Category: paint scheme grades

2024 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 1-Chevy

By David G. Firestone

1-#50 Team AmeriVet Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 4.00

2-#8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 5th of 22

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 3.95

3-#78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 16th of 22

Number of Schemes: 3

GPA: 3.76

4-#44 NY Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 9

GPA: 3.74

5-#9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 1st of 22

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.67

6-#5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 4th of 22

Number of Schemes: 5

GPA: 3.60

7-#31 Kaulig Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 12th of 22

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 3.55

8-#13 Kaulig Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 9th of 22

Number of Schemes: 5

GPA: 3.52

9-#24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 7th of 22

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.42

10-#3 Richard Childress Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 8th of 22

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.22

11-#47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 11th of 22

Number of Schemes: 34

GPA: 2.76

12-#7 Spire Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 15th of 22

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 2.62

13-#16 Kaulig Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 6th of 22

Number of Schemes: 24

GPA: 2.50

14-#1 Trackhouse Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 17th of 22

Number of Schemes: 17

GPA: 2.22

15-#99 Trackhouse Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 19th of 22

Number of Schemes: 17

GPA: 2.22

16-#71 Spire Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 2.21

17-#62 Beard Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 18th of 22

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 2.00

18-#33 Richard Childress Racing Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 2nd of 22

Number of Schemes: 4

GPA 1.93

19-#77 Spire Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 22th of 22

Number of Schemes: 11

GPA: 1.88

22-#48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 22nd of 22

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 1.42

Next Week: The Ford Leaderboard.

Ladies and Gentlemen…THE 2024 Paint Scheme Awards!

By David G. Firestone

Well, it’s that time again! We have the annual Paint Scheme Awards for the 2024 season. As per the usual, every year, I pick the best and worst paint schemes and award them the Paint Scheme. This was done using the Driver Suit Blog executive committee for paint scheme analysis and consists of me and Driver Suit Blog assistant, my cat Zoe, and uses the following standards:

*Color Scheme:How the colors look, and how they work with each other.

*Overall Design:How good the design itself looks, is there too much, or not enough.

*Primary Sponsor Logos: How the primary sponsor logos look on the car

*Originality: How original is the scheme.

All of the above can work for or against a scheme, and all will be taken into consideration.

Let’s get the bad Paint Scheme Awards out of the way…

First, the Paint Scheme Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.

The nominees are:

The 2024 Paint Scheme Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to:

Ross Chastain #1 Worldwide Express Chevy Camaro

Josh Berry #4 Panini/Caitlin Clark Ford Mustang

Corey LaJoie #7 Gainbridge Chevy Camaro

Denny Hamlin #11 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

Chris Buescher #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford Mustang

Tyler Reddick #45 Draft Kings Network Toyota Camry

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro

Justin Haley #51 Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang

The 2023 Paint Scheme Award for Worst Exhibition or Throwback Paint Scheme goes to…

Denny Hamlin #11 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

The next Paint Scheme Award is for Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes. This category is a little different, as the Scheme will go to the best and worst throwback. For this category, all exhibition race and throwback paint schemes qualify automatically.

The 2024 Paint Scheme Award for Worst Exhibition or Throwback Paint Scheme goes to…

Bubba Wallace #23 Alltroo Toyota Camry

The next award of 2024 is the Paint Scheme for Worst Paint Scheme Set of 2024. This is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

#4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang

#19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry

#20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry

#33 Richard Childress Racing Chevy Camaro

#34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang

#38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang

#48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Camaro

#54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry

#77 Spire Motorsports Chevy Camaro

The 2024 Paint Scheme Award for for Worst Paint Scheme Set goes to…

#54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry

Now after talking about the bad, we discuss the good. Here are the winners in the best category…

First, the Paint Scheme Award for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.

The nominees for the 2024 Paint Scheme Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme are:

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Rivers Are Life/Ducks Unlimited Chevy Camaro

Kyle Larson #5 Hendrickcars.com Chevy Camaro

Brad Keselowski #6 Castrol Ford Mustang

Denny Hamlin #11 Mavis Brakes Plus Toyota Camry

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Duracel Ford Mustang

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry

Harrison Burton #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang

Bubba Wallace #23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy Camaro

The 2024 Paint Scheme Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to…

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry

The next category is Paint Scheme Award is for Best Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes, and it should come as no surprise that the competition was strong this year.

The 2024 winner for best throwback is:

Kyle Larson #5 Hendrickcars.com Throwback Chevy Camaro

The final award of 2024 is the Paint Scheme for Best Paint Scheme Set. Like the Worst Set, this is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

#8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy Camaro

#11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry

#12 Team Penske Ford Mustang

#15 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang

#36 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang

#50 Team AmeriVet Chevy Camaro

#50 23XI Racing Toyota Camry

#78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevy Camaro

#84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry

The 2024 Paint Scheme Award for for Best Paint Scheme Set goes to…

#50 Team AmeriVet Chevy Camaro

That’s it for the Schemes, next week, the Paint Scheme Leaderboard begins with Chevy!

The Final Paint Scheme Grades Of 2024-November 16, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Adding camo to this scheme isn’t helping this scheme. Camo NEVER looks good on a race car. F

Josh Berry #4 Texas A&M University Ford Mustang-Camo NEVER looks good on a race car. F

Justin Haley #7 Parity Week by Gainbridge Chevy Camaro-This shade of purple works, and I like the blue stripes. A

Noah Gragson #10 Nitro Circus Ford Mustang-The only thing I like about this scheme is the color scheme. It’s a horrible over designed mess. D-

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Throwback Toyota Camry-Not the most accurate throwback, but holy hell is it better than the current schemes!

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Company/Star Wars Darth Vader Toyota Camry-Not only is it a better scheme than last year, it’s also much easier to understand. A

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy Camaro-Removing the black makes an awesome scheme even better! A

JJ Yeley #44 Mammoth Nation Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Fry’s/Silk Chevy Camaro-I like the look, and the cereal motif is good. A

Jeb Burton #50 Luxedo Projectors Chevy Camaro-I love the look, and the shattered glass motif is a good look. A

Jimmie Johnson #84 Carvana Chevy Camaro-I love a desert sunset! If you’ve never seen a desert sunset, you’re missing out. This is a great representation of a desert sunset. A

Paint Scheme Grades-November 9, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menard’s/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Justin Haley #7 Optic Gaming/Gainbridge Sport Chevy Camaro-Simple and bold with a great color scheme, this is just perfect! A

Bubba Wallace #23 Xfinity Toyota Camry-I’m not typically a fan of mosaic schemes, but this is good, and gets an A.

Daniel Hemric #31 High Point Paint Services Chevy Camaro-I’d like the paint motif and the paint sample motif better. This is decent, so it gets a B.

Todd Gilliland #38 Ruedbusch Development and Construction Ford Mustang-Cleaning up the sides does a lot to help this scheme. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Colgate/Philadelphia Whipped Chevy Camaro-My one gripe with this scheme is that the red doesn’t continue up across the A pillar. A-

Josh Bilicki #66 2ONE Pouches Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a good color scheme will always earn an A.

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but I’d like it a lot more if the flannel was the traditional red. Blue flannel just isn’t as attractive.

Paint Scheme Grades-November 2, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Kubota Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #99, same C grade.

Josh Berry #4 Panini Prizm Ford Mustang-Too many colors and too many designs, this is just a mess.

Noah Gragson #10 Beef A Roo Ford Mustang-I like the look, good colors and good design. A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Worldwide Express Chevy Camaro-This seriously looks like it was from a photo that faded in the sun. This isn’t good. F

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry-They took a mediocre scheme, and made it into an F scheme by adding orange stripes.

Bubba Wallace #23 McDonald’s/Ronald McDonald House Charities Toyota Camry-A good look, and I don’t think it’s over done. A

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Family Dollar Toyota Camry-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

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

J.J. Yeley #44 Epoxy Depot Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

J.J. Yeley #44 Chevrolet Chevy Camaro-That Chevrolet logo is far too big, and it takes an A scheme down to an A-.

Tyler Reddick #45 Beast Killer Sunrise Toyota Camry-Not much of a change, so it stays at a B.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/VitaminWater Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Chad Finchum #66 GreenLightPP.com Ford Mustang-It’s bold, unique, and has a great color scheme. A

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.