Category: paint scheme grades

Paint Scheme Grades-June 15, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Kubota Chevy Camaro-No real change positive or negative, so this gets a B.

Brad Keselowski #6 King’s Hawaiian/Despicable Me 4 Ford Mustang-I love a good fade, and the minion eating the tire is a fun addition. A

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Moen Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

AJ Allmendinger #16 Cirkul Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #31, same A grade.

Will Brown #33 Mobile X/Shaw and Partners Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Ryan Preece #41 Caymus Vineyards Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, the design scheme isn’t overdone, and the car looks great. A

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Save Mart Toyota Camry-Reversing the color scheme to either green or orange with white designs would work better. This gets a C.

Erik Jones #43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #42, same A grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Health/Tylenol Chevy Camaro-Great design, great color scheme, not over done, works well. A

Justin Haley #51 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #15, same A grade.

Cam Waters #60 AUKUS/BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Zane Smith #71 Wellcare Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Paint Scheme Grades-June 8, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Rivers Are Life/Ducks Unlimited Chevy Camaro-I like this river motif, it looks good. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Richmond Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Cody Ware #15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang-Sides cleaned up looks good, and this gets an A.

Derek Kraus #16 Kafka Conveyors Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme with an awful design scheme will earn a C.

Bubba Wallace #23 MoneyLion Wow Toyota Camry-Good color scheme with an awful design scheme will earn a C.

Michael McDowell #34 Siteman Cancer Center Ford Mustang-The blue and yellow could be adjusted, and I think that the design is over done. C-

Ryan Preece #41 Overstock.com Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #4, same A grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Bommarito Automotive Group Toyota Camry-Good color scheme with an awful design scheme will earn a C.

JJ Yeley #44 Beard Vet Coffee Chevy Camaro-A great look, a great group of men, this gets an A!

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Health/Oikos Chevy Camaro-There is such a thing as too big a sponsor logo, and this exceeds that! This just looks awful! F

Justin Haley #51 MotoRad Ford Mustang-Good color scheme with an awful design scheme will earn a C.

Paint Scheme Grades-June 1, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain will drive the No. 1 Jockey x Folds of Honor Chevy Camaro-Not as good as Jockey, but still great. A

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Slightly worse than the 2023 scheme. A-

Josh Berry #4 Overstock.com Patriotic Ford Mustang-Not a bad look at all. A

Kyle Larson #5 HendrickCars.com H1100 Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from his regular Hendrick Cars scheme. B

Brad Keselowski #6 BuildSubmarines.com Patriotic Ford Mustang-This is a much better look than the regular scheme. A

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Black camo just looks awful. F

Noah Gragson #10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, awful design scheme. F

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

Ryan Blaney #12 BodyArmor Flash I.V. Ford Mustang-The color scheme is odd, and the colored stripe really looks out of place. C

Chase Briscoe #14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang-Too many contrasting designs, and too much gray. F

Kaz Grala #15 N29 Capital Partners Patriotic Ford Mustang-It’s a good, simple, and bold look. A

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Patriotic Ford Mustang-Camo does NOT look good on race cars. F

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Patriotic Toyota Camry-The red roof, and sublimated motif takes an A scheme down to a C.

Christopher Bell #20 Rheem Patriotic Toyota Camry-Blue does NOT look good in place of black on this scheme. C

Harrison Burton #21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang-The shooting stars aren’t over done, and the car has a smooth look. A

William Byron #24 Liberty University Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Walmart/RTIC Patriotic Ford Mustang-Get rid of the sublimated designs, and the yellow stars and this would be much better. C

Todd Gilliland #38 Quincy Compressor Patriotic Ford Mustang-The only thing I like here is the color scheme. D

Ryan Preece #41 HaasTooling.com Patriotic Ford Mustang-Not perfect, but better than last year. B

Erik Jones #43 Family Dollar Patriotic Toyota Camry-Blue logos, and red number outline would work much better. C

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Far too over designed for my taste. F

Justin Haley #51 The Cleaning Authority Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ty Gibbs #54 Interstate Batteries Patriotic Toyota Camry-Black camo just looks awful. F

BJ McLeod #66 Truan Equipment Ford Mustang-Too over designed, and I’m not the biggest orange and gray fan. D

Zane Smith #71 Focused Health Patriotic Chevy Camaro-The plane motif works, the camo doesn’t, and they look odd together. C

Carson Hocevar #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevy Camaro-I’d like this a bit more without the yellow, which drags the scheme down. C

Paint Scheme Grades-May 25, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Flannel Chevy Camaro-I like this look, the red looks really good, and this gets an A.

Austin Cindric #2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang-I like the overall look, but the blue numbers and light are very hard to see, and it looks odd. B+

Austin Dillon #3 SENIX Chevy Camaro-I love the look, the designs are good, not over done, this gets an A.

Kyle Busch #8 Lenovo Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry-Not bad, but the tiny designs odd looking, and give the car a bit of a cluttered look. B

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Wrangler Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kaz Grala #15 Remixers.com/Xemex Ford Mustang-It’s a good design, the color scheme works, this gets an A.

AJ Allmendinger #16 LeafFilter/Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-LeafFilter and Campers Inn RV work independent of each other, but together, they look cluttered. C

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Ford Mustang-It’s a good look, color scheme works, this gets an A.

Bubba Wallace #23 Alltroo Toyota Camry-This is an ugly, over designed mess, and this gets an F

Daniel Hemric #31 Black’s Tire Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Charlotte Knights/Truist Ford Mustang-Too many designs, all over the place, this doesn’t work. F

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a good color scheme will always earn an A.

Tyler Reddick #45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry-It’s still not great, but the red works a lot better than yellow. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Health/Icy Hot Chevy Camaro-A smooth clean look, great color scheme, this gets an A.

Justin Haley #51 NC Fraternal Order of Police Ford Mustang-Toning down the dark blue would work a lot better. A-

Justin Haley #51 Pinnacle Home Improvement Ford Mustang-Too over designed to get a passing grade. F

Carson Hocevar #77 Premier Security/NLEOMF.org Chevy Camaro-Simple, bold, effective, I give this an A.

Carson Hocevar #77 Gainbridge/NASCAR Day Giveathon Chevy Camaro-The lighter colors just don’t work, as the scheme is too over designed. F

Paint Scheme Grades-May 18, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Throwback Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look, but the use of a more modern logo as opposed to the vintage Busch logo is a downgrade. C

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Throwback Chevy Camaro-YES! YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES! I love a good Dale Sr throwback, and this is a great Dale SR Throwback. A

Josh Berry #4 Harrison’s Throwback Ford Mustang-The throwback look really doesn’t work with the Gen 7 car. It’s not bad, but not great. C

Kyle Larson #5 Hendrickcars.com Throwback Chevy Camaro-I love this look. The first stock car I ever saw in person was a Terry Labonte 1996 show car, so I love this look. A

Brad Keselowski #6 Castrol Throwback Ford Mustang-I like the look, it’s faithfully done, and while I would prefer a John Force look, this is good too. A

Corey LaJoie #7 Razzle Dazzle Throwback Chevy Camaro-I love the faithful look, and the door numbers work better than Spire’s current look. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Maytag Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Mahindra Tractors Throwback Ford Mustang-Simple, faithful, good. A

Kaz Grala #15 N29 Capital Partners Throwback Ford Mustang-Now this is a beauty! Vintage Trans-Am looks are always good, and this is a great scheme! A

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry-Cleaning up the sides of the car takes this from a C to an A.

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-I honestly have no idea what they were trying to do here, but it just looks odd, and doesn’t work. F

Harrison Burton #21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Harrison Burton #21 DEX Imaging Throwback Ford Mustang-Another amazing throwback, very faithfully done, this gets an A.

William Byron #24 Axalta Throwback Chevy Camaro-Another good throwback, though I would prefer a little older, this is good. A

Michael McDowell #34 Long John Silver’s Throwback Ford Mustang-Not really a throwback, but it’s a solid look. A

Todd Gilliland #38 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Throwback Ford Mustang-Not the best look, though it is faithful done. C

Ryan Preece #41 United Rentals Throwback Ford Mustang-Good look, well done, I like the color scheme. A

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Family Dollar Throwback Toyota Camry-I like the look, it works well, and this gets an A.

Erik Jones #43 Advent Health Throwback Toyota Camry-I like the look, it works well, and this gets an A.

Tyler Reddick #45 MoneyLion Throwback Toyota Camry-I may have to start a new category based on the most obscure throwback scheme, because this would win. It’s well done and it looks good. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 BallPark/Kraft Throwback Chevy Camaro-Lower grade, as I never liked that scheme to begin with, but it isn’t terrible. C

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Throwback Chevy Camaro-I like the Lowe’s schemes that use as little yellow as possible, and this is a good look. A

Zane Smith #71 Focused Health Throwback Chevy Camaro-You could also argue that this is a Bobby Isaac inspired scheme, in any event it looks great! A

Daniel Suarez #99 Quaker State Throwback Chevy Camaro-I like the bold look, it’s a good look, and this gets an A.

2024 Throwback Schemes Ranked

By David G. Firestone

1-Kyle Larson #5 Hendrickcars.com Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on Terry Labonte’s Kellogg’s theme. A

I love this look. The first stock car I ever saw in person was a Terry Labonte 1996 show car, so I love this look. A

2-Erik Jones #43 Family Dollar Throwback Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2024, based on Richard Petty’s 1980’s STP Pontiac. A

YES! YES! YES! This is a great throwback, done well, looks amazing! This gets an A.

3-Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1998 Bass Pro Shops Monte Carlo. A

YES! YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES! I love a good Dale Sr throwback, and this is a great Dale SR Throwback. A

4-Zane Smith #71 Focused Health Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on a Dave Marcus 1970’s ride. A

You could also argue that this is a Bobby Isaac inspired scheme, in any event it looks great! A

5-Kaz Grala #15 N29 Capital Partners Throwback Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2024, based on Parnelli Jones’ 1969 Trans-Am Mustang Boss 302. A

Now this is a beauty! Vintage Trans-Am looks are always good, and this is a great scheme! A

6-Harrison Burton #21 DEX Imaging Throwback Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2024, based on Leonard Wood’s car. A

Another amazing throwback, very faithfully done, this gets an A.

7-William Byron #24 Axalta Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on Jeff Gordon’s 2009 “Firestorm” Chevy. A

Another good throwback, though I would prefer a little older, this is good. A

8-Tyler Reddick #45 MoneyLion Throwback Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2024, based on Tim Richmond’s 1982 #29 Fast Company Ltd. Ford. A

I may have to start a new category based on the most obscure throwback scheme, because this would win. It’s well done and it looks good. A

9-Daniel Suarez #99 Quaker State Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on Adrian Fernandez’ 2004 Indy 500 ride. A

I like the bold look, it’s a good look, and this gets an A.

10-Brad Keselowski #6 Castrol Throwback Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2024, based on Castrol TMD’s 1995 Toyota Supra GT. A

I like the look, it’s faithfully done, and while I would prefer a John Force look, this is good too. A

11-John Hunter Nemechek #42 Family Dollar Throwback Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2024, based on Richard Petty’s 1950’s ride. A

I like the look, it works well, and this gets an A.

12-Erik Jones #43 Advent Health Throwback Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2024, based on Richard Petty’s 1950’s ride. A

I like the look, it works well, and this gets an A.

13-Chase Elliott #9 UniFirst Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 National Guard Chevy SS. A

I like the look, it’s grown on me, and this is a good throwback. A

14-Corey LaJoie #7 Razzle Dazzle Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on the #07 Ford LaJoie won the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 with. A

I love the faithful look, and the door numbers work better than Spire’s current look. A

15-Chase Briscoe #14 Mahindra Tractors Throwback Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2024, based on the Briscoe family racing heritage. A

Simple, faithful, good. A

16-Ryan Preece #41 United Rentals Throwback Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2024, based on Preece’s 2013-2014 Modified. A

Good look, well done, I like the color scheme. A

17-Michael McDowell #34 Long John Silver’s Throwback Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2024, based on Long John Silver’s 1970’s branding. A

Not really a throwback, but it’s a solid look. A

18-Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on Jimmie Johnson’s 2003 Lowe’s Chevy. A

I like the Lowe’s schemes that use as little yellow as possible, and this is a good look. A

19-Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Throwback Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2024, throwback logos. C

Not a bad look, but the use of a more modern logo as opposed to the vintage Busch logo is a downgrade. C

20-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 BallPark/Kraft Throwback Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2024, based on Mark Martin’s 2004 Bud Shootout scheme. C

Lower grade, as I never liked that scheme to begin with, but it isn’t terrible. C

21-Josh Berry #4 Harrison’s Throwback Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2024, based on Rodney Childers 1998 Late Model. C

The throwback look really doesn’t work with the Gen 7 car. It’s not bad, but not great. C

22-Todd Gilliland #38 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Throwback Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2024, based on car Gilliland won in the inaugural CARS Tour Late Model Stock Tour race at Southern National Motorsports Park. C

Not the best look, though it is faithful done. C

Paint Scheme Grades-May 11, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Crocs Chevy Camaro-Too over designed, too ugly. F

Austin Cindric #2 Snap On Ford Mustang-The gray to black motif works, and the red lettering works. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Riley Herbst #15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang-The green stripe works well, scheme looks great. A

Derek Kraus #16 ProjectWyoming.com Chevy Camaro-It’s bold, unique, and it works. A

Austin Hill #33 United Rentals Chevy Camaro-Taking a bad scheme and making it worse always leads to an F grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Minute Rice Chevy Camaro-Taking a great scheme and making it better always leads to an A grade.

Justin Haley #51 Children’s Mercy Hospital Ford Mustang-Pastel doesn’t work with race cars. That said, the design is decent, so this gets a B.

Zane Smith #71 Focused Health Chevy Camaro-Taking a bad scheme and making it worse always leads to an F grade.

Daniel Suárez #99 Choice Privileges Chevy Camaro-The color scheme is bad, and the design is bad, both could possibly work with other designs but this is awful. F

Paint Scheme Grades-May 4, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menard’s/Quaker State Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Noah Gragson #10 MillerTech Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, this gets a C

Denny Hamlin #11 Mavis Tires Toyota Camry-A good look, it isn’t over designed, and this gets an A

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

Bubba Wallace #23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry-The Warthog motif ALWAYS looks great! A

Michael McDowell #34 The Pete Store Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Todd Gilliland #38 A&W All American Food Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Preece #41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Erik Jones #43 Family Dollar Throwback Toyota Camry-YES! YES! YES! This is a great throwback, done well, looks amazing! This gets an A.

Tyler Reddick #45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry-I like the color scheme, because the drip motif looks like blood, and the black on the rear looks really out of place. I’ll give it a B, since isn’t terrible.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Hungry Jack Chevy Camaro-I like red, I love pancakes, this gets an A.

Jimmie Johnson #84 Dollar Tree/Family Dollar Toyota Camry-I like the color scheme, but the stripe is over done. This gets a C.

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paint Scheme Grades-April 27, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan/Bassmaster Class Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #99, same D- grade.

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

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

Cody Ware #15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #51, same A grade.

Shane van Gisbergen #16 Wendy’s Chevy Camaro-Blue with red flames would work better, but this is still good. A

Daniel Hemric #31 Cirkul Chevy Camaro-I like the look here, and the label motif works well. A

Erik Jones #43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry-Black is so much better with this scheme than white. A

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-Smooth, great color scheme, this gets an A!

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Boost/Thomas English Muffins and Bagels/Philadelphia Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Justin Haley #51 Grady Health Ford Mustang-The RFK template works well with this color scheme. A

Daniel Suarez #99 Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge Chevy Camaro-It’s not terrible, but it isn’t great either.

Paint Scheme Grades-April 20, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Josh Berry #4 MINER Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, this gets a C.

Corey LaJoie #7 Schluter Systems Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. B

Denny Hamlin #11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Knauf Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #10, same A grade.

Ty Dillon #16 Sea Best Seafood Chevy Camaro-It’s bold, unique, and not over done. A

Harrison Burton #21 Freightliner Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #21, same D grade.

Joey Logano #22 AAA Insurance Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-Great color scheme, great design scheme, this gets an A.

Austin Hill #33 United Rentals Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Todd Gilliland #38 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #34, same C grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 ROMCO Equipment Co. Toyota Camry-Mediocre design, I don’t like the shade of green, this gets a C.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Boost by Kroger/Blue Buffalo Chevy Camaro-Replacing dark blue with light blue really doesn’t help here. It takes a B- scheme down to a C.

Justin Haley #51 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Zane Smith #71 Ambetter Health Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Daniel Suarez #99 Kubota Chevy Camaro-The new design is overdone, and the lack of black does hinder this. C