Paint Scheme Grades-March 3, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy Camaro-The design could be tweaked just a little, the yellow on the quarter panels needs to go. Other than that, it’s a great scheme. A-

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Bruce Halle Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Discount Tire, same A grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Haas CNC Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ross Chastain #15 Low T Center Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Ford Ford Fusion-Ford really takes pride in over designing their paint schemes, and this is another example. There is too much going on here, and it just looks like a mess. I’ll give it an F.

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Almond Toyota Camry-It’s a horribly over designed scheme, that looks non nonsensical. It just looks horrible, and I can’t give it anything but an F

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Moen Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Menard’s, same A grade.

Gray Gaulding #23 Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Gray Gaulding #23 Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Can Am/Wholey Ford Fusion-The new scheme is just as big of a mess as the old scheme, and the Wholey logo on the sides does nothing to help the scheme. It is just awful, and I give it an F.

Chris Buescher #37 Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevy Camaro-Black with red and yellow fire works very well as a paint scheme, and this car looks good. A

David Ragan #38 FR8 Auctions Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Clover/First Data Chevy Camaro-Why they got rid of the fade isn’t known, but this new scheme is not great. It is a definitive downgrade, and this new scheme went from an A down to a B-.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 NASCAR Racing Experience Ford Fusion-It’s a nice throwback inspired scheme, with a great color scheme, and I can’t say anything bad about it, it earns an A.

Cole Custer #51 Haas CNC Ford Fusion-Switching the primary colors can work well, or it can be a disaster. This scheme is a great look, and it gets an A.

Harrison Rhodes #51 Davis Roofing Chevy Camaro-Vertical stripes can work well, and this is a perfect example. The color scheme works well, and the design is not over done. It’s a great look. A

Mark Smith #72 Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Alex Bowman #88 Llumar Window Film Chevy Camaro-The green and red designs are decent, but if it was just a solid color it would work well. That’s really my only complaint. I’ll give it a B+

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore/Habitat for Humanity Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as Procore, same F grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 24, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy Camaro-Replacing blue with black works well, and this scheme works well. This is a great looking scheme. A

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare 25th Anniversary Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Advocare, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Peak/Menard’s Ford Fusion-The 2018 Menard’s template works well, and this scheme looks good. This shade of yellow is also good. No complaints here! A

Paul Menard #21 OmniCraft Auto Parts Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Gray Gaulding #23 EarthWater Toyota Camry-A new over designed mess for 2018. The color scheme doesn’t work, and the car is over designed, and it looks awful. F

Justin Marks #51 Harry’s Razors Chevy Camaro-While the color scheme is decent, and the design is decent, they don’t work with each other. They aren’t bad by themselves, but as a combo, it doesn’t look good. C+

Corey LaJoie #72 Schluter Systems Chevy Camaro-I still hate the waffle board scheme, but replacing the white side designs with a solid black works better, and takes a D- up to a C-.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 17, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Matt DiBenedetto #32 The Hurricane Heist Ford Fusion-The dark blue thunderstorm motif works very well, and the car has a great look. I give it an A.

Kyle Larson #42 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-This is an over designed car, with a decent color scheme. Seriously, how can the DC Solar designers take an already over designed car and over design it even more? The only thing keeping this grade above water is a good color scheme. D-

Mark Thompson #66 Phoenix Air Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 10, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jeffery Earnhardt #00 VRX Racing Simulators Chevy Camaro-I like the blue and silver color scheme, it works well with the white. I don’t like the side designs, I think they are overdone. All things considered, I give it a C.

Danica Patrick #7 GoDaddy/Warriors By Danica Chevy Camaro-The green design is smooth, but I don’t like the black rear. It takes away from the overall look. It’s a minor complaint, and the scheme earns an A-.

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dew Chevy Camaro-It’s a great look, with a great color scheme, and it earns an A.

Erik Jones #20 Circle K Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as last year, same A grade.

Landon Cassill #34 Love’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #37 Kleenex Chevy Camaro-Another silver, blue, and white color scheme that is over designed to the point of being ridiculous. It just doesn’t look good from a design perspective. The color scheme is good, so I’ll give it a C.

David Ragan #38 Speedco Ford Fusion-The shade of blue and the shade of yellow work very well, and the design works very well too. It’s worth an A.

Justin Marks #51 Keens Buildings Chevy Camaro-The scheme is too over designed, and while the color scheme is decent, it’s just a mess, and it gets a D+.

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore Chevy Camaro-Reversing the black and white does nothing to fix this scheme. F

DJ Kennington #96 Lordco Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-February 3, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Blaney #12 PPG Ford Fusion-The color scheme looks good and the paint drip motif works well. All in all, a great scheme.A

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion-The removal of the white works very well, and the rest of the color scheme works very well too. Not a bad look at all.A

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Ruckus Toyota Camry-The smooth look, combined with a great shade of orange, and good logos will always earn an A.

Erik Jones #20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry-The vertical black fade to red works very well, and the smooth look and great color scheme earns an A.

Michael McDowell #34 Love’s Truck Stops/Speedco Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #34 K-Love Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-January 27, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-The color scheme is good, but the design scheme is cluttered. If cleaned up, it could work much better. B-

Chase Elliott #9 Kelly Blue Book Chevy Camaro-Reversing the colors from last year could have worked, but the design is a bit cluttered. The design scheme could work with a red car, but it isn’t as good as a blue scheme. All things considered, I give it a C.

David Ragan #38 Shriner’s Children’s Hospital Ford Fusion-The shades of red and blue are good, and the stripe looks good too. It’s an all around good look, and earns an A.

Kyle Larson #42 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-See Jamie McMurray above. B-

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 STP Chevy Camaro-My one complaint about this scheme is the silver on the borders. The silver is tacky, and takes an A scheme down to an A-.

David Gilliland #92 Carquest/Black’s Tire Ford Fusion-The wave motif could work with a different color scheme, and whatever those yellow things on the wave are, they are visually distracting. It could be better, but this scheme earns a C-.

Paint Scheme Grades-January 20, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Blaney #12 Dex Imaging Ford Fusion-The Penske Template works well with red and white. Red as the primary color works well too. It’s an all-around great scheme, and earns an A.

William Byron #24 UniFirst Chevy Camaro-The scheme is clunkier than last year, the side designs could be cleaned up a bit. Still, it’s not horrible, so I’ll give it a B-.

Brendan Gaughan #62 Beard Oil/South Point Chevy Camaro-The car has a great color scheme, and the design scheme looks really good too. A

Paint Scheme Grades-January 13, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna Chevy Camaro-Love the black and dark blue, the design scheme works, and the car looks great! A

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy Camaro-They took a great design, and just needlessly over designed it. The wave form could work, but it just doesn’t. It’s not horrible, so I’ll give it a C-.

Daniel Suarez #19 Peak Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford Fusion-It has a great color scheme, and the design scheme looks really good here. Nothing bad to say. A

Paint Scheme Grades-January 6, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 GearWrench Chevy Camaro-Major improvement from last year. Much less cluttered look with a great color scheme, which earns an A.

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

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Auto Trader Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Austin Dillon #3 AAA Chevy SS-The shade of red is really good, and the track pattern works will on the sides as well. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy Johns Ford Fusion-Reversing the scheme works well, this new scheme looks really good, and I can’t complain. A

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Ford Fusion-Black usually works well for a paint scheme, and this is no exception. Add in some great stripes, and a great color scheme, and this scheme is worth an A.

Trevor Bayne #6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Chase Elliott #9 Sun Energy Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Duracel/Menard’s Ford Fusion-Please let this be the new Menard’s template! This is an amazing looking scheme! Great color scheme, and a great design scheme! A

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Chevy Camaro-The cutting edge design doesn’t work well here, it’s just design for design’s sake. Last year, Geico earned an A, this year it earns a C.

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Millitary Chevy Camaro-The slight changes do nothing to help this scheme. It keeps the F it had last year.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford Fusion-While I was a fan of the old Fastenal scheme, this new version looks really good, and I can’t really say anything bad about it.A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Toyota Camry-Taking the silver out of the scheme works well, and while the old scheme works well, this scheme works well too. A

Erik Jones #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2018, same as #12. A

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

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

Ryan Newman #31 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Chevy Camaro-Its a decent color scheme, but it’s a bit over designed. Reversing the black and the red could improve this scheme. C-

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Chevy Camaro-Cleaning up this scheme works well, and the new design has a smooth look, with a good color scheme. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Air Force Chevy Camaro-Taking a good scheme, and adding in a new black stripe could be either bad or good. In this setting, it works well. A

Alex Bowman #88 Axalta Chevy Camaro-It’s an ugly, over designed mess, but it’s ugly and over designed in a new way. What I’m trying to say is that it’s ugly and over designed. F

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore Chevy Camaro-Last year’s scheme was a great looking scheme. This year, it’s an over designed mess, that doesn’t look good. Why Kasey thinks he is a design genius is only known to him, but his designs suck. F

 

Paint Scheme Tracker-January 3, 2018

By David G Firestone

CHIP GANASSI RACING #1

Jamie McMurray #1 GearWrench Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2017, black with green stripes and roof. A

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford FusionNew scheme for 2018, white and red Penske template. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2018, white with black outline. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford FusionNo change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford FusionNo Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Auto Trader Ford FusionNo Change. D-

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3

Austin Dillon#3 Dow Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, black fade to red to black across whole car. A

Austin Dillon #3 AAA Chevy SSNew scheme for 2018, all red, with white stripe pattern on sides. A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Ford FusionNo change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford FusionNo change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy Johns Ford FusionNew scheme for 2018, black and white reversed. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Ford FusionNew scheme for 2018, black with grey, silver and blue stripes. A

Trevor Bayne #6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford FusionNo change. B-

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #9

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2017, blue with white designs on sides. B+

Chase Elliott #9 Hooters Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, orange back and white front, with Y design across sides. B-

Chase Elliott #9 Sun Energy Chevy CamaroNo change. F

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10

Darrell Wallace Jr. #10 Smithfield Foods Ford FusionNew sponsor for 2018, black and white with slash patterns on sides. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #11

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota CamryNo change. B-

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota CamryNo change. B-

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota CamryNo change. B-

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Office Toyota CamryNo change. B-

TEAM PENSKE #12

Ryan Blaney #12 Duracel/Menard’s Ford FusionNew scheme for 2017, yellow with narrow stripes. A

GERMAIN RACING #13

Ty Dillon #13 Twisted Tea Chevy CamaroNo change. A

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, similar scheme to 2017, but some cutting edge designs replace stripe on sides. C

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Millitary Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, similar scheme t0 2017, but with some changes to the front. F

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford FusionNew scheme for 2018, blue with white and black diagonal stripes across sides. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford FusionNo change. B-

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota CamryNo change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #19

Daniel Suarez #19 Stanley Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2017, yellow with a series of gray and black cutting edge designs on sides. D-

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2018, orange replaces silver on quarter panel. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Erik Jones #20 DeWalt Toyota CamryNo change. A

WOOD BROTHER RACING #21

Paul Menard #21 Motorcraft Ford FusionNo change. A

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2018, same as #12. A

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 AAA Ford FusionNo change. D

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford FusionNo Change. D-

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford FusionNo change. A

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford FusionNo change. D

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2017, blue with flame motif across whole car. A

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2017, blue with red flames on front. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #31

Ryan Newman #31 Granger Chevy CamaroNo change. A

Ryan Newman #31 Caterpillar Chevy CamaroNo change. B-

Ryan Newman #31 Liberty National Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2018, green front, rear and roof, blue sides. F

Ryan Newman #31 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2018, red top, yellow stripes, black bottom. C-

CHIP GANASSI RACING #42

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, blue with white and lighter blue stripes. A

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Click N Close Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2017, dark blue with Click N Close. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Air Force Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, same as 2017, but with black stripe across bottom. A

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #47

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, white with blue and red stripes on sides. B-

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, black with gray outlines. A

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Bass Pro Shops/5-Hour Energy Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2018 black with orange designs on sides. C-

Martin Truex Jr. #78 5-Hour Energy/Bass Pro Shops Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2018 black with red designs on sides. C-

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota CamryNo change. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2017, blue with white designs on sides. B+

Alex Bowman #88 Axalta Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, black with blue,red,white,and yellow cutting edge designs across sides. F

LEAVINE FAMILY RACING #95

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, black, white, and orange with cutting edge designs across whole car. F