Category: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-June 27, 2015

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Beechcraft Chevy SS-Same scheme as Cushman, same A+ grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Weather Tech Chevy SS– Great color scheme, the stripes on the sides are a tad over designed, but they do look good, so I’ll give it an A-.

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips/Shark Week Chevy SS-Not a fan of the color scheme, but the shark tooth motif on the front and rear makes up for it. B+

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Jacob Companies Ford Fusion-Good color scheme, but it’s too over designed, and at best can earn a B-.

Jeff Gordon #24 AARP Member Services/United Health Care Chevy SS-A good color scheme and a great design scheme will always earn an A+.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Richmond Water Heaters Chevy SS-The Menard’s template works well with black, and works very well with red and black. A+

Cole Whitt #35 Uponor Plumbing Products Chevy SS-Great design with a great color scheme earns an A+ every time.

Landon Cassill #40 Interstate Moving Services Chevy SS-Patriotic schemes are getting better every year, and this is an example. It looks good and I’ll give it an A+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Windows 10 Chevy SS-I expected something much worse than this scheme. The blue works well, as does the stripes. The logos look good on the car, and it earns an A+.

Josh Wise #98 Dogecoin Ford Fusion-Such colors! Very design! Much good! OK, all joking aside, this is a really good looking car. The Doge on the rear works well, especially on in-car cameras, and the smooth design gives it an A+.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 20, 2015

Alex Bowman #7 Racing Rewards Chevy SS-Decent color scheme, but the stripe design is over done. If the rough edges were smooth, I’d be able to give it a higher grade than a C+.

Ryan Blaney #21 Maryn Winters Motorcraft JDRF Ford Fusion-Designed by 8 year old Maryn Winters, who suffers from Type 1 Diabetes in a contest by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Maryn designed a really good looking car. A+

JJ Yeley #23 Heinz Toyota Camry-Good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

JJ Yeley #23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry– Good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Chase Elliott #25 NAPA Fauxback Chevy SS-Taking a classic scheme and redesigning it for a different sponsor and a different car can work, it just doesn’t here. The color scheme is good, so I’ll give it a C-.

Jeb Burton #26 Maxim Fantasy Sports/Estes Toyota Camry– Good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Paul Menard #27 Moen/Menard’s Chevy SS– Black, blue, and yellow work quite well with the Menard’s template. A+

Mike Bliss #32 Rimrock Devlin/Corvette Parts Ford Fusion-Same as Corvette Parts, Same F grade.

Travis Kvapil #32 Victorypress.biz Ford Fusion-Good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Brett Moffit #34 CSX Veterans Ford Fusion-Same as CSX, same A+ grade.

Justin Allgaier #51 Switch Hitch Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Matt DiBenedetto #83 Dan Bilzerian Toyota Camry-Good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Patriotic Chevy SS-A good looking patriotic scheme. Smooth simple look with a great color scheme will earn an A+.

Josh Wise #98 Ford Fusion-Good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Paint Scheme Grades May 6, 2015

Jamie McMurray #1 Cushman Chevy SS-Good color and design will always earn an A+

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Patriotic Chevy SS-The silver instead of white is an odd touch, and it just looks awkward. It takes an A+ down to a B+.

Kevin Harvick #4 Folds of Honor/Budweiser/Folds of Honor Chevy SS-A really good patriotic scheme. Can’t say anything bad. A+

Denny Hamlin Autism Speaks Toyota Camry-Denny’s new template works really well, and this is another A+ scheme.

Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shop Throwback/Mobil 1 Chevy SS-The scheme is decent, but it’s not great. MY big issue is with the throwback logo on the hood, and the current logo on the side. All in all, I’ll give it a C+.

Clint Bowyer #15 Jack Links/Big Machine Records Toyota Camry-Clint’s template works here, but the smaller logos take an A+ down to a B+.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Ford EcoBoost Ford Fusion-Calling this scheme over designed is an understatement. F

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Juicy Juice Ford Fusion-Green doesn’t always work for paint schemes, but the design works well with the green here. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Schrock Chevy SS-Purple isn’t a great color, but this works, but the yellow is too bright here. B+

Brian Scott #33 Kraft Singles Chevy SS-Whoof. F

Landon Cassill #40 CRC Brakleen Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Aric Almirola #43 Nathan’s Hot Dogs Ford Fusion-The only change here is the roof is blue instead of green, but I’ll give it the same B+ it got last year.

Michael Annett #46 Pilot/Flying J/Sherwin Williams Chevy SS-It’s a very solid scheme, with a simple smooth look, and a good color scheme. A+

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy SS-Great color scheme, great design scheme, A+.

Justin Allgaier #51 AccuDoc Solutions/FOE Chevy SS-Same as FOE scheme, same D+ grade.

Justin Allagaier #51 SEM Chevy SS– Great color scheme, great design scheme, A+.

Brendan Gaughn #62 Chevy SS-Great color scheme, great design scheme, A+.

Tanner Berryhill #66 Chevy SS– Great color scheme, great design scheme, A+.

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row Racing/Colorado Freedom Memorial Chevy SS-Great color scheme, great design scheme, A+.

BK Racing #83 Cosmo Motors Toyota Camry-Good color scheme, horrid design averages out to a C+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Amp Energy Passionfruit Chevy SS-Mediocre color scheme, and awful design earns a D+.

Midseason Paint Scheme Grades

By David G. Firestone

I figured that after the Coca Cola 600 I should do an article on how the teams stack up paint scheme wise. Here is how I figured the grades out. Using a grade average, I took each grade a car number gets and averaged out the grades. I will add comments on the scheme sets as I go. Car #41’s driver has been blacklisted for his indiscretion at Dover, and as a direct result, his schemes will be omitted. So without further ado, the grades thus far in the season.  This will also be the Paint Scheme Grades for this week.

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1-A lot of very solid schemes, but the Energizer takes a solid ad down to a B.

TEAM PENSKE #2-A lot of good schemes, but the needless redesigns of some of the throwback schemes is irritating. They were good the way they are. The Penske Template works for some color schemes, but not for Detroit Genuine Parts. All in all it adds up to an A-.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3-Another solid B grade ruined by one scheme, in this case, Bass Pro Shops. Still there is a lot of good here, so I’ll give it a C+.

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4-See above, but Hunt Brothers Pizza in place of Bass Pro Shops. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5-Oddly, Kasey Kahne’s schemes aren’t great, but they aren’t horrible either. Pepsi works well, Great Clips is horrible. C+

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6-The regular scheme is great, the camo scheme is horrible, they average out to a C.

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7-When the car isn’t sponsored, it gets high grades, when it is sponsored, it gets low grades, which average out to a B.

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #9-Twisted Tea is the only good scheme in this group. One A scheme with a bunch of F schemes lead to a solid F.

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10-Horrible color schemes and design schemes seem to be Danica’s strong suit this year. Averaged out, it earns an F.

JOE GIBBS RACING #11-If not for Sport Clips, Denny would have a solid A scheme, but not to worry, the average ends up giving him an A-.

GERMAIN RACING #13-Nothing good can be said about Casey’s schemes this year. F

STEWART-HAAS RACING #14-Early in the season, Tony was running a C+ across the board, but two new recent A+ have pushed his average up to a B.

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #15-Clint hasn’t had a grade below a B this year, and his schemes look really good, and average out to a B+.

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #16-If not for Patrick Starr and Safety-Kleen, Greg would have a solid A+, but those two F’s hurt his average, taking it down to a B.

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17-Yet again we have a case where a solid A average is taken down because of one scheme, in this case, the Zest scheme is the guilty party. B-

JOE GIBBS RACING #18-Interstate Batteries is horrible, and Snickers Extreme is almost as bad. It’s too bad, because M&M’s Crispy, Red Nose Day, Skittles, and Pedigree were all A+ schemes, it all averages out to a B-.

JOE GIBBS RACING #19-I hate the idea of two different cars having the same paint scheme. Sport Clips is doing this with Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards. If the Comcast Business scheme wasn’t too over designed, it would get a higher grade. It averages out to a B-

JOE GIBBS RACING #20-Two very solid schemes with great color schemes. Can’t say anything about these schemes! A

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21-One of the only paint schemes in racing that doesn’t evolve because it doesn’t have to. It is simply perfect. A+

TEAM PENSKE #22-A set of awful schemes that has a higher average because of two schemes. The only good schemes were redesigns of Cruz Pedregon’s funny car, and Helio Castroneves’ Indy 500 car. It averages out to a C-.

BK RACING #23-I am not a fan of sublimated designs on cars, but sometimes a blind spider catches a few flies. The I’m A Pepper scheme works very well, and the sublimated designs work well. The rest of the schemes are decent, and average out to a solid B.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24-In his final full-time season, Jeff Gordon has raced a series of great schemes, not having less than a B+ grade. The average is an A.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #25-NAPA has a great color scheme, but the designers felt the need to compensate with a mediocre design that averages out to a B.

BK RACING #26-It was all going so well for Jeb Burton until Estes, which derailed an otherwise solid average down to a B-.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27-Paul Menard’s schemes can best be described as all over the place. He goes from great to awful to average from race to race. His grades average out to a C+.

RAB RACING #29-The wood motif works very well, and a great color scheme adds to an A+.

TMG RACING #30-Another example of an unsponsored car looking better than a sponsored car. The average ends up being a C+.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #31-His All-Star scheme and Wix Filers scheme take a solid A scheme down to a C+.

GO FAS RACING #32-Feast or famine, that’s the way to describe Go FAS Racing’s schemes in 2015. They are either high grades, or F’s. It averages out to a C+.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING/CIRCLE SPORT RACING #33-Two teams, same car number, all over the place in terms of grades. Averaging them out, it leads to a B-.

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34-Front Row Motorsports has hit it out of the park this year. The only bad scheme across 3 cars is the #38 camo scheme. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #35-See above. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38-See above. B+

HILLMAN-SMITH MOTORSPORTS #40-CRC Knock’er Loose and Cars For Sale derail a series of A schemes, and take the average down to a B.

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42-Camo doesn’t work on race cars, and red camo REALLY doesn’t work. The Energizer scheme is horrid, but the rest of the schemes are good. The average is a B-

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43-The only awful scheme here is Fresh From Florida, otherwise a series of really solid schemes. B

TEAM XTREME RACING #44-An A scheme, Golden Corral, an F scheme, Phoenix Warehouse, average out to a C.

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #46-A series of terrible schemes here, but All-State Peterbuilt, and Pilot/Flying J are great. Those two schemes kick the average up to a D+.

JTG DAUGHTERY RACING #47-Nothing wrong with any of these schemes. A+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48-Three C- schemes. This was an A level team last year, but they’ve fallen to a C-.

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #51-The Fraternal Order of Eagles scheme is horrid, but otherwise, a lot of great schemes, which average out to a C+.

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #55-Get rid of that damn Spongebob scheme, and the 55 would have a solid A+ grade. Spongebob takes the average down to an A-.

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #62-No really bad schemes here, a solid B+ effort.

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66-Green has been considered unlucky in racing for many years. Examples like this prove why. The worst shades of green, and an awful design lead to an F.

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78-Perfection is the only word that can sum up this set of schemes. A+

BK RACING #83-3 B- schemes will always average out to a B-.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88-Diet Mountain Dew and Baja Blast take a solid effort down to a C+. I do like the door number design.

LEVINE FAMILY RACING #95-Once again, a Spongebob character, this time Larry the Lobster takes an A average down to a B

PHIL PARSONS RACING #98-Nothing bad can be said about this set! A+

Paint Scheme Grades-May 23-2015

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Camo Ford Fusion-The new redesign doesn’t look good, and would normally earn a D but because camo is used, the letter grade deduction is in play and this scheme earns an F.

Alex Bowman #7 Chevy SS-A smooth design with a great color scheme earns an A+ every time.

Alex Bowman #7 Culer Chevy SS-Decent color scheme and the design could use work. The wireframe design could work better without the green stripe, and vise versa. Still it is good enough to earn a C+.

Casey Mears #13 Geico Millitary Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Patriotic Ford Fusion-Unlike last year, this patriotic scheme works quite well. It is a tad overdone though, but it still is worn a B+.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Indy 500 Ford Fusion-When it comes to the Penske template, red and white is the best color scheme for it, and this scheme looks great, and earns an A+.

Mike Bliss #32 Alpha Floors/JoeUSA.com Ford Fusion– A smooth design with a great color scheme earns an A+ every time.

David Gilliland #38 Love’s Support the Troops Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Landon Cassill #40 Snap Fitness Patriotic Chevy SS-The battered American flag motif is beautifl, and this scheme earns an A+.

Kyle Larson #42 Target Camo Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Target Bullseye Chevy SS-The target scheme works, and the bull terrier on the hood works well. A+

Aric Almirola #43 United States Air Force Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Josh Wise #98 Royal Teak Ford Fusion– A smooth design with a great color scheme earns an A+ every time.

Paint Scheme Grades-5-16-2015

Jamie McMurray #1 Bass Pro Shops/Big Ceder Lodge Chevy SS– The horrible design with a bad color combination would normally earn a D, but with the letter grade deduction for camouflage, it earns an F

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Styrofoam Insulation Chevy SS-Good color scheme, and I like the fade at the back of the car, but the insulation motif looks horrid, and the best I can give it is a C+

Kevin Harvick #4 Budweiser Throwback Chevy SS-Based on an old Budweiser can, it has a great look to it, and has a great color scheme which will always earn an A

Alex Bowman #7 Golden Corral Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Victory Junction/Shop.com Ford Fusion-Good color scheme, decent design but the sublimated design on the roof and doors makes it overdone, and takes a solid B down to a C+

Danica Patrick #10 Mobil 1/Aspen Dental Chevy SS-Two mediocre designs come together to form a mediocre design which earns a C+

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy Small Biz Force Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as GoDaddy, same F grade

Casey Mears #13 Geico Military Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops American Salute Chevy SS-The more subdued patriotic scheme works well, and the color scheme is good. The doors are a little over-designed so I’ll give it an A-

Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shops/Arctic Cat Chevy SS-Same as Bass Pro Shop, same F grade.

Clint Bowyer #15 Cherry 5-hour ENERGY benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Clint Bowyer #15 AAA Insurance Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Erik Jones #18 M&M’s Red Nose Day Toyota Camry-Good color scheme, good design will always earn an A+

JJ Yeley #23 We Salute You Toyota Camry-The more subdued patriotic scheme works well, and the color scheme is good. A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Red Cross Chevy SS-Good color and design, can’t say anything bad about this. A

Ryan Newman #31 Cat/Quicken Loans Chevy SS-White does not always work well as the primary color of a race car, and the design just makes it worse. It’s not horrible, but it’s not great. C-

Joey Gase #32 Donate For Life/Corvette Parts Ford Fusion-Same basic scheme as Corvette Parts, same F grade.

Ty Dillon #33 Plankton Chevy SS-Even for a Spongebob scheme this is overdone. F

Kyle Larson #42 Viva Vantage Chevy SS-Good color scheme and great design will always earn an A+.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger/Scotts Chevy SS-A good patriotic scheme that isn’t over done and doesn’t have camo will always earn an A+

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy SS-Too overdone, much too complex, could be a lot better. F

Michael Annett #46 Allstate Peterbuilt Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial Ford Fusion-The patrotic motif works well here, and the grades stays at an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-May 2, 2015

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Dixie Chopper Chevy SS-Same scheme as Cessna/Beechcraft scheme, same A grade.

Jamie McMurray #1 Energizer Eco Advanced Chevy SS-Same as #42 Energizer scheme, same D+ grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 1998 Throwback Ford Fusion-An amazing throwback scheme will always earn an A+.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2007 Gold Throwback Ford Fusion-I’m a big fan of metallic gold, but the white hood and blue border on the numbers takes an A grade down to a B-.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2010 Throwback Ford Fusion-A decent scheme, but the white wheels and the white beer can on the side take an A grade down to a B-.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite/Careers for Veterans Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Miller Lite, but with Careers for Veterans on the quarter panel, same A+ grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Avaya Ford Fusion-The Penske template doesn’t always work, but with the right color combination it works very well. A+

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevy SS-Green is not always a good color, and with an awful design it gives this scheme an F.

Alex Bowman #7 DOC 360 Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Alex Bowman #7 Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Casey Mears #13 Geico/Squidward Chevy SS-Horrible color scheme, and an extremely over designed scheme will always earn an F.

Greg Biffle #16 Cheez It/Patrick Starr Ford Fusion– Horrible color scheme, and an extremely over designed scheme will always earn an F.

David Ragan #18 Pedigree Toyota Camry-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Joey Logano #22 Snap On Ford Fusion-A great fade gives the car a good look, and the great color scheme earns an A+.

Jeb Burton #26 Estes Toyota Camry-It’s an overdone scheme with too many different shades of yellow, and the whole thing looks overdone. D+.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Sylvania Chevy SS-The orange and yellow scheme is horrid, the design doesn’t work with this color scheme, and the whole thing earns a D-.

Alex Kennedy #33 Honor and Remember Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, the overall design is good, but I think the door numbers are the the wrong colors, and the hood is a bit overdone. B-

Ty Dillon #33 Nexium Chevy SS-My only complaint is that the yellow doesn’t extend all the way to the back, but it’s a minor complaint, it’s still a good scheme. A-

Brett Moffitt #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

David Gilliland #38 The Pete Store Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

David Gilliland #38 Farm Rich Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Landon Cassill #40 Link-Belt Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield/Cheney Brothers Ford Fusion-The scheme would be better without the bright yellow rear. It takes an A+ grade down to a B+

Michael Annett #46 Bene-Fit Chevy SS-Same scheme as Cypress HQ, same F grade.

David Ragan #55 Aaron’s/Spongebob Toyota Camry-I hate cars that look like two different people designed parts of the car, and this is one of them. The quarter panel and sides look like two different people designed them, and it just looks awful. It does have a good color scheme, so I will give it a D-.

Brett Moffitt #55 Aaron’s/Steve Byrnes Tribute Toyota Camry-Same as Aaron’s but with A fitting tribute to a tragic death. A+

Brendan Gaughn #62 Vydox Plus Chevy SS-I like fades, and the color scheme works well, it’s a bit overdone, but it still earns an A.

Brendan Gaughn #62 Low T Central Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Mountain Dew Baja Blast Chevy SS-The color scheme is decent, but the design is overdone, and awful. I’ll give it a D-.

Michael McDowell #95 WRL Contractors/Thrivent Financial/Larry the Lobster Ford Fusion-I hate cars that look like two different people designed parts of the car, and this is one of them. The quarter panel and sides look like two different people designed them, and it just looks awful. It does have a good color scheme, so I will give it a D-.

Josh Wise #98 Steve Byrnes Tribute Ford Fusion-A fitting tribute to a tragic death. A+

Paint Scheme Grades-4-18-2015

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Nature Blast/Medallion Bank Ford Fusion-Horrible color scheme, and terrible design will always earn an F.

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader.com Ford Fusion-The Penske Template does not work with orange and blue, and the car looks awful. But since it is an upgrade from last year, I will give it a D-

Alex Bowman #23 Dr. Pepper Throwback Toyota Camry-A fauxback design that has a vintage look, and a vintage feel that has a modern look that just looks awesome! I can’t say anything bad about it. A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta/Penn State Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, but the side design is a bit too overdesigned. It earns a B+.

Ryan Newman #31 Caterpillar Throwback Chevy SS-An amazing look, a great throwback logo, a good color scheme, and the best damn shade of yellow I’ve seen all year earns an A+.

Ryan Newman #31 Wix Filters Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Cole Whitt #35 Tweaker Energy Shot Ford Fusion-A good smooth design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Michael Annett #33 Pilot/Flying J Chevy SS-Same scheme as #46, Same A grade-A+

Michael Annett #46 Philmor Chevy SS-decent color scheme, horrible design scheme, and it earns an F.

Justin Allgaier #51 Auto-Owners Insurance Chevy SS-This is a redesign of the 2014 scheme, and the needless redesign with the extra stripes and the extra shade of blue takes it from an A+ to a B+.

Paint Scheme Grades-April 10, 2015

Alex Bowman #7 Accell Construction Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Lyons Financial Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Medallion Financial, same F grade.

Clint Bowyer #15 Maxwell House Toyota Camry-When I heard that Maxwell House was sponsoring a car this season, I hoped it would look like this, but it doesn’t.  It’s still a good design with a good color scheme and a great design scheme so it earns an A.

Greg Biffle #16 Safety Kleen Ford Fusion– Yellow, green, black, and white is awful, and the design is just horrid. It looks awful, so it gets an F.

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley/Cook’s Children’s Hospital Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Stanley same B+ Grade.

Jeb Burton #26 Maxim Red Toyota Camry-Good design and a great color scheme, but the Dr. Pepper number border takes it from an A+ to an A-

Mike Bliss #32 Texas Tech Ford Fusion-I love a good fade, and the red to black fade here is very good. The only complaint that I have is that the Texas Tech logo is a bit too big, but it’s a minor complaint. It earns an A.

Cole Whitt #35 Standard Plumbing Toyota Camry-Good simple design and a good color scheme always earns an A+

Landon Cassill #40 CRC Knock’er Loose Chevy SS– Terrible color scheme and a horrible, and over designed scheme will always earn an F.

Kyle Larson #42 Axe White Chevy SS– I’m not always a fan of white race cars, but this design works very well, and has a great color scheme. A

Michael Annett #46 Northland Oil Chevy SS-A decent color scheme keeps this horrific design from and F, but just barely. It earns a D-

Justin Allgaier #51 Flipping Ships Chevy SS-The blue fade from top to bottom works well, and the general color scheme works well, but I don’t like those waves under the B+

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial Silver Ford Fusion– The removal of the logo behind the door number, and the addition of silver looks really good, and earns an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-April 4, 2015

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite/Penske 25th Anniversary Ford Fusion-A great looking car with a minimalist design on the hood earns an A+.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Energy and Water Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

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

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Chevy SS– A+

Joey Logano #22 Southern California AAA Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D grade

J.J. Yeley #23 American Cancer Society Toyota Camry– Good color scheme, but a bit too over designed, so I’ll give it a C-

Ron Horniday #30 Toyota Camry– Great color and design earns an A+

Mike Bliss #32 Keen Parts/Corvetteparts.net Ford Fusion-Awful design, terrible color scheme, F.

Mike Bliss #32 Rimrock Ford Fusion-Awful color scheme and terrible design earns an F

Alex Kennedy #33 Dream Factory Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year same B grade.

Chris Buescher #34 A&W Ford Fusion– Great color and design earns an A+

Cole Whitt #35 Ford Fusion– Great color and design earns an A+

Landon Cassill #40 Percon Chevy SS-Great color and design earns an A+

Landon Cassill #40 Newton Business Supplies Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Justin Allgaier #51 Switch Hitch/Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevy SS-Decent color scheme but awful design warrant a D- Grade.

Brendan Gaughn #62 Diathrive Chevy SS-Decent color scheme with mediocre design earns a C-

Brendan Gaughn #62 Chevy SS– Great color and design earns an A+

Matt Dibenedetto #83 Dr Pepper Toyota Camry-Same as Burger King. B-

Josh Wise #98 Ford Fusion– Great color and design earns an A+