Paint Scheme Grades-October 24, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Newman #6 Hy-Vee Ford Mustang-I think the gray is pointless, and the red needs to be toned down. Other than that this is a good scheme. B

Josh Bilicki #7 Insurance King/The Wounded Blue Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #53, same A grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 DeKalb Ford Mustang Mustang-The white and yellow look is good, and I like the eagle here. A

Brennan Poole #15 Thriv5 Chevy Camaro-My only complaint here is that the green is pointless. A-

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

JJ Yeley #27 United Breast Cancer Foundation Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Corey LaJoie #32 Plan B Sales Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, simple yet bold, and that will always earn an A.

James Davison #53 Play Seat Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Cruz and Associates, same A- grade.

Reed Sorenson #77 Marwin Sports Chevy Camaro-The design on the front is ugly, and serves no purpose. Take it away, and this gets a A, but this gets a B.

Daniel Suarez #96 GF Machining Solutions Toyota Camry-There really isn’t anything bad I can say about this. A

Paint Scheme Grades-October 17, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 Sim Seats Chevy Camaro-The only reason I didn’t give this an A-, the same as Permatex, is because I don’t think that white should be the primary color, more red or blue. Still, it’s not bad, so I’ll give it a B+

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro-This is a good look, the black works well, and the car as a whole looks great. The red waves work well too. A

Ryan Newman #6 Castrol Pink Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Pink Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Erik Jones #20 Craftsman ACE/Children’s Miracle Network Toyota Camry-This is a really good design, it isn’t over designed, and the car looks great as a result. A

Ryan Preece #37 Maxwell Houses for Heroes Chevy Camaro-Camo doesn’t work on a race car, and blue camo is just so much worse! I can’t give this a passing grade, so this gets an F

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Columbia Sportswear Chevy Camaro-My only complaint here is that the white dots on black just don’t work, other than that, the car looks great. A

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Pink Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Josh Bilicki #51 Rich Mar Florist/Lemons of Love Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

James Davison #53 Tilson Chevy Camaro-It’s a good look. The patriotic motif works well here. I like this, and I give it an A.

Daniel Suarez #96 Coca-Cola Hispanic Heritage Month Toyota Camry-This is a really good look. The car is designed well, and it gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 10, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Newman #6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Tyler Reddick #8 Cat Next Gen Dozers Chevy Camaro-I like this scheme. The patriotic motif works, and the car has a great look. A

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfiled Power Bites Ford Mustang-This is a really good look. I like the white and orange stripes. It’s a good look, and it gets an A.

Ty Dillon #13 GEICO For Your RV Chevy Camaro-The tree motif works well, and the car has a great look. The color scheme is good, and I give this an A.

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush Truck Centers/BlueDEF Ford Mustang-The Rush design, and the BlueDEF logo don’t work together. They work well by themselves, but together they just don’t work. I’ll give this a C.

Chris Buescher #17 Sunny D Pink Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menards/Tuscany Ford Mustang-It’s the same design as Dutch Boy, so it gets the same C grade.

William Byron #24 Hendrickcars.com Chevy Camaro-I like this scheme. The patriotic motif works, and the car has a great look. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Pink Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Joey Gase #51 JIMCO Windows & Doors Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that always earn an A.

James Davison #53 America’s Best Value Inns Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Timmy Hill #66 Trump 2020 Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #32, same C grade.

Justin Haley #77 Parts Plus Chevy Camaro-I don’t like a lot of the colors here, and I think that the design is over done. I’ll give this a C.

Alex Bowman #88 Valvoline Chevy Camaro-A great throwback with a great look will ALWAYS earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 3, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 DOWFROST Chevy Camaro-I like the frost motif here, and I think the car has a great overall look. A

Josh Bilicki #7 Insurance King Chevy Camaro-Not a bad scheme at all.  The design looks good, and the color is good. A

Tyler Reddick #8 Cat Mining Chevy Camaro-This scheme has a great color scheme, and it has a great design scheme, so it gets an A.

Aric Almirola #10 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang-My only complaint is that the white and black thin stripes aren’t really needed, and the car would look smoother as a result. A-

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menard’s/Duracel Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Corey LaJoie #32 OneNation Coffee Ford Mustang-Metallic silver works really well here, and the smooth design looks really good. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Hungry Jack Chevy Camaro-You can’t go wrong with pancakes on the rear, and the rest of the car has a good look, so I’ll give this an A.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-Teal and black is not a great combo, and the blue doesn’t work either. I would like the design a lot more if it wasn’t attached to this scheme. C

Chad Finchum #49 LasVegas.net Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #66, same A grade.

Joey Gase #51 Nevada Donate Life Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Josh Bilicki #53 Dollar Loan Center Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Daniel Suarez #96 Team USA Toyota Camry-I don’t like patriotic motifs that don’t fully use colors. If the silver was replaced by red, this would work a lot better. This gets a C.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 26, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 Boss Hoss Cycles Chevy Camaro-The red wing motif works well, and the car looks great as a result. A

Tyler Reddick #8 Childress Vineyards Chevy Camaro-It’s the same basic scheme as Chevy Cares, and it gets the same C grade.

Brennan Poole #15 Thriv5 Chevy Camaro-I really don’t like this shade of red. I think it is too light. The black looks good, and the car is decently designed, and I give it a B.

Joey Gase #51 Bare Arms Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Donate Life Virginia, same F grade.

James Davison #53 Racing for Heroes Ford Mustang-This is a great looking scheme. It’s smooth and bold. I give this an A.

Garrett Smithley #78 Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 19, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 Trucker Appreciation Chevy Camaro-I think the blue is pointless, but other than that, this is a great scheme. A-

Tyler Reddick #8 Cat Rental Store Chevy Camaro-Love the shades of red and yellow, and the design looks great too! A

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Cares Toyota Camry-My only complaint here is that I think the blue and orange is over done. Other than that, this is a great scheme. A-

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang-This is an amazing scheme, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Joey Gase #51 Donate Life Virginia Ford Mustang-This is horrifically designed, and it has a bad color scheme, and that will always earn an F.

James Davison #53 Cruz & Associates Chevy Camaro-My only complaint is that the white designs are pointless. Other than that, this is a great scheme. A-

Reed Sorenson #77 BetterForYourHealth.com Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as Austin Hatcher, same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 12, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Throwback Ford Mustang-While I like this scheme as a whole, I do think it’s a bit over designed. A-

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Throwback Toyota Camry-I really like this scheme, and I love that FedEx used their old logo. I love that logo. This is great and earns an A.

Ty Dillon #13 GEICO Throwback Chevy Camaro-The scheme was over designed in 2010, and I think the throwback doesn’t look as great as it could be. I’ll give this a B+

Brennan Poole #15 Remember Everyone Deployed Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a great throwback. It’s faithful, and it looks great. I can’t say anything bad about this. A

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Throwback Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Throwback Ford Mustang-Another faithful throwback of a great scheme, that is very well done. No complaints here! A

JJ Yeley #27 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro-If there is a scheme that sums up the late 1990’s, this is it. If ever there was a scheme that shows why I hated the late 1990’s, this is it. It’s ugly, horrifically over designed, and has an awful color scheme. This gets an F.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Cash App Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a really great look, and the throwback is faithful, so I’ll give this an A.

James Davison #53 Signing Day Sports Throwback Ford Mustang-This is a great throwback! I love the door numbers on the original, and the scheme is very faithful. I give this an A.

Timmy Hill #66 RoofClaim.com Throwback Toyota Camry-I love 1980’s Skoal Bandits, and this is one of my favorites. This is an amazingly faithful throwback, and it gets an A.

Ross Chastain #77 Dirty Mo Media Throwback Chevy Camaro-As a long time Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan, I love this scheme! This is my favorite scheme this year. A

Paint Scheme Grades-September 5, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 Throwback Permatex Chevy Camaro-This isn’t a real throwback. While it does have throwback elements, it’s a bit over done with the hood spiral. The motif looks good on the side. I’ll give this a B.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow VORASURF Chevy Camaro-It’s not over designed, and it has a great color scheme. That will always earn an A.

Garrett Smithley #7 Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as Wisconsin Lighting Lab, same A grade.

Josh Bilicki #7 Ariens Chevy Camaro-My only complaint is that the white is pointless here. Other than than, this gets an A.

Tyler Reddick #8 KCMG Chevy Camaro-The only thing saving this scheme is a good color scheme. This is an ugly over designed mess. D

Ryan Blaney #12 Body Armor Ford Mustang-There is nothing good I can say about this scheme. This is horrible. It’s horrifically over designed, and too many colors. F

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Throwback Toyota Camry-This was a great scheme then, and a great scheme now. It’s a good, faithful throwback of a great scheme, and it earns an A.

Erik Jones #20 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry-A good fade always works, and a good color scheme helps. A

Erik Jones #20 SportClips Throwback Toyota Camry-I never really liked Tony’s silver Home Depot schemes, largely because I don’t like silver and orange as a color scheme. I like this scheme because red works so much better. I’ll give this a B, as I do think it is over designed.

JJ Yeley #27 Thriv5 Ford Mustang-I like this. The designs look good, the car as a whole has a smooth look, and the car looks great. A

JJ Yeley #27 America Strong Chevy Camaro-I think the car is a bit over designed, and I hate the yellow stripe on the read. Still, this isn’t a bad scheme, so I’ll give it a B.

Michael McDowell #34 CarParts.com Ford Mustang-The spiral motif works well, and the lack of orange is a much needed improvement. A

Ryan Preece #37 Scotts Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the green, and toning down the waves would help this scheme a lot. Currently, this mess gets a D, because I do like the shades of white and blue.

John Hunter Nemechek #38 Citgard Ford Mustang-The plain red Citgo scheme was a great look, and a scheme I really miss. This is a really good look, and a faithful throwback, so it gets an A.

Cole Custer #41 HaasTooling.com Throwback Ford Mustang-Another amazing and faithful throwback from a great scheme. This looks great, and gets an A.

Josh Bilicki #53 Insurance King/The Wounded Blue Chevy Camaro-Nothing really wrong here. The car is smooth, and the scheme looks great. A

Joey Gase #53 Sparks Ford Mustang-It’s an ugly, over designed mess, and not even a great color scheme can save from an F.

Ross Chastain #77 Moose Fraternity Chevy Camaro-I like the look, I like the color scheme, I like the moose, this gets an A.

BJ McLeod #78 Royal Teak Collection Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Christopher Bell #95 JBL Throwback Toyota Camry-I think the original was an over designed mess, and I think the throwback reflects that. F

Paint Scheme Grades-August 29, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Quinn Houff #00 Eagle Rock Wealth Management Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a great throwback, and I love the design! A

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Throwback Ford Mustang-I like this design. Busch has some great cans in the 90’s, and this is a perfect example. A

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Ford Mustang-I like the overall design, but they took a few creative liberties with the car, and the new designs are not only pointless, but distract from the overall scheme. Still, this is good, and I’ll give it a B+

Josh Bilicki #7 Insurance King Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a very faithful throwback, and I think this looks great! A

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dew/Team Rubicon Chevy Camaro-Camo does NOT look good on a race car in general, but this color scheme really doesn’t do it any favors. F

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Throwback Chevy Camaro-I hated this scheme the first time around, but I understand why it was used. Still, it is a faithful throwback, so I’ll give this a C

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menard’s/Monster Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy Camaro-This is faithful replica of an awesome scheme. I like this, and it gets an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Drydene Ford Mustang-Adding the black is pointless, and the new design is over done. Now it isn’t horrible, and the color scheme is decent, so I’ll give it a C.

Michael McDowell #34 Digital Ally Shield Cleansers Ford Mustang-It’s a bold look, and it isn’t over designed, so I give it an A.

John Hunter Nemechek #38 ACME Markets Ford Mustang-I like the color scheme, and I hate the design scheme. As such, this gets a C.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Columbia Sportswear Chevy Camaro-This is an amazing scheme, and I like the design and color schemes. This earns an A.

Joey Gase #51 Race for Relief Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, white. A

It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Alex Bowman #88 Acronis Chevy Camaro-The stripes work well, it’s bold, and not over designed. I give this an A.

Alex Bowman #88 Truck Hero/Chevy Group Chevy Camaro-I hated this scheme the first time around, but I understand why it was used. Still, it is a faithful throwback, so I’ll give this a C

Daniel Suarez #96 ARRIS Throwback Toyota Camry-I liked this scheme then, and I like it now. A

Paint Scheme Grades-August 22, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 Creek Enterprises Inc. Chevy Camaro-It’s a bold look, but is has a great color scheme. I like this, and it gets an A.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Beer/National Forest Foundation Ford Mustang-I like the new motif for 2020. The forest design looks good, and the car has a solid look. A

Tyler Reddick #8 Cat App Chevy Camaro-Black is a good color for a race car, and I like the addition of dots and yellow. This earns an A.

Tyler Reddick #8 Cat Power Throwback Chevy Camaro-While I didn’t like this car back in 1994, it has grown on me since then. I think this is a great throwback, and it gets an A.

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Toyota Camry-I really like this scheme. It’s bold, the shade of brown works well, and the car looks great. A

JJ Yeley #27 NASCAR Heat 5 Ford Mustang-Black with blue flame is a great look. The scheme is smooth, and the car looks great. A

Ryan Preece #37 Purina Chevy Camaro-Get rid of checkerboard motif and the car gets a solid A. This scheme gets a B.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 DoorDash Chevy Camaro-This is a solid, smooth, and simple look that always earns an A.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-This doesn’t work. White isn’t as good as black here. This change takes a solid A scheme down to a C.

James Davison, #51 Jacob Construction Chevy Camaro-There isn’t really anything wrong here. I just don’ think it’s a great scheme. It’s a meh scheme, and it gets a C

Garrett Smithley #53 Chevy Camaro-It’s a great scheme, and it earns an A.Mustang,Ford,Mustang,Toyota Camry,Toyota,Camry,