Paint Scheme Grades-September 6, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Dow DayGlo Science Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to work. F

Ty Dillon #10 Draft Kings Chevy Camaro-Taking a bad scheme and making it worse doesn’t work. F

Christopher Bell #20 DEWALT Carpentry Toyota Camry-This is bad by itself, but since I HATE particle board, this gets an F.

Todd Gilliland #34 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang-This wasn’t bad on the #51, but the added designs simply do not work. F

J.J. Yeley #44 Chevrolet Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-I like the design and color scheme here, and even though this could work with different color schemes, this gets an A.

Timmy Hill #66 Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Daniel Suárez #99 Choice Privileges Chevy Camaro-I love waffles, I love waffles with syrup, and I love this scheme. A

Paint Scheme Grades-August 30, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Throwback Chevy Camaro-While I think it’s odd a black mustang is on a Chevy, this is still an awesome retro look! A

Brad Keselowski #6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang-The look is still solid, and I can’t find fault with veterans’ names on sides. A

Kyle Busch #8 Morgan & Morgan Chevy Camaro-While I would prefer the fades, this is still an amazing look! A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Black’s Tire Chevy Camaro-Black looks much better than blue, and this scheme is better as a result. A

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Tree Top Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Pudgy Penguins Chevy Camaro-I don’t like the color or design scheme. I also rarely ever comment on this, but the black on the door numbers really derails the scheme. F

Paint Scheme Grades-August 23, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Safety Culture Chevy Camaro-Removing the yellow does nothing to help this scheme. F

Denny Hamlin #11 King’s Hawaiian Toyota Camry-A tad over designed but still great. A-

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-CAMO NEVER LOOKS GOOD ON RACE CARS! F

Todd Gilliland #34 Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang-Good look, not overdone, this gets an A.

Riley Herbst #35 Chumba Casino Toyota Camry-The gold star is really awful, and the flag motif is bad. This is awful, this gets an F.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from the previous scheme. B-

Erik Jones #43 Dollar Tree/STP Toyota Camry-The color scheme is great, but the design scheme is a bit too modern for STP. STP has a lot of great schemes on the #43, but this is just blah. C

Joey Gase #44 National Fire Prevention Week Chevy Camaro-Too over designed, good color scheme, I’ll give this a D.

Tyler Reddick #45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry-A great look that is bold, unique, and not over designed always gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Jack Links Duos Camaro-Too over designed to get anything other than an F.

Cody Ware #51 Arby’s Jamocha Shake Ford Mustang-The fade works, the color works well, and the stripes are good. A

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Entenmann’s Little Bites/Capri Sun Ford Mustang-The confetti motif is too over designed, and the car has a very cluttered look to it. F

Casey Mears #66 SI Yachts Ford Mustang-A smooth simple and bold look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Michael McDowell #71 Fly Alliance Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme, but the design scheme is a bit over done. B

Carson Hocevar #77 Modo Casino Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, but there are way too many designs here. Less is much more. C

Daniel Suarez #99 Coca-Cola Chevy Camaro-white here! This isn’t good. C

Paint Scheme Grades-August 16, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

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

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Deer Season Chevy Camaro-Much better than the original version. A

Noah Gragson #4 ArmorGuard Ford Mustang-Too many designs, and the orange and blue shades don’t work with each other. F

Justin Haley #7 Gainbridge Super League Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look, not over done, the design works. A

Ty Dillon #10 Sea Best Seafood Chevy Camaro-I would love this if it were just the white and red stripes. I would like it more if the stripes were straight. This gets a B.

Ryan Blaney #12 BodyArmor Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Black’s Tire Chevy Camaro-Much better than the previous version, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Kleenex Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #17, same A grade.

Katherine Legge #78 Desnuda Chevy Camaro-A smooth look, good color scheme, this gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 9, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light #ForTheFarmers Chevy Camaro-Horrible, and a massive downgrade from last year. F

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Ideal Door Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Cindric #2 Snap On Ford Mustang-Smooth, sleek, simple, perfect. A

Noah Gragson #4 A&W Root Beer Ford Mustang-Changing the placement of the colors doesn’t do much to change the grade. B

Ty Dillon #10 Sea Best Seafood Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the shrimp, especially that tail-on bullshit would work better. Still, this isn’t bad, so this gets a B.

Denny Hamlin #11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota Camry-Teal, red, and yellow is a really odd color combo. If the car had red sides and a teal hood and roof, it would work much better. This gets a C.

Josh Berry #21 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang-Taking a great scheme and making it better will always earn an A

Bubba Wallace #23 Alltroo Toyota Camry-Taking an awful scheme and making it worse will always earn an F.

Bubba Wallace #23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry-It’s good, it’s not over done, and it works. A

Erik Jones #43 Tri State Vacuum & Rental LLC Toyota Camry-As much as I like this design scheme, I have to ask…when did teal and cream become the go-to colors for new schemes. Both are bland, and don’t really stand out in the crowd. Good design plus blah color earns a C.

JJ Yeley #44 Syracuse Football NIL Camaro-I think lessening the blue would work much better. Still, this isn’t bad, so this gets an A-.

Cody Ware #51 Costa Oil Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Cody Ware #51 Parts Plus/Jacob Construction Ford Mustang-Changing the placement of the colors doesn’t do much to change the grade. A

Joey Gase #66 King of the Hill on Hulu Ford Mustang-I’m enjoying the King of the Hill reboot, and this is a great looking car I tell you what! A! Sorry, had to do it.

Josh Bilicki #66 Southern Tier Security Ford Mustang-Mediocre design scheme, and mediocre color scheme will always earn a C.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 2, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Lime Chevy Camaro-I like the color, and it works with the apple motif. A

Noah Gragson #4 Zep Ford Mustang-I like this new look, removing the light blue works well. A

Noah Gragson #4 Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy Mustang-Not great, but a slight upgrade from last year. C+

Brad Keselowski #6 Kroger/Blue Buffalo Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Justin Haley #7 Gainbridge/TED Sports Indy Chevy Camaro-Black with red works very well, and the Indy motif works well. A

Kyle Busch #8 Slurpee Chevy Camaro-Black and pink would work better, but the car is still over designed. F

Kyle Busch #8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look at all.

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Desi9n to Drive Chevy Camaro-A good look, a good design, and a good color scheme. A

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

Denny Hamlin #11 King’s Hawaiian Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Denny Hamlin #11 ampm Toyota Camry-Good color scheme, bad design scheme earns a C.

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

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Delta Flooring Ford Mustang-A good look, good design, good color scheme. A

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

Will Brown #13 Mobile X Chevy Camaro-A great look, not over designed, looks great! A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Big Sipz Chevy Camaro-Why is over designed cars with yellow and black is a thing? This just looks awful! F

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ford Mustang-The color scheme looks odd. Not bad, not good, just odd. Add in a mediocre design scheme, and this gets a C.

Chris Buescher #17 Body Guard Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #60, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Trimble Ford Mustang-Too many designs, and while I normally like a fade, the white to yellow just doesn’t work. D

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Diet Cherry Coke Ford Mustang-Loving the throwback Diet Cherry Coke logos, and the red works well too. A

Chase Briscoe #19 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Patriotic Toyota Camry-Cleaning up the sides looks really good. This gets an A.

Christopher Bell #20 CRAFTSMAN Racing for a Miracle Toyota Camry-A great look, not over done, this looks great! A

Josh Berry #21 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #12, same a grade.

Josh Berry #21 PPG Ford Mustang-Mediocre color and design schemes earn a C.

Bubba Wallace #23 Xfinity Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #45, same A grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 Space Force/Leidos Toyota Camry-Too many designs. It’s not terrible, but it could be better. B

William Byron #24 All-Pro Auto Reconditioning Chevy Camaro-A great color scheme with an awful design scheme will always earn an C.

Todd Gilliland #34 Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters Ford Mustang-No real change in terms grade, new designs score on the same level as old designs. A-

Todd Gilliland #34 Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang-A great look, nothing wrong here! A

Todd Gilliland #34 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-While there have been some designs added, it’s still a great look with a great color scheme. A

Zane Smith #38 Vermeer Midwest Ford Mustang-I like the look, especially this shade of yellow. The design works well too. A

Zane Smith #38 Horizon Lobby Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Zane Smith #38 Michael Roberts Construction Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, bad design scheme earns a C.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry-This does not look good at all. Maybe with a different color scheme, but this just doesn’t work. F

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Hertz Toyota Camry-I may never say this ever again, but getting rid of the fade would elevate this scheme to a solid A. It just looks awkward, so this gets an A-.

JJ Yeley #44 Ultimate Tailgating RV Chevy Camaro-A solid fade with a great color scheme, and this gets an A.

Tyler Reddick #45 Upper Deck Toyota Camry-The lighter blue doesn’t work as well, and the scheme suffers as a result.

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-This is a really unique look. It resembles shattered glass with tape. I like this. A

Cody Ware #51 Arby’s New Angus Cheesesteak Ford Mustang-You can’t go wrong with a cheesesteak! A

Ty Gibbs #54 Sonic/Grillo’s Pickles Toyota Camry-A good color scheme with a good fade will always earn an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Castrol/Alyssa Thomas “The Engine” Ford Mustang-I love the basketball motif, it looks great, and it has a great color scheme. A

Jesse Love #62 C4 Ultimate Energy Solutions Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, not over designed, this gets an A.

David Starr #66 WNB Factory Ford Mustang-An ugly, over designed mess. F

Josh Bilicki #66 Purekick Hydration Ford Mustang-Not only is this a great look, but it’s an upgrade from last year. A

Josh Bilicki #66 Sherfick Companies Mustang-Too many colors and too many designs. F

Michael McDowell #71 DePaul Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, this gets a C.

Daniel Suarez #99 Quaker State Chevy Camaro-Another example of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. C

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey/Folds of Honor Chevy Camaro-I think it’s a tad over designed, and the white on the rear is jarring. Still, it’s not bad, so this gets a B.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 28, 2025

By David G. Firestone

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

Justin Haley #7 Dorman Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, they balance. C

Christopher Bell #20 Rheem 100th Anniversary Toyota Camry-Replacing either white or black with gold would work better, but this isn’t really that different. A-

JJ Yeley #44 Fanatics Sportsbook Chevy Camaro-A great fade with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Brennan Poole #44 Members First Credit Union Chevy Camaro-Too many designs, and the color doesn’t help at all. F

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Scott 1000 Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Katherine Legge #78 e.l.f. Cosmetics Chevy Camaro-I like the colors, and the liquid design works well. A

Daniel Suarez #99 Very Good Ventures Chevy Camaro-A great fade with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Tracker-June 21, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Wendy’s Frosty Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #99, same F grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Boot Barn Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a slight downgrade from last year. A-

Noah Gragson #4 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang-Nothing really changes here. C

Ty Dillon #10 Ohio Logistics Chevy Camaro-Bold, unique, has a great color scheme, and not over designed. A

Chris Buescher #17 Body Guard Ford Mustang-I like the look, the Mexican motif looks good, this gets an A.

Cody Ware #51 Arrowhead Brass Ford Mustang-I LOVE metallic colors, and brass is a good look, combined with a great design scheme, and this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Colgate Ford Mustang-It’s simple, it’s bold, and it’s perfect! A

Carson Hocevar #77 Totalplay Chevy Camaro-Too many colors, and too many designs. F

Daniel Suarez #99 Telcel Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, but too many stripes. B

Paint Scheme Grades-June 14, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Apple Chevy Camaro-I like the color, and it works with the apple motif. A

Kyle Busch #8 BetMGM Chevy Camaro-I like the city motif, it’s not over done, and the car has a great look. A

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Kraft/Artesano Ford Mustang-I like the blue with flower motif. Simple, but bold. A

Josh Berry #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Throwback Ford Mustang-Another great Wood Brothers throwback. I can’t give this anything less than an A.

Joey Logano #22 Hunt Brothers Ford Mustang-Red is a much better look, and the car looks better as a result. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-Nothing really wrong with the reversal. A

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

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Real American Beer Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

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

Carson Hocevar #77 Zeigler Auto Group 50th Anniversary Chevy Camaro-Not better, not worse, just meh. C

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 7, 2025

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Country Chevy Camaro-Good design, but the color scheme doesn’t really work with the design scheme. C

Austin Dillon #3 Toys for Tots Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang-Camo does NOT look good on a race car, and light camo looks even worse. F

Justin Haley #7 Garner Trucking Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Oikos Ford Mustang-Numbers are still too large, but this is a major improvement from last year. D

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-The contrasting styles do not work with each other, and this is not a good look at all. F

William Byron #24 RAPTOR High Heat Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Zane Smith #38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang-There are way too many designs, and the color scheme could do without black, green or blue would work better. F

Cole Custer #41 Texas A&M University Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 DriveValue.com Toyota Camry-I like the dark blue, but the pastel yellow isn’t good, and the fade is ruined by the over use of designs. C

JJ Yeley #44 Western States Flooring Ford Mustang-Not great, but an improvement from last year. D

Tyler Reddick #45 Pinnacle Toyota Camry-Would work better as a fade, but this is still good. A

Ty Gibbs #54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ryan Preece #60 Trimble Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, they cancel each other out, this gets a C.

Josh Bilicki #66 ZERO Prostate Cancer Ford Mustang-Good design, not over done, this gets an A.

Chad Finchum #66 Aires/Truan Ford Mustang-Too over done, too many stripes, this is hurting my eyes. F

Corey Heim #67 Chief’s Toyota Camry-Not a bad look, I like the stitching motif, and this is a good look. A

Daniel Suarez #99 Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge Chevy Camaro-Horrible. Just horrible. F