, it doesn’t. F

BJ McLeod #78 Affliction Chevy Camaro-Not even a great color scheme can save this over designed mess from an F.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 2, 2023

By David G. Firestone

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

Austin Dillon #3 Morgan & Morgan Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will ALWAYS earn an A.

Corey LaJoie #7 The Jessie Rees Foundation Chevy Camaro-Adding the black looks better, but it’s still over designed. B-

Kyle Busch #8 Morgan & Morgan Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #3, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Cars/Operation Warm Toyota Camry-A smooth, yet bold look, this is a simple design but it speaks volumes. A

Brennan Poole #15 Finance Pro Plus Ford Mustang-It’s way too over designed, and the scheme as a whole is a mess! F

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Toyota Camry-Getting rid of the white would earn this a solid A, with the white, this earns an A-.

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear/Luke Combs Toyota Camry-The black with fish look is really good, it’s really bold, and it works. A

Michael McDowell #34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang-This works even better with more black, and the stars work well too. A

Riley Herbst #36 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #54, same A grade.

Todd Gilliland #38 Serial 1 E-Bikes Ford Mustang-The tan look is a unique look, but it isn’t over designed, and it gets an A.

Ryan Preece #41 RaceChoice.com Ford Mustang-The pink looks out of place, and the car is over designed. F

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Entenmann’s Donuts Chevy Camaro-I like the look of Ball Park, and I like the donuts on the side, so this gets an A.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Arena/Fortnite Chevy Camaro-The car is over designed, and the horrible color scheme earns this an F.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 26, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Okuma Chevy Camaro-There are a bit too many stripes, and the white outline isn’t great. B+

Kyle Busch #8 Mark III Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the gray and focusing on the blue would give this a solid A, with the gray, this is an A-.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Siemens Toyota Camry-I love the fade, and the car looks great! A

Christopher Bell #20 DEWALT Concrete Total Solutions Toyota Camry-The DeWalt motif would work by itself, as would the concrete motif. Together, they are mediocre. C

Mike Rockenfeller #42 Sunseeker Resort Chevy Camaro-This is a bad scheme made worse by a pointless addition. F

Tyler Reddick #45 Toyota SmartPath Toyota Camry-Getting rid of the white and focusing on the red would give this a solid A, with the white, this is an A-.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.#47 Sugarlands Eggo Brunch in a Jar Sippin’ Cream Chevy Camaro-The waffle motif works very well, and the car has a great look. A

Austin Hill #62 United Rentals Chevy Camaro-There is too much going on, the red serves no purpose, the dark blue is pointless, and it’s too over designed. F

Paint Scheme Grades-August 19, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Cowboy Channel Chevy Camaro-I love a good fade, and with the great color scheme, this gets an A.

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang-I like the wing design, and the great color scheme will always earn an A.

Brad Keselowski #6 Socios.com Ford Mustang-This would work much better with a different color scheme, but with this scheme, it gets a C.

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

AJ Allmendinger #16 Dynagro Seed Chevy Camaro-Great design with bad color scheme will always earn a C.

Todd Gilliland #38 Chicago Pneumatic Compressors Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Preece #41 Purdue University Ford Mustang-Getting rid of some of the designs near the number would work much better, but this is still good, so this get an A-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Frosted Flakes Chevy Camaro-It’s a good look, not over designed, and this gets an A.

Kamui Kobayashi #67 Toyota Genuine Parts Toyota Camry-The cutting edge design isn’t over done, and it has a great color scheme. A

Paint Scheme Grades-August 12, 2023

By David G. Firestone

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

Kyle Busch #8 Kwik Trip/Kwik Star Chevy CamaroGood color scheme, good design scheme, good look. A

J.J. Yeley #15 Grill Blazers Ford Mustang-I like the grill motif, and the color scheme is good. A

Harrison Burton #21 Motorcraft/Ford Senior Master Technicians Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Martin Transportation Systems Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Tyler Reddick #45 Rocket League Toyota Camry-Too many colors and too many design schemes will always earn an F.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Minute Rice Chevy Camaro-I like the new look, not too cluttered, and the color scheme is good. A

Alex Bowman #48 Ally/Detroit Pistons Chevy Camaro-I like the look, and the city motif works well. A

B.J. McLeod #78 South Dakota/FreedomWorksHere.com Chevy Camaro-I think the sides are a bit cluttered, but it is a good look. B

Paint Scheme Grades-August 5, 2023

By David G. Firestone

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

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

Austin Dillon #3 Huk Performance Fishing Chevy Camaro-These changes don’t really add much, so the same F grade as last year.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang-Peach is not a great color for a stock car, or race car of any kind, and the lack of dark designs is horrid, so this gets an F!

Brad Keselowski #6 Solomon Plumbing Patriotic Ford Mustang-I hate regular camo on race cars, but this new design has an awful color scheme, and is too spread out. F

Corey LaJoie #7 Garner Trucking Chevy Camaro-A smooth, simple, yet bold look, with a great color scheme will ALWAYS earn an A!

Corey LaJoie #7 Gainbridge Chevy Camaro-I hate the color scheme, and the design scheme is awful, this gets an F.

Kyle Busch #8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Patriotic Chevy Camaro-This is a much better look, and I can’t really complain here!

Kyle Busch #8 X World Wallet Chevy Camaro-I like the smooth look, the design scheme works well, this gets an A.

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Patriotic Ford Mustang-This is a much less cluttered, much smoother, and much better look. A

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield/iHop Ford Mustang-Much less cluttered and better colors used earn this an A.

Aric Almirola #10 Ford Ford Mustang-It’s a great look, a great color scheme, and a great design scheme. A

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

Denny Hamlin #11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme will ALWAYS earn an A.

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

Ryan Blaney #12 Body Armor Ford Mustang-This is a downgrade from previous schemes, it’s a bit over designed. B+

Chase Briscoe #14 Mahindra Tractors Patriotic Ford Mustang-The more designs added, the worse this scheme gets. C

Chase Briscoe #14 Mobil 1 Gen G Ford Mustang-Getting rid of the sublimated designs will improve this, but with them, this gets a B+.

Brennan Poole #15 Macc Door Systems Ford Mustang-I like the stripes, but they could be toned down a bit. A-

Jenson Button #15 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang-This is a major downgrade from the previous scheme, with too many design elements. C

J.J. Yeley #15 Patriot Mobile Patriotic Ford Mustang-Good look, and a great color scheme will always earn an A

Ryan Newman #15 Parts Plus Ford Mustang-Great look. The color scheme works, and the design is amazing, so this gets an A.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Bath Planet Chevy Camaro-Has a good color scheme, but getting rid of the designs on the front would earn this an A, but with the designs, this gets a B.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Celsius Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #7, same A grade.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Action Industries Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the green stripes would work better with the design. This however, isn’t horrible, so this gets a B.

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Patriotic Ford Mustang-This is a unique, but well-executed look. A

Joey Logano #22 Verizon Ford Mustang-This is one of the best looks yet! Smooth, bold, simple, and it works. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Draft Kings Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

William Byron #24 Relay Payments Chevy Camaro-If the stripe was one whole stripe it would get a solid A, but this gets a B+

Justin Haley #31 Benesch Law Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the front white and diamonds would boost this scheme to a solid A, but this gets a B+

Justin Haley, driver of the #31 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #16, same B grade.

Brodie Kostecki #33 MobileX Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earns an A.

Michael McDowell #34 The Pete Store Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Benebone Ford Mustang-I loves me a good fade, and this is a good fade, and this gets an A.

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

Todd Gilliland #38 Georgia Peanut Commission Ford Mustang-\Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Todd Gilliland #38 A&W Root Beer Float Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #34, same A grade.

Ryan Preece #41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, and an awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Ryan Preece #41 Sony Mobile ES Ford Mustang-I like the police car look, it’s well done, and this gets an A.

Noah Gragson #42 Wendy’s Chevy Camaro-I love the black and bacon look, it’s smooth and well done. A

Erik Jones #43 DRAIVER Chevy Camaro-I love the black and red look, and it works well here. A

Tyler Reddick #45 The Big 615/Moneylion Toyota Camry-Too over designed, mediocre color scheme, this gets a D.

Tyler Reddick #45 Draft Kings Network Toyota Camry-It works well, not over done, and it has a great color scheme. A

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-It’s a great look, I like that the green isn’t overused, so this gets an A.

Tyler Reddick #45 Xfinity 10G Network Toyota Camry-Too over designed, but a good fade saves this scheme. B

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/BallPark Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Food 4 Less/Slim Jim Chevy Camaro-The white front is a downgrade, it takes an A down to an A-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Drumstick Chevy Camaro-I like the look, it’s a good look, and I can’t say anything bad. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kleenex Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

J.J. Yeley #51 Patriot Mobile Patriotic Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #15, same A grade.

Ryan Newman #51 Parts Plus Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #15, same A grade.

Andy Lally #51 Camping World Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #15, same A grade.

Ty Dillon #77 Raze Energy Chevy Camaro-It’s over designed, and has a horrible color scheme. F

Ty Dillon #77 Gainbridge Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #7, same F grade.

Josh Bilicki #78 Zeigler Auto Group Chevy Camaro-The guitar motif works well, the color scheme is great, this earns an A.

Sheldon Creed #78 Whelen Chevy Camaro-It’s a simple look, with a bold color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Daniel Suarez #99 Worldwide Express Patriotic Chevy Camaro-What a difference a toned down scheme makes! This is a great look! A

Daniel Suarez #99 SLAM! Foundation Chevy Camaro-It’s an awful design, very over designed, and not even a great color scheme will save this. F