Category: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-October 26, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Editor’s note: I am not including the #47 from Kansas, as that was not an intentional design, but rather the result of an off-track incident.

Landon Cassill #00 Creek Enterprise Chevy Camaro-My only complaint is that the green isn’t really needed here. Otherwise, it’s a great look.

Landon Cassill #00 Pop-A-Lock Chevy Camaro-The orange is good, the black and white work well too. The car is horribly over designed, and it doesn’t look good. All things considered, this gets a C

Austin Dillon #3 Roland Chevy Camaro-In addition to being over designed, this has a terrible color scheme, so it gets an F.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Ducks Unlimited Ford Mustang-The nature motif works well, and the color scheme works too. This is a good scheme, and it gets an A.

Ryan Newman #6 Roush Performance/Mazola Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Ryan Blaney #12 Dickies/Menards Ford Mustang-This is a good shade of blue,and the yellow pops as well. Nothing wrong with this scheme. A

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

Paul Menard #21 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang-My only complaint here is that the hood is over designed. A-

Corey LaJoie #32 Kansasland Ford Mustang-It has a good color scheme, and it isn’t over designed. That earns this scheme an A.

Austin Theriault #52 Bangor Savings Bank/Travis Mills Foundation Ford Mustang-I love a good fade, and the red chevrons work very well. This gets an A.

Josh Bilicki #53 Insurance King Ford Mustang-I can’t stand this scheme. I hate the gray. I hate the road motif, I hate the hood and roof stripes. I just hate this scheme. F

Joey Gase #66 Page Construction Toyota Camry-The hood and roof look good, and the color scheme works well. A

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide Protect My Farm Chevy Camaro-The Nationwide Small Business scheme worked well, and the farm motif is a good look. A

Paint Scheme Grades-October 19, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Superior Essex Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme here, blue and white works well. I think the black isn’t needed, and the design is over designed. I’ll give this a B- as a result.

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

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

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Night Vision Chevy Camaro-It’s a bold look, I like the use of metallic gold. I also like the designs, it’s not over designed. It’s a great look that earns an A.

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Racing for Bacon Ford Mustang-Do I really need to say anything than “bacon flame motif?” A

Ty Dillon #13 GEICO Throwback Chevy Camaro-Great shade of green, great throwback numbers and Richard Childress on the name rail all add up to an A scheme.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Sunny D Pink Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Tarkett Ford Mustang-This new Menard’s template works well with blue. This is a great look, and it earns an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Visone RV Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

David Ragan #38 Envision USA Ford Mustang-Another example of a great color scheme, but an over-designed mess of a design scheme. Toned down, this scheme could be a lot better, but this isn’t great, and earns a C.

Kyle Larson #42 McDonald’s Spicy Chicken Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as McDonald’s McDelivery, same B grade.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Victory Junction Ford Mustang-It’s a unique look, I like the way it looks. It’s got a good color scheme, and it works well. A

Austin Theriault #51 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro-The flag truck is a tradition at Talladega, and this faithful replica is a great look, that I can’t say anything bad about. A

Spencer Boyd #52 Manscaped Chevy Camaro-Another example of a scheme that could have been great, but is over designed. The silver designs are pointless, as are the sublimated designs. Still, it has a great color scheme, so I’ll give it a C.

Brendan Gaughan #62 Beard Oil/South Point Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Joey Gase #66 Fan Memories at Richmond Raceway Toyota Camry–This is an ugly over designed mess of a scheme. Also, why didn’t this scheme run at Richmond? It’s just awful. F

Blake Jones #77 Tennessee Shine/XXX Distillery Chevy Camaro–A smooth look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide/Amazon Echo Auto Chevy Camaro–It has a great color scheme, and a bold look that isn’t over designed. This is a great look, and it earns an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 One Bite Toyota Camry–I like the shades of red and yellow used here, and the design is great. All things considered, this gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 12, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Clean Origin Chevy Camaro-This is a good look, with a great color scheme, and I will give this an A.

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

Daniel Hemric #8 Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro-A bold look that isn’t over designed, and has a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Pink Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Paul Menard #21 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #12, same A grade.

Corey LaJoie #32 Drydene Ford Mustang-White and red is a great color scheme, and the design is bold and perfect. I can’t give this less than an A.

Michael McDowell #34 The Pete Store Ford Mustang-I’ll describe this as having nothing wrong, and nothing right at the same time. It’s just there. C.

Matt Tifft #36 Delaware Lottery/Surface Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #36, same B+ grade.

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Simmer Like A Winner Chevy Camaro-The color scheme is great, and I love the bold look of the paintbrush motif. This scheme works and it gets an A.

JJ Yeley #52 Drive Smart Ford Mustang-The red really isn’t needed here, and it clutters up a decent scheme. Add it that the blue is too light, and you have a scheme that could have been an A is taken down to a B+

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Dumont Jets Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Paint Scheme Tracker-October 5, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Coladk/Bos Klein Chevy Camaro-I love this scheme! The grid motif looks awesome, and the colors work very well. I’m going to give this an A.

Austin Dillon #3 Okuma Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same D+ grade.

Ross Chastain #15 Empire Auto Group Chevy Camaro-This is a good look, I do like the color scheme, and the car is well designed. A

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

Corey LaJoie #32 Samaritan’s Feet Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Chris Buescher #37 Velveeta Chevy Camaro-The yellow drip motif is good, the red rear is great, this car is great. A

Cody Ware #51 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro-I thought the old Jacob Companies scheme was decent, but this new one is awful. It’s way too over designed. Add in the fact that the black and dark blue don’t work well, and you have a D level scheme.

Garrett Smithley #52 Victory Lane Quick Oil Change/Kendall Oil Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #15, same A grade.

Timmy Hill #66 Duracap Asphalt Toyota Camry-My only complaint here is that I think that the stripes are pointless. Other than that, this is a great scheme.

Reed Sorenson #77 Aquesta Bank Chevy Camaro-Those fading stripes are AWESOME! They are bold and unique, but they aren’t over designed. Add in that they are on a black background, and you have a really great scheme.

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide Retirement Plans Chevy Camaro-The black elements aren’t needed, and they look out of place. Add in that they take away from an otherwise great scheme, and you have a B- scheme that could have been an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 28, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Jack Daniels Chevy Camaro-This is a great look, a great design scheme, and it gets an A.

Ryan Newman #6 Roush Performance/Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Roush Performance, same B+ grade.

Matt Tifft #36 YANMAR America/Martin Generators Ford Mustang-I like this look. The color scheme is great, and the design works well with the color scheme. A

Bubba Wallace #43 LeithCars.com Chevy Camaro-The designs on the rear are visually distracting, over designed, and don’t look good. The front of the car looks great. I do like the color scheme, so I’ll give it a B-

JJ Yeley #52 Byrna Richmond Ford Mustang-The sublimated are over done, one orange one would have worked much better. The addition of gray logos takes this from an A to a B.

Joey Gase #66 Nevada Donor Network/Fan Memories Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Nevada Donor Network, same B- grade.

Alex Bowman #88 Cincinnati, Inc. Chevy Camaro-I like this look. The color scheme is great, and the design works well with the color scheme. A

Paint Scheme Grades-September 21, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 William Hill Sports Book/Sahara Las Vegas Chevy Camaro-The stripe is pointless, and it is visually distracting. It’s not a bad scheme, and I’ll give it a B.

Landon Cassill #00 University of Richmond Chevy Camaro-I love this look. Sure it’s a Spider Man based design, but it looks great. A

Chase Elliot #9 Hooters Pink Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Chase Elliot #9 NAPA Filters Chevy Camaro-I really like this scheme. The color works well, the lack of white works well, the design is great, and I can’t say anything bad about this. A

Erik Jones #20 Crafstman/Gas Monkey Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Craftsman, same A grade.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Monster Ford Mustang-This new Menard’s template works well with black. This is a great look, and it earns an A.

Chris Buescher #37 Natural Light Seltzer Chevy Camaro-White numbers on a white background isn’t a bad look, but here it just looks odd. I’m not a fan of the look. Still it’s not awful, so it gets a B.

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide Fan-Designed Chevy Camaro-Calling this an ugly, over designed mess would be a complement. This is the worst scheme I have seen in some time. I can’t give this less than an F.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Barstool Sports Toyota Camry-Not a bad scheme at all. A

Paint Scheme Grades-September 14, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Sherfick Companies Chevy Camaro-I think the black stripe is pointless, but it’s still a good look, with a good color scheme, so I’ll give it an A-.

Ross Chastain #15 Xchange of America/Busey Bank Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a good color scheme will always earn an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Ark.io Ford Mustang-This is an ugly, over designed mess of a scheme that doesn’t look good. F

Matt Tifft #36 Southeastern Equipment & Supply/Meijer Ford Ford Mustang-The shade of yellow is good, that’s the only good thing I can say about this scheme. D-

David Ragan #38 Mannington Commercial Ford Mustang-This is an ugly, over designed mess of a scheme that doesn’t look good. F

Kyle Larson #42 McDonald’s McDelivery Chevy Camaro-The added white, and yellow elements do not look good, and they take a solid A scheme down to a B.

Garrett Smithley #52 Honest Abe Roofing Ford Mustang-Were it plain blue, I would have no problem giving this an A. The sublimated logo, and Lincoln motif are bad, and detract from this scheme. B-

JJ Yeley #54 Maximum Elevation Chevy Camaro-Too much going on here. The cutting edge designs aren’t good, and the sublimated designs are awful. F

Joey Gase #66 Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Horizon Transport Toyota Camry-This is a bold look. It has a great color scheme, and it isn’t over done. This is a great look. A

Paint Scheme Grades-September 7, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 StarCom Fiber Throwback Chevy Camaro-I always love metallic siver, and the Coors Light look is a great look. I also like the design as a whole. This is getting an A.

Kurt Busch #1 Chevrolet Accessories Throwback Chevy Camaro-The black Monster Energy area looks out of place. This is visually distracting and takes away. The scheme looks good, but the black takes it from an A to an A-.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Throwback Ford Mustang-The Miller scheme had a unique look, and while I preferred the standard Miller Genuine Draft scheme, this is still a great scheme. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Big Buck Hunter Ford Mustang-Red looks out of place here, and it doesn’t work with this design. Still, it is a decent look, so I’ll give it a B.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Dog’s Most Wanted Ford Mustang-I’ve never seen a car with the motif of someone sitting in a car before. It’s original, but it’s not really that great. Its not over done, but it’s not awful. I’ll give it a C.

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Throwback Toyota Camry-The white design is a unique look, and it’s a good throwback. I like this, and I’m giving it an A.

Erik Jones #20 SportClips Throwback Toyota Camry-This is a smooth, simple look, and it’s a great look. The black works, the red works, and the scheme works. A

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Throwback Ford Mustang-I was not a fan of the Harvick Shell/Pennzoil scheme, and I’m not a fan of this throwback. There are other Shell schemes that could work, but this is just a meh scheme. I’ll give it a C.

Ryan Sieg #27 SciAps, Inc. Chevy Camaro-My only complaint here is that the green is too light, and it could be darker. A-

Corey Lajoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Scooby Doo Ford Mustang-I never liked Scooby Doo, and I’m not a fan of this scheme. It’s not awful, but I don’t like it. I’ll give it a C.

Michael McDowell #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Mustang-This was a very unique scheme back in the day, and I like this faithgul representation. This is a good look, and I like the silver door numbers. A

Matt Tifft #36 Hilker Glass Throwback Ford Mustang-This is a bold look that isn’t over done. It’s also a faithful throwback. This is a great look, and I give it an A.

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Fast Lane to Flavor Chevy Camaro-This is an ugly, over designed mess. The only good thing I can say is that I like the color scheme, so that saves it from an F. D-

Kyle Larson #42 Clover Throwback Chevy Camaro-I never liked the green Kodiak scheme, I always preferred the white scheme. This is a faithful replication, but it doesn’t pop as much as some of the others. I’ll give this a B.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Throwback Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is so much better than his current Ally scheme, and it’s a faithful replica. This is a great scheme. A

BJ McLeod #51 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro-An underrated NASCAR movie with a lot of great cars, this is a faithful replica of the #7 Chicken Pit/Zenon Ford Thunderbird. This is an amazing look, and I give it an A.

JJ Yeley #52 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about it. A

Garrett Smithley #54 AQRE Throwback Chevy Camaro-Not the scheme I was expecting, but this is a good look, and it’s a faithful replica. I give this an A.

Reed Sorenson #77 Motor Racing Network Throwback Chevy Camaro-A fauxback, but a good one. Blue and gold works well, and the design is simple. I give this an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Toyota Throwback Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, it has a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 24, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Chevy Accessories Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro-Wave forms are over done this year, but this isn’t the worst I’ve seen. Black and orange is decent. All things considered, I give this a C-

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #21, same B+ grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Peak Lighting Ford Mustang-I do like the black and gold, but this isn’t a good look. The Peak designs aren’t necessary, and give the car a cluttered look. It’s not terrible, so I’ll give it a B-

Ross Chastain #15 Chantz Auto Group/Icey Tek Chevy Camaro-A smooth look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Corey LaJoie #32 Incredible Bank Ford Mustang-I think the orange could be darker, and the side designs are a bit over done. Still, it’s a good look, so I’ll give it a B+.

David Ragan #38 MDS Ford Mustang-Orange doesn’t improve this design. Orange doesn’t detract from this design. It’s still a B+.

Ryan Preece #47 Kroger Throwback Chevy Camaro-I love this throwback! The shade of red works, the design looks great, and the car just looks awesome. I love good throwbacks, and this is a good throwback. A

BJ McLeod #51 Pinnacle Sports and Entertainment Chevy Camaro-The only good thing I can say here is that I like the color scheme. The design is an ugly, pointlessly over designed mess. I don’t know what look they were going for, but they missed. I’ll give this a D.

Kyle Weatherman #52 Belmont Classic Cars Chevy Camaro-Why tan? Why not blue, or red, or black, or any other color? You don’t see many tan race cars, and that’s because tan doesn’t work. If this were literally any other color it would get a higher grade, but this gets a B-.

J.J. Yeley #54 Slayer Chevy Camaro-I’m going to count this as an independent scheme, largely because of a bunch of stupid reasons. This is a great look. The color scheme works, and the design works flawlessly. It’s a shame that some people can’t handle Slayer.A

J.J. Yeley #54 PODS Chevy Camaro-So after all the nonsense, you have a race car that will race at Bristol. Why not just have PODS on a black background? Why keep the Slayer motif? This is god awful! Why PODS would agree to this, I have no idea. The only good thing I can say is that the color scheme is good. D

Paint Scheme Grades-August 17, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Creek Enterprises Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the black on the front would help. I also think that the shade of green could be darkened.  It’s still a good scheme so I’ll give it a B.

Aric Almirola #10 3D Systems Ford Mustang-Both the design and the color scheme are mediocre. I don’t hate them, but I don’t like them. This is getting a middle of the road C.

Ty Dillon #13 Geico/K&L Ready Mix Chevy Camaro-I love the color scheme here, but the design is over done, and it isn’t great. It almost looks like a reversed wave pattern.  Still, I’ve seen much worse, so I’ll give this a B-.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance 500th Start Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Paul Menard #21 Motorcraft/Ford Senior Master Technicians Ford Mustang-Black is always a good base color, and I do like the wrench motif. I would like to see a red with black as opposed to black with red. Still, this is a good scheme, so it gets an A

Matt Tifft #36 Meijer Ford Mustang-The color scheme is good, the design scheme is good, and I can’t say anything bad here. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Victory Junction Throwback Chevy Camaro-Spree was never one of my favorite sponsors. That said, after some time, I do see what they were doing with their scheme. This is a faithful representation of the old Spree scheme, and It works very well. A

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Fueling Futures/ Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy Camaro-Replacing the rear Ally logo is an improvement. This is a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about it. A

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

Spencer Boyd #53 Chelle Corporation Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #52 same A- grade.

Garrett Smithley #77 Victory Lane Quick Oil Change/Kendall Oil Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #15 same A grade.