Paint Scheme Grades-October 26, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Chase Briscoe #14 Texas A&M University Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Cody Ware #15 Evel Knievel-Parts Plus/Pronto Ford Mustang-I like the Evel Knievel look, it’s not over done, and this gets an A.

Shane van Gisbergen #16 Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Chevy Camaro-This is how a race car should look! Black with flames and dice is a good race car look, no matter what kind of car it is! A

Bubba Wallace #23 Leidos/U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry-I like the new elements added, it works well, and the car looks great. A

Ryan Preece #41 Bonanza Cabernet Ford Mustang-Adding a wine bottled doesn’t really change the A grade.

Erik Jones #43 Massey Motor Freight Toyota Camry-It’s amazing how changing the color from red to white can take an A scheme down to a B.

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-Far too over designed, even with a good color scheme. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Scott Brand Chevy Camaro-A good look, not over done, and a good color scheme will always earn an A.

Josh Bilicki #66 NCSHPfoundation.org Ford Mustang-Nothing wrong with this scheme. A

Jimmie Johnson #84 Dollar Tree/Family Dollar Toyota Camry-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 19, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #16, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #6 Castrol Edge/Travel Centers of America Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, stripes are way too over designed. The good and the bad cancel each other out. C

Noah Gragson #10 Beef A Roo Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #51, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Shane van Gisbergen #13 WeatherTech Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #16, same A grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Ford Mustang-It’s amazing how going black with red and yellow and cleaning up the sides works well. A

Todd Gilliland #38 Boozy Jerky! Ford Mustang-Not bad, but a downgrade from the previous scheme. A-

Erik Jones #43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Harris Teeter/Totino’s Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Corey LaJoie #51 Schluter Systems Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #7, same B grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 12, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Camo Chevy Camaro-Camo doesn’t look good on a race car, and adding white really doesn’t work here. F

Noah Gragson #10 Beef A Roo Ford Mustang-A good look, the car isn’t over designed, and the color scheme works. A

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx One Rate Toyota Camry-Not over designed, the design works well, and the color scheme is good. A

AJ Allmendinger #13 Strive Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme, but the design scheme is too over designed. It’s not bad, so it gets a B

Cody Ware #15 Arby’s Ford Mustang-While the white stripe is unnecessary, the car as a whole works well. A-

Ryan Preece #41 Wonder Bread Ford Mustang-I like a good throwback and this is a good throwback. A

John Hunter Nemechek #42 GearWrench Toyota-Plain black would work much better here, but this isn’t bad. A-

Erik Jones #43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Health/Palmolive Chevy Camaro-This shade of green just doesn’t work here. It’s not over designed, so this gets a C

Corey LaJoie #51 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #15, same A grade.

Daniel Suárez #99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 5, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ty Dillon #16 FitRx Chevy Camaro-Too many designs, the gray is pointless, and the dots just don’t work here. D-

Harrison Burton #21 Menard’s/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang-Making the colors brighter doesn’t change the fact that this is an over designed pastel mess. F

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-I’d like the fade and the dot designs by themselves, together this just looks odd to me. C

William Byron #24 Valvoline Chevy Camaro-It’s bold, unique, simple, and impressive. This gets an A.

Todd Gilliland #38 Rasmussen Air & Gas Energy Ford Mustang-I would like this much better if blue was the primary color, but white just isn’t working. I also hate the yellow, and it would work better without it. C

Tyler Reddick #45 Draft Kings Network Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #23, same F grade.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally/Koker’s Garage Chevy Camaro-It’s a different look, but not a better look. F

Josh Bilicki #66 Arby’s Ford Mustang-Smooth look, great color scheme, not over designed, this gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 28, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Monster Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 Mattress Warehouse Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Noah Gragson #10 Bass Pro Shops Winchester Ford Mustang-Cleaning up the sides and changing the colors really works here. A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Barger Precast Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the white would work better, but this isn’t bad, so this gets a B+

Christopher Bell #20 DEWALT/St. Jude Toyota Camry-Good color scheme mixed with a bad design scheme will earn a C.

Bubba Wallace #23 Toyota Genuine Parts/Mobil 1 Toyota Camry-Good look, not overdone. This scheme works well with only two colors. A

Daniel Hemric #31 Doritos/Mountain Dew by Food City Chevy Camaro-Bold, unique, good color scheme, not over done, this gets an A.

Todd Gilliland #38 Frontline Enterprises Inc. Ford Mustang-As much as I hated the old design, the white background makes this look even worse! F

Ryan Preece #41 Old Armor Ford Mustang-The whole car has a cluttered look, and the olive green used does not do them any favors. F

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Dasani Chevy Camaro-Very light shades of blue can be tricky to pull off as a primary scheme color, but this is done very well. Add in a great design scheme, and this gets an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 21, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Josh Berry #4 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang-Not bad, but red works better. A-

Noah Gragson #10 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #4, same A- grade.

AJ Allmendinger #13 Go Bowling Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Christopher Bell #20 DEWALT Outdoor Solutions Toyota Camry-Good color scheme, awful design will always earn a C.

Todd Gilliland #38 Boozy Jerky! Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

J.J. Yeley #44 U.S. Aviation Academy Chevy Camaro-The sky motif by itself would get an A, but with this large green logo, it gets a C.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Old El Paso Chevy Camaro-Love the look, great color scheme, and I love the cactus on the front. A

Ty Gibbs #54 CW Sports Toyota Camry-Not bad, not good, just meh. C

Carson Hocevar #77 Mattress Warehouse Chevy Camaro-It’s a bit over designed, and the black is unnecessary. This gets a C.

BJ McLeod #78 Delgado Stone Chevy Camaro-The stone motif across the whole car would work better, but this gets a B+.

Paint Scheme Grades-September 14, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Josh Berry #4 Decisely Insurance Ford Mustang-I like good fade, and this fade works well. A

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Desi9n to Drive Chevy Camaro-Good look, not over done, this gets an A.

Denny Hamlin #11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ryan Blaney #12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Cody Ware #15 Mighty Fire Breaker Ford Mustang-I love the design, and I love that it perfectly shows what the product is supposed to do. A

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry-Reversing the colors is a much better look than the old look. B

Michael McDowell #34 B’laster Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 OLIPOP Ridge Rush Toyota Camry-Getting rid of the mountains on the front will earn this a solid A. With the front mountains, this is a B+

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Oscar Mayer/Thomas’ Chevy Camaro-Any scheme that looks like bacon earns an A in my book!

Justin Haley #51 Grady Health Ford Mustang-Black works much better with this scheme than white does. A

Daniel Suarez #99 Quaker State Chevy Camaro-I get the gist of this, but it just isn’t well executed. It could be better, it could be worse. C

Paint Scheme Grades-September 7, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Retro Chevy Camaro-I like the retro look, and it’s well done. A

Austin Dillon #3 Toys for Tots Chevy Camaro-I like the look, not over done, and a smooth look. A

Brad Keselowski #6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang Chevy Camaro-Good look, good color scheme, not overdone, this gets an A.

Kyle Busch #8 Morgan & Morgan Chevy Camaro-I love a good fade, and the color and stripes work. A

Denny Hamlin #11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry-I like the look, but even though this is great, it would be better solid white, or solid red. Even still, this gets an A.

Shane van Gisbergen #16 Acceptance Insurance Chevy Camaro-Meh color scheme, meh design scheme, meh scheme. C

Michael McDowell #34 Colortech Ford Mustang-OK color scheme, but there is way too much going on in terms of design. C

Joey Gase #44 National Fire Protection Association Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, good design scheme, nothing wrong here. A

Tyler Reddick #45 Upper Deck Toyota Camry-Great color scheme, but the design scheme is confusing. The black on the rear doesn’t help. This gets a C.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Drumstick Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Parker Retzlaff #62 Funkaway Chevy Camaro-The color scheme doesn’t work with black, and the design is overdone. F

Timmy Hill #66 W Ford Mustang-Even though I have no earthly idea what this product is, the design and color scheme are great. A

Carson Hocevar #77 Bon Secours/Swamp Rabbits Chevy Camaro-Not great, but an upgrade from last year. C

BJ McLeod #78 Power Slap Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, and good design scheme will always earn an A.

Paint Scheme Grades-August 31, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Josh Berry #4 eero Ford Mustang-Bold look, good color scheme, great look, gets an A.

Brad Keselowski #6 King’s Hawaiian Soft Pretzel Bites Ford Mustang-Great color scheme, awful design scheme, this gets a C.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Cares Toyota Camry-Blue on white works, white on blue works. The two together clash, and give the car an odd look. C

Shane van Gisbergen #16 Safety Culture Chevy Camaro-Not only is the design scheme horrific,the yellow really makes it stick out more. This gets an F.

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota Camry-Smooth look, great color scheme, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #41 TrueWerk Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, but the diagonal stripe design, while bold, doesn’t look good. All things considered, this gets a C.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Biggie Muffins/CapriSun Chevy Camaro-Too many contrasting designs, pastel is not for race cars, and the whole thing is a jumbled mess. F

Justin Haley #51 Beef a Roo Ford Mustang-Nothing wrong with this design. A

Ty Gibbs #54 Reagan the Movie Toyota Camry-Far too over designed. F

Daniel Suárez #99 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Paint Scheme Grades-August 24, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Mobility Science Chevy Camaro-Very much a downgrade from last year. B+

Cody Ware #15 Parts Plus Ford Mustang-Taking a great scheme and making it better will always earn an A.

AJ Allmendinger #16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #13, same B+ grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Martin Transportation Systems Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry-Don’t like the amount of stripes, nor do I like the color. C

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Country Crock/Minute Rice Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Carson Hocevar #77 Premier Security/Zeigler.com Chevy Camaro-The blue elements clash with the rest of the scheme, and the car just looks awful. F

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #1, same A grade.