Category: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-November 12, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Credit One/First Data Chevy SS-Same scheme as Credit One, same F grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Molykote Chevy SS-Same scheme as Dow, same B+ grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Bad Boy Buggies/Real Tree Chevy SS-I normally deduct one letter grade for use of camouflage, but in this instance, it wouldn’t have helped at all. It’s just a bad scheme, with a bad design, and a bad color scheme. It gets the F it deserves.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Rust-Oleum Rock Solid Chevy SS-I’ve said that the Menard’s template is hit or miss, and this design works very well. I’m a huge fan of diamond plate metal, and the dark gray diamond plate works very well here. It’s a great scheme that earns the A it deserves.

Joey Gase #32 Donate Life Texas Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2016, white, green, black, and blue with hand-prints on hood, and a series of stripes on sides. F

Kyle Larson #42 Target Sale/Bekin Chevy SS-The sale ad just doesn’t look good on the hood. It looks desperate. The hood takes an A grade down to a B+

Kyle Larson #42 Target/Bekin Chevy SS-Same scheme as Target, same A grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Target/Clorox Chevy SS– Same scheme as Target, same A grade

Kyle Larson #42 Target/Clorox/Axe Chevy SS– Same scheme as Target, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #83 ZAK Products/Dallas Police Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2016, black and white with a police car motif. The police car motif looks really good here, and the color scheme is great. An A scheme for sure!

Michael McDowell #95 ON Semiconductor Chevy SS-The semiconductor motif could work well, but the baby blue logos kill it. It looks horrible. It’s another scheme that looks like two different people designed it, and it looks horrible. I’ll give it an F.

Paint Scheme Grades-November 5, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Ford Fusion-Templates are very vulnerable to color schemes. In this case, the color scheme works well with the template, the whole car looks good, and earns an A.

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare/SEAL Legacy Foundation Ford Fusion-I like the beach motif, and the color scheme is good. I think that the sand could be a little more prominent. Still, it a solid B+ scheme.

Regan Smith #7 Golden Coral Chevy SS-Black with yellow accents is a very underrated scheme, and the smooth design works very well. A

Ryan Blaney #21 BorgWarner Ford Fusion-A good shade of blue, with a great design scheme will always earn an A.

Joey Logano #22 AAA Mosaic Ford Fusion-The photo mosaic scheme didn’t work with Pennzoil, and it doesn’t work here. I get what they are trying to do, but it looks awful. I give it an F

Bobby Labonte #32 Visrone RV Ford Fusion-It’s a good scheme, with a great color scheme, and a great design scheme. A

Landon Cassill #38 A&W Ford Fusion-Same scheme as #34 A&W, same A grade.

Brian Scott #44 Red Cross Ford Fusion-Maybe it’s just me, but I’m thinking that a Red Cross sponsored race car should be…oh I don’t know…RED? Why in the world would they choose green? It makes no sense. Granted it is a good design scheme, but it has a bad shade of green, where red would bring it up to an A. With the green, it’s a C-

Reed Sorenson #55 Trump/Pence Toyota Camry-I don’t want to discuss politics here, or anywhere on my website. This isn’t about politics, it’s about paint schemes. The patriotic motif works well, it’s always a great color scheme, and the car looks good. A

Matt DiBenedetto #83 JAS Toyota Camry-The color scheme is great, but the whole design is overdone, and it’s not a good look. If the stripes in the blue were gone, I might give it a higher grade. With all things considered, it’s a C- scheme at best.

Matt DiBenedetto #93 EJ Wade Construction Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #83 EJ Wade, same B+ grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 22, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Kansas State University/Beechcraft Chevy SS-Same scheme as Beechcraft, same B+ grade.

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Pink Chevy SS-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Fan Mosiac Ford Fusion-The fan mosaic is a good idea, but get rid of the red stripes, and it would look better. The look would be smoother, and it would make the fan photos the thing to focus on. Still, it’s a good design scheme, and a good color scheme, so I’ll give it a B-

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Halloween Toyota Camry-Brown and orange isn’t the best color scheme, nor is it the worst. The square design would work better if it were toned down. It’s a mediocre scheme that could be better. It earns a C-.

Gray Gaulding #30 Feed The Children Chevy SS-A horrible color scheme is paired with a bad design scheme. It just barely earns a D- for white being the primary color.

Bobby Labonte #32 Can Am Ford Fusion-Black with yellow lettering is a great look, and this is a great scheme that earns an A.

Joey Gase #32 Midwest Transplant Network/JT Concrete Ford Fusion-For some reason, children’s hand prints on the sides of a race car always look good. Add in a good color scheme and you have an A scheme

Landon Cassill #38 FR8 Auctions Ford Fusion-It’s a decent color scheme, but an awful design scheme. The Front Row template works better. I’ll give this scheme a D+, because the color scheme looks decent.

Brian Scott #44 Goody’s Headache Powders Ford Fusion-The shade of blue is really good, and the smooth look earns an A.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger Pink Chevy SS–Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Cole Whitt #55 Becker Auto Trailers Chevy SS-The light blue doesn’t look good on the black with the dark red. The design scheme is good, but the mismatched blue takes it down from an A to a B+.

Jeffery Earnhardt #83 Starter Toyota Camry-Black, red, and silver works well, and the simple and smooth design looks really good, and earns an A.

Reed Sorenson #98 Harrah’s Casino Toyota Camry-Black, white, and silver works very well, and the design scheme is great. All in all, an A scheme to be sure!

Paint Scheme Grades-October 15, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Regan Smith #7 Fire Alarm Services Pink Chevy SS-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Greg Biffle #16 Ford Eco-Boost Pink Ford Fusion-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Greg Biffle #16 FordPass Ford Fusion-The color scheme is good, and the curved fade design is bold, but t’s a good look. I give it an A.

Chris Buescher #34 Love’s Travel Stops/Roller Bites Ford Fusion-Same basic scheme as Love’s Travel Stops, same A grade.

Michael Annett #46 Northland Oil Chevy SS-The white front contrasts with the rest of the scheme. If the white was red, it would work better. The white looks forced and awkward. Still, the color scheme is good aside from that, and the design scheme looks decent, so I’ll give it a B+.

Matt DiBenedetto #83 Scorpyd Toyota Camry-The design is horrid. The curves look terrible, and there are too many of them. While they have a good color scheme, they used it wrong. The background color should be red, but it’s white. All things considered, it earns a D-.

Alex Bowman #88 Axalta/Hendrick Auto Group Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as Axalta, same A grade.

Alex Bowman #88 Mountain Dew Camo Chevy SS-Take a bad scheme, add hunting camouflage, and you have an F worth scheme for sure.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Axalta/University of Michigan Chevy SS-The Michigan scheme looks good, and the car works well as a result. A

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Builds Chevy SS-The curve design works, it isn’t overdone, and the denim elements work well too. I give it an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 8, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Fusion-I’m really hoping this becomes the new Penske template, and if it doesn’t, it should at lease become the new Keselowski template. It’s a great looking scheme with a great color scheme. A

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Kilz Chevy SS-Same scheme as Dow, same B+ grade.

Kasey Kahne #5 UniFirst Chevy SS-Smooth look with a great color scheme. Green isn’t the easiest color to use on the side of a race car, but this looks good. A

Justin Allgaier #7 Nikko/Road Rippers Pink Chevy SS-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Patriotic Chevy SS-The Tooth Fairy scheme works well, and the patriotic motif works well with this scheme. All in all, it earns an A.

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Rev The Vote Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as Mobil 1, same A grade.

Jeffery Earnhardt #32 Kappa Pink Ford Fusion-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Landon Cassill #38 MDS Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Landon Cassill #38 Snapchat/Rev The Vote Ford Fusion-This is another scheme with two competing element that simply don’t work together. Snapchat would work buy itself, Rev The Vote would work by itself, these are just awkward together. They both have good color schemes that don’t work together, and it’s not a great look, but still worth a C-.

Brian Scott #44 Jacob Construction Ford Fusion-Dark blue can work well, or it can be terrible. In this case, it works very well, and the white contrasts nicely. A solid A scheme!

Marin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row/Maaco Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Furniture Row, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #83 Cosmo Motors Pink Toyota Camry-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial Chevy SS-While I like the color scheme, the design scheme is overdone, and it doesn’t look good. The wave form would work, but the wave form is overdone. It looks confusing. Averaging the grades out, I give it a C+.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 1, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Regan Smith #7 Nikko/Thomas the Train Chevy SS-The shade of blue looks really good, and the red stripe across the bottom looks good too. I also like the sparks near the wheel well. A

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Nature’s Bakery Chevy SS-The brownie motif looks really good as a design, and the color scheme is great. I give it an A.

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

David Ragan #23 Life With Cancer Toyota Camry-First off, I like the fact that a cancer scheme isn’t using a general color, since Pinktober is just around the corner. Second, while I like the color scheme, the design scheme needs work on the sides. I think the sides are overdone. It averages out to a B-, with no penalties for using pink.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Chili Beans Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Cole Whitt #98 Standard Plumbing Supply Chevy SS-Black works well as a background for a race car, red and white work as secondary colors, and this smooth and simple design scheme works very well. A

Ryan Reed #99 Lilly Diabetes Ford Fusion-The color scheme is good, but the design is a bit too much. It’s not bad, just over done. I’ll give it a C+.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 24, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Hefty Energy Bag Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as Dow, same B+ grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Pumpkin Spice Cheerios Chevy SS-The whole motif looks good, though I think that the orange is too light. Still, it’s worth a B+.

Regan Smith #7 Citizen Solider Film Chevy SS-Camoflague rarely works well on race cars, and the use of white and red camouflage just looks awful and earns an F.

Landon Cassill #38 The Pete Store Ford Fusion-Reversing colors can be hit or miss, and this is a hit. Red is always a solid race car color, and the black stripe looks good. It earns an A.

Brian Scott #44 Jewel-Osco/Ritz/Triscut Ford Fusion-Same basic scheme as Dow, same A grade.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger’s/DiGiorno’s/Scott Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as Kroger’s, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #83 NASCAR Heat Evolution Toyota Camry-Orange and black can be a decent scheme, but this orange is too dark. The cutting edge designs aren’t working well either. The black background looks good though, so averaging out, it earns a D.

Michael McDowell #95 Rat Rods Chevy SS-Rusted light blue is a unique look, and this scheme is a great scheme! It looks good and earns an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 17, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Sherwin Williams Emerald Chevy SS– The color scheme is decent, and the side design is a bit overdone. B-

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion-I like this new look. The curve looks good, and the color scheme is great. I give it an A

Kasey Kahne #5 Levi’s/Great Clips Chevy SS-The denim motif is a bold choice, and it works well. It’s not overdone, and it looks really good. A

Regan Smith #7 Nikko/Raphael Chevy SS-The comic book motif is overdone, and the color scheme doesn’t work. F

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Silver Numbers Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as FedEx Ground but with silver numbers, same A grade.

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Silver Numbers Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as M&M’s but with silver numbers, same A grade.

Carl Edwards #19 Arris Surfboard Silver Numbers Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as Arris Surfboard but with silver numbers, same A grade.

Matt Kenseth #20 Dollar General Silver Numbers Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as Dollar General but with silver numbers, same A grade.

David Ragan #23 Jewel Osco/Leonardo Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2016, red, white and black with sublimated designs and Leonardo on sides. and hood. D-

Jeffery Earnhardt #32 JT Concrete/Carolina Cooker/Rocksteady Ford Fusion-The comic book motif is overdone, and the color scheme doesn’t work. F

Landon Cassill #38 Bebop Ford Fusion-The comic book motif is overdone, and the color scheme doesn’t work. F

Kyle Larson #42 Coca Cola Chevy SS-Coca Cola has a great shade of red, but the whole design is pointlessly overdone. It’s not great, but the great color scheme and the bad design scheme average out to a B-

Matt DiBenedetto #83 Mass Markets Toyota Camry-Too many colors, and too many designs here. It’s a jumbled mess, and worth of an F grade.

Alex Bowman #88 Axalta/Service King Chevy SS-Same scheme as Axalta, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #93 Union Bank Toyota Camry-Too overdone with a terrible color scheme will always earn an F.

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial/Donatello Chevy SS-The comic book motif is overdone, and the color scheme doesn’t work. F

Cole Whitt #98 Moen Chevy SS-Great color scheme, great design scheme, a great look. A

 

Paint Scheme Grades-September 10, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Blaney #21 SKF Ford Fusion-White works quite well with the Penske template, and the red bordered blue looks really good. All in all, a great scheme. A

Chase Elliott #24 Red Cross Chevy SS-White and red is always a solid color scheme, and the design here looks really good. A

Josh Wise #30 Incredible Bank Dale Earnhardt Throwback Chevy SS-It’s a good throwback, but I’m wondering why the US Army would pick orange and blue for a color scheme. Then again, it’s from 1976. Still, it looks good, and earns an A

Matt DiBenedetto #83 EJ Wade Construction Toyota Camry-Reversing the color scheme can sometimes improve the scheme, in some cases it can make the scheme worse. This scheme is the same B- scheme as the black scheme.

Ty Dillon #95 Death Wish Coffee Chevy SS-The subtle designs look good, and the color scheme is great. I give it an A.

Cole Whitt #98 Carolina Skiff Throwback Chevy SS-Another in the line of great throwbacks from the Southern 500. A great design, with a great scheme will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 3, 2016

By David G. Firestone

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

Clint Bowyer #15 Five Hour Energy Benny Parsons Throwback Chevy SS-Picking a good Benny Parsons scheme is like picking a race to watch on the weekend. They are all good, but in different ways. This scheme, based on the #72 Chevy is great, and the tribute isn’t overdone, and looks great. I give it the A it deserves.

Jeffery Earnhardt #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford Fusion-I usually hate Keen/Corvette Parts schemes, but this scheme looks great and it works well. Can’t complain about this one. A

Landon Cassill #38 MDS Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Brian Scott #44 Twisted Tea Fan Photo Ford Fusion-It’s amazing how one moron can wreck a great concept, and Twisted Tea is that moron. We’ve had many great throwback schemes for the Southern 500, but Twisted Tea can’t understand the concept of “throwback” so they are running their standard scheme, but with a fan photo on the quarter panels. Even teams that don’t have old logos came up with throwback concepts. As such, I’m going to give this one an F for failing to understand the concept.

Michael Annett #46 Pilot Throwback Chevy SS-I rarely talk about this aspect of the paint scheme, but the one part of this scheme I don’t like is the door numbers. I don’t like how thin they are. It’s a great scheme otherwise, I just hate the door numbers. Still the scheme is worth an A- for a good throwback scheme. The color and design schemes are great, aside from the door number.