The Driver Suit Blog

Paint Scheme Grades-April 8, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Okuma Chevy SS-It’s the same basic scheme as AAA, but the color change doesn’t do anything to improve or detract from the D+ grade, so it stays a D+.

Joey Logano #22 Duralast Brakes Ford Fusion-I like this design, the black checkered pattern works very well. The yellow is understated, and works well, and the modified Penske template works very well. It’s a solid A scheme.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Duracell Chevy SS-Black and gold works well for the new Menard’s template. This scheme works well too. It’s worth an A.

Ryan Newman #31 Kalahari Resorts Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Ryan Newman #31 Chevrolet Chevy SS-Metallic gold is an underused color on race cars, and the smooth look and great color scheme create an A scheme.

Landon Cassill #34 FR8 Auctions Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D+ grade.

Timmy Hill #51 Go Parts Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as the black Spoonful, same A grade.

Cole Whitt #72 Bad Boy Mowers Chevy SS-Bad number design, bad design scheme, decent design scheme. All in all, it’s worth an F.

Corey LaJoie #83 RMC Events Toyota Camry-The blue is a little light for my tastes, but the color as a whole scheme isn’t terrible, and the designs scheme is decent. So I’ll give it a B+.

An NFL Legend Breaks New Ground In Auto Racing

By David G. Firestone

Walter Payton will always be known as one of the best running backs in the history of the NFL. The former holder of the records for most rushing yards, attempts, touchdowns, and yards from scrimmage, as well as the holder for most starts by a running back, Payton was a top shelf running back, who loved the sport. In 1985, he was a part of the famed Chicago Bears who would go on to win Super Bowl XX in 1986. In 1999, Payton announced that he had Primary sclerosing cholangitis

, which led to his cholangiocarcinoma, which was called to his death on November 1, 1999.

Payton’s legacy is solidified both by the citizens of the Chicagoland Area, and the football world. The city of Chicago works with the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation and the Walter Payton Cancer Fund, as well as Walter Payton College Prep. The NCAA awards the Walter Payton Award to the best offensive player. The NFL awards the Walter Payton Man of the Year award to those whose contributions to charitable organizations meet or exceed their achievements n the field. Payton will always be remembered for his legendary football career.

While Walter Payton was a great football player, he was also a great businessman. In 1988, Payton and a group of investors purchased the old Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Roundhouse and Locomotive Shop in Aurora, and turned it into a restaurant and brew pub called “Walter Payton Roundhouse.” Payton was also wanted to bring an NFL team to St. Louis, and become the first minority owner in the NFL, but lost out to Jacksonville and Charlotte.

A lot of people didn’t realize, but Payton was also involved in auto racing. He was known for racing Trans Am races, including one at Road America where he was involved in a scary crash, and suffered burns. When Chicago-area driver Dale Coyne needed financial backing for a racing team, Payton helped him as an investor.

Founded in 1984, Dale Coyne Racing saw Dale Coyne as the driver racing a series of different chassis, with little success. As the team struggled, Walter Payton came on board as an investor in 1988. Coyne stepped out of the car as a driver in 1989, and began to work with young driving talent, proving himself to be a good racing coach. In total, the team has had 4 wins, and a decent amount of success.

In 1995, Payton Coyne Racing fielded two cars. The #19 Ford was sponsored Agfa-Gevaert

and driven by by Éric Bachelart, Buddy Lazier, Ross Bentley, and Franck Fréon. The #34 Ford was sponsored by Mi-Jack and was driven by Alessandro Zampedri. The #19 scored a top 10, while the #34 scored three top 10’s. During that season, one #19 crew member wore this AGFA suit.The single-layer suit shows very light wear.The collar has a Velcro-closure, with AGFA-FILM logo embroidered into it.The standard Simpson warranty label is sewn into the cowl, and a 5/95 flag tag is present, indicating the date of manufacture.The right chest features a PAYTON COYNE RACING logo, a PPG logo, and an INDYCAR RACING logo embroidered into it.The left chest features AGFA-FILM, MI-JACK, WHALEMAN, and FORD COSWORTH logos embroidered into it.The front torso has no sponsor logos to speak of.The red belt is unadorned.The legs are unadorned, and have standard cuffs.The shoulders feature FIRESTONE RACING logos embroidered in black, on the yellow material.The right sleeve features a VALVOLINE logo embroidered into the upper area, and an HDC logo embroidered into television position. The shoulders feature FIRESTONE RACING logos embroidered in black, on the yellow material.The left sleeve has a SIMPSON logo, an HDC logo, and a VERNON AND SONS INC. embroidered on the upper sleeve, and nothing in television position. The rear of the suit shows no real wear to speak of.The back of the neck is unadorned.The back torso has an AGFA-FILM logo embroidered into it.Walter Payton may no longer be with us, but his memory will never be extinguished. He is one of, if not the first NFL player to own a racing team, something which has become a bit more commonplace in recent years. He is also one of the few minorities who was involved in motorsports, something that, again, is thankfully becoming more commonplace. He was a man of character, and a driven man. He will be missed, and the team he helped out is still going strong to this day.

We are going to go off-topic next week, in discussing something involving my trip to Arizona. See you then.

Throwback Thursday-Jack Brabham-1970

Jack Brabham in his 1970 #12 Brabham-Ford BT33 at the South African Grand Prix

Formula One’s quarter of Throwback Thursday starts with a decent scheme. The yellow used here isn’t as bad as some shades of yellow that I’ve reviewed this year, but it’s not my favorite. I do like the sky blue, and the stripe across the front of the car. Also could we make Formula One teams put their car numbers diagonally on the car in a white circle? That looks really good. All in all, I’ll give it a B+.

Paint Scheme Tracker-April 5, 2017

By David G. Firestone

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1

Jamie McMurray #1 GearWrench Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, black, with yellow, and red stripes across bottom. A

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna Chevy SS–No change. B+

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, blue front, red rear, stripes between. A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy SS–No change. A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Grand Mac Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, black, with green front and cutting edge design. A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as Cessna/McDonald’s, but with colors reversed. A

Jamie McMurray #1 Credit One/Cessna Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, same as McDonald’s/Cessna but white replaces red. A

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion–No Change A

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Auto Trader Ford Fusion–No Change D-

Brad Keselowski #2 SKF Ford Fusion–No Change. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, black front, with red designs near wheel well, white fade across quarter panels. A-

Austin Dillon #3 AAA Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme, but with a few minor stripe changes. D+

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy SS–New sponsor for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but many of the stripes have been removed. A

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/Quikrete Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, same as Dow but with Quikrete on quarter panels. A-

Austin Dillon #3 Lucas Oil Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, similar to 2016 Dow, but with Lucas Oil on quarter panels, and the black stripe is curved. B+

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/World Water Day Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, black front, water motif with a curve in front of the door number. D-

Austin Dillon #3 Okuma Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, same as AAA, but with a black, white, and blue color scheme. D+

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, all blue with more detail in the mountains. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, same as 2017 Busch, but with Busch Light on quarter panel. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5

Kasey Kahne #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy SS–No Change. C+

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Chevy SS–No Change. D+

Kasey Kahne #5 Liftmaster Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, silver, with black door, and red stripes. A

Kasey Kahne #5 UniFrst Chevy SS–No Change. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Trevor Bayne #6 Liberty National Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, blue with silver and white across sides, white roof. B-

Trevor Bayne #6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion–Except for the change from 16 to 6, no change. B-

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, white with multi-colored checkerboard pattern on bottom. A

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7

Elliott Sadler #7 Golden Corral Chevy SS–No change. A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10

Danica Patrick #10 Code 3 Associates Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, white front, green stripe, and blue bottom. A

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, lighter blue, Post-It motif replaced by silver wing, and some minor color changes. F

Danica Patrick #10 TaxAct Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but side and front stripes are bigger. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #11

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, lighter blue, with an orange paintbrush design on sides. B-

Denny Hamlin #11 SportClips Toyota Camry–Slight changes for 2017, door number colors reversed, stripe colors reversed as well. C-

GERMAIN RACING #13

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Chevy SS-No change. A

Ty Dillon #13 Twisted Tea Chevy SS–Aside from the new team, no change. A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #14

Clint Bowyer #14 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion-New scheme for 2017, white top, red and white stripe across side, blue bottom. A

Clint Bowyer #14 Haas Automotion Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, red top, black bottom, white stripes across sides. A

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, white hood, roof, and decklid, red, yellow, and black triangle sides.A

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #15

Michael Waltrip #15 Aaron’s Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2017, blue photo motif across car, white hood, yellow door numbers. D-

Reed Sorenson #15 Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, black with white numbers. A

Reed Sorenson #15 The Maids Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, yellow with blue lettering and numbers. A

Reed Sorenson #15 VIP Racing Experience Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, black with white VIP Racing Experience logos on sides and hood. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Sunny D Ford Fusion–No change. F

Rickey Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Comemorative Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme, but the colors have been reversed. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford Fusion–No change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry–Aside from moving the characters around, no major changes for 2017. A

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Crispier Toyota Camry–No change. B-

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Toyota Camry–No change. A

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry–No change. F

JOE GIBBS RACING #19

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Toyota Camry–Same basic scheme as 2016, Aaris replaces Surfboard. A

Daniel Suarez #19 Stanley Toyota Camry–No change. B+

Daniel Suarez #19 Subway Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but white on sides has been removed. A-

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Matt Kenseth #20 DeWalt/Flexwolt Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, yellow, with black stripes up the sides and hood. A

Matt Kenseth #20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry–New sponsor for 2017, same as 2016 #18. F

Matt Kenseth #20 Tide Pods Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017 orange front with subtle designs, blue rear with subtle designs. F

Matt Kenseth #20 PEAK Antifreeze Toyota Camry–New sponsor for 2017, similar to 2016 #15, but spikes are more pronounced. A

Matt Kenseth #20 Blue Def Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, same as PEAK but with colors reversed. A

WOOD BROTHER RACING #21

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion–No Change. A

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion–No change D

Joey Logano #22 AAA Ford Fusion–No Change. D

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford Fusion–No Change. D-

Joey Logano #22 AAA of Southern California Ford Fusion–No Change. D

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2016, all yellow, with some lighter yellow geometrical designs across car. A

Joey Logano #22 Duralast Brakes Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, yellow front, modified Penske template, checkered black middle to rear. A

BK RACING #23

Joey Gase #23 Best Furnishing Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, blue with paintbrush style white and yellow designs across side. F

Joey Gase #23 Schluter Systems Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme, but stripes have been replaced by geometric designs D-

Joey Gase #23 Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but angled lines replace curved lines. B+

Gray Gaulding #23 SunFrog.com Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, green front, black and green middle to rear. C+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

Chase Elliott #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme as 2016, but with yellow accents across sides. A

Chase Elliott #24 Kelly Blue Book Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, design similar to #11 FedEx. A

Chase Elliott #24 Sun Energy Chevy SS–No Change. F

Chase Elliott #24 Hooters Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, white sides with orange stripes, orange roof. C-

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Richmond Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, black front, yellow sides, black at bottom of wheel well. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Peak Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, new Menard’s template with Peak colors. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Valvoline Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, new Menard’s template with 2016 setup. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/FVP Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017 Menard’s template with FVP colors, black replaces silver. A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Jack Links Beef Jerkey Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, Menard’s template with red front and quarter panel. B-

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Duracell Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, new Menard’s template with black and gold. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #31

Ryan Newman #31 CAT Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, white with black cutting edge design on front, black stripe across hood and top of car. B-

Ryan Newman #31 Granger Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, red replaces green, black replaces white and red. A

Ryan Newman #31 Kalahari Resorts Chevy SS–No change. C-

Ryan Newman #31 Chevrolet Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, black with white and gold stripes up the side. A

GO FAS RACING #32

Matt DiBenedetto #32 EJ Wade Foundation Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, white with blue ribbon design on sides. F

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Cosmo Motors Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, same basic scheme for 2017, but circle around door has been removed. B-

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Can Am/Kappa Ford Fusion–No change. F

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Keen Parts Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, white with black stripe and red roof and door numbers. A

CIRCLE SPORT/TMG MOTORSPORTS #33

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Starter Chevy SS–Aside from the new team, no change. A

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as Starter, but with no logos. A

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Superior Logistics Services Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, same as Starter but with Superior Logistics Services logo on hood. A

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Nice Ride Apparel Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, same as Starter but with Nice Ride Apparel logo on sides hood. A

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Detail 2U/K1 Speed Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, same as Starter but with Detail 2U logo on hood and K1 logo on sides. A

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34

Landon Cassill #34 Love’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion–No change. A

Landon Cassill #34 Starkey Hearing Foundation Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, Front Row template has been revamped, with blue and white color scheme. A

Landon Cassill #34 FR8 Auctions Ford Fusion–No change. D+

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #37

Chris Buescher #37 Cottonelle Chevy SS-New team for 2017, white sides with blue roof and bottom. A

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Checklist Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as #47 Kroger. B+

Chris Buescher #37 Bush’s Baked Beans Chevy SS–New sponsor for 2017, aside from team change, no change.B+

Chris Buescher #37 Natural Light Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, light blue with white and dark blue patriotic designs. B+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38

David Ragan #38 Camping World/Good Sam Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, blue front, yellow and red oval design on rear. B-

David Ragan #38 Jacob Companies Ford Fusion–New sponsor for 2017, blue with white and silver zig-zag design across car. C-

David Ragan #38 Juice Battery Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, blue, tan, black and red with a series of stripes across the whole side of the car. F

STEWART-HAAS RACING #41

Kurt Busch #41 Monster Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Kurt Busch #41 Haas Ford Fusion–No Change. A

Kurt Busch #41 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2017, same as #14, but with green replacing blue. A

Kurt Busch #41 Mobil 1 Annual Protection Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as other SHR Mobil 1 schemes, but with gold trim. A

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Chevy SS–Aside from the new car number, no change. F

Kyle Larson #42 Target Chevy SS–No change. A

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield Ford Fusion–No Change. B+

Aric Almiroa #43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2016, same basic scheme, but with more lightning. A

Aric Almirola #43 STP Ford Fusion–No change. B-

Aric Almirola #43 Fresh From Florida Ford Fusion–No change. F

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #47

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger/Stouffers/Cheez It’s Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, white with blue diagonal stripes, and black and red curves across sides. B+

AJ Allmendinger #47 Ralph’s/Checklist/Oscar Meyer Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as Kroger but with Ralph’s logos. A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Fry’s/Checklist/Velveta Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as Kroger but with Fry’s logos. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Chevy SS–New scheme for 2016, light blue with diagonal stripes and geometric patterns on side. F

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevy SS–New scheme for 2016, dark blue with diagonal stripes and geometric patterns on side. F

RICK WARE RACING #51

Timmy Hill #51 Spoonful Music Foundation Chevy SS-New team for 2017, white with racing stripe design on hood, plain white sides. A

Cody Ware #51 Spoonful Music Foundation Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, same as #51 white, but black and colors reversed. A

Timmy Hill #51 Dashub Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, blue with silver, white, and red cutting edge designs across signs. B-

Timmy Hill #51 Bubba Burger Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, blue, with red, silver, and white stripes on sides. A

Timmy Hill #51 Go Parts Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, same as black Spoonful, but with Go Parts logos on hood and quarter panels. A

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #55

Derrike Cope #55 Wade Tractor/adrenalinpwr.com Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, black with Wade Tractor on hood, and adrenalinpwr.com logo on sides. A

Derrike Cope #55 Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, black with white numbers. A

TRISTAR MOTORSPORTS #72

Cole Whitt #72 Florida Lottery Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2017, black sides, orange and blue hood to roof. D-

Cole Whitt #72 Rinnai Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, white with black and red Rinnai logos on sides and hood. B+

Cole Whitt #72 Standard Plumbing Supply Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, black with white and red letters and logos. B+

Cole Whitt #72 SoCal Chevy Chevy SS-New scheme for 2017, black with white logos on sides and hood. B+

Cole Whitt #72 Bad Boy Mowers Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, black with orange cutting edge designs on sides. F

BEARD RACING #75

Brendan Gaughan #75 Beard Oil Chevy SS-New team for 2017, all black with white logos and numbers. A

FURNITURE ROW RACING #77

Erik Jones #77 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry–New team for 2017, red front, red and yellow lightning stripe across black sides, red rear. C-

Erik Jones #77 5-Hour Energy Extra Stength Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2017, same as 2017 5-Hour Energy, but with Extra Strength on sides and hood. C-

Erik Jone #77 Sirius/XM Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, black with blue and silver designs across whole car. F

Erik Jones #77 Toyota Service Centers Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, same as 5-Hour Energy, but with Toyota Service Center logos. C-

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row Toyota Camry–No change. A

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry–No change. A

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, red and black stripes with a camo stripe at the bottom. C-

Martin Truex Jr. #78 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, same as #77. C-

BK RACING #83

Corey LaJoie #83 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry–No change. B-

Corey LaJoie #83 JAS Trucking Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, black with blue door numbers and white lettering and white stripes. D-

Corey LaJoie #83 BK Racing Graphics Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, black with red and silver stripes across sides. B-

Corey LaJoie #83 Bubba Burger Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2017, black with flame motif. A

Corey LaJoie #83 RMC Events Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2017, blue with black and white designs on sides. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, blue design similar to last year’s. with blue vertical stripes next to silver door numbers. A

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Axalta Chevy SS -New scheme for 2017, yellow front, a series of red and yellow geometrical designs across sides, red rear. F

LEAVINE FAMILY RACING #95

Michael McDowell #95 K-LOVE Chevy SS–New scheme for 2017, same colors, but with stripes across front half of sides. A

Michael McDowell #95 WRL Contractors Chevy SS–No change. A

Michael McDowell #95 Leavine Family Surfboards Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2017, vintage “Woody” design. A

GAUNT BROS RACING #96

DJ Kennington #96 Lordco Toyota Camry-New team for 2017, blue front, black middle, white rear, curve stripes between the three. C-

My Thoughts On The Village, and an Announcement For Next Week

By David G. Firestone

Last night, I decided to cleanse my palette, and after the Denso Spark Plug Nationals, I decided to watch The Village. For those who don’t know, The Village was released in 2004, and was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sigourney Weaver, and William Hurt.

The premise of the movie is that a group of people live in a small village. A group of oil lanterns and guard towers keep watch for creatures. Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) wants to visit other towns for medical supplies. Ivy Elizabeth Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard) the blind daughter of an elder, falls in love with Lucius, and they arrange to be married. After Lucius gets stabbed, Ivy braves the forest to get medicine. She then discovers that they live in modern times, the creatures are elders in costume, and she gets the medicine and returns. The village was created by Ivy’s father and the rest of the elders, all of whom have been the victims of horrible crimes, and they wanted to create the perfect society. The elders keep memories of the horrible things they went through in big black boxes in their home.

This could have been so much better, but the story was thin, the writing was awful, and the acting was horrible! How could a movie with this much acting talent have some of the worst acting I have ever seen? I LOVE Bryce Dallas Howard as an actress, but her performance as Ivy was a role that she should have never agreed to. Her dialog was horrible as well. This is one of her lines while discussing her upcoming marriage, I swear I’m not making this us “When we are married, will you dance with me? I find dancing very agreeable.” What the hell? Agreeable? Nobody in recorded history has ever said “I find dancing very agreeable.” That was the worst line in the movie, but it had a lot of competition.

This is why people hate M. Night Shyamalan. First off, the twist wasn’t worth the wait. Second, the story itself was weak in respect to the twist. This could have been avoided with some better writing. Third, the elders keep black boxes in their house, IN PLAIN SIGHT, which have evidence of things the elders have gone through. Yet for some unknown reason, none of the children have gone through any of the boxes. Fourth, this group lives in modern times, and has enough money to pay to have a no-fly zone over their village. This is why there are no airplanes flying overhead. For all the reasons above, I thought that this wasn’t a serious movie…but it was. It was not a good movie.

Also, I’m making a change for next week. Since Monday is the first night of Passover, I will be attending a Seder. Since I do all my work for the week on Monday, I’ve made the executive decision that for next week, there will be no My Thoughts On, Paint Scheme Tracker, or Grades. I will resume normal programming a week from this Monday, and I will see you then.

Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-Pedregon Brother Memorabilia

The NHRA’s Pedregon brothers, Cruz, Frank, and Tony are all represented in this week’s episode.

Paint Scheme Grades-April 1, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s All American Games Chevy SS-Same scheme as McDonald’s, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 SportClips Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush Truck Centers Ford Fusion-It’s a great look! The color scheme works well with the design scheme, and the white hood, roof, and decklid work well too. All in all, it’s an A scheme for sure!

Reed Sorenson #15 VIP Racing Experience Toyota Camry-It’s a clean smooth look with a great color scheme. It’s worth an A.

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Daniel Suarez #19 Subway Toyota Camry-I like the removal of the white from the sides. It gives the car a much cleaner and smoother look. It’s still a little overdone, but it’s worth an A-.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Jack Links Beef Jerkey Chevy SS-It’s not a bad scheme overall, but the dark red doesn’t work as well with the bright yellow. It looks good, but if the red was a little brighter, the scheme would earn a little more than a B-.

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Superior Logistics Services Chevy SS-Same scheme as Starter, same A grade.

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Nice Ride Apparel Chevy SS-Same scheme as Starter, same A grade.

Jeffery Earnhardt #33 Detail 2U/K1 Speed Chevy SS-Same scheme as Starter, same A grade.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Ralph’s/Checklist/Oscar Meyer Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same A grade.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Fry’s/Checklist/Velveta Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same A grade.

Timmy Hill #51 Bubba Burger Chevy SS-Thought the blue could be a little darker, the overall scheme looks good. I like the cutting edge design, and the color works well with the scheme. It earns an A.

Reed Sorenson #55 Toyota Camry-It’s a clean smooth look with a great color scheme. It’s worth an A.

Cole Whitt #72 SoCal Chevy Chevy SS-I REALLY hate that door numbers. Normally this scheme would earn an A, but with the overly distracting #72, it ends up scoring just a B+.

Erik Jones #77 Toyota Service Centers Toyota Camry-Same scheme as 5-Hour Energy, same C- grade.

Corey LaJoie #83 Bubba Burger Toyota Camry-The black flame motif is simple, and it works! It’s a bold look that isn’t overdone! This is one of my favorite schemes so far this year. I give it the A it deserves!

Michael McDowell #95 Leavine Family Surfboards Chevy SS-Designing cars to look like vintage classics can be hit or miss, and this is a hit! The Woody design works well, and the light blue front works well too. A

NASCAR North of the Border

By David G. Firestone

While Canada isn’t exactly well known for auto racing, there are a lot of different kinds of auto racing in Canada. Formula 1, IndyCar, the IHRA, and IMSA all have races in Canada. These series have produced drivers such as Patrick Carpentier, Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques Villeneuve, Jacques-Joseph Villeneuve, Greg Moore, Paul Tracy, Scott Goddyear, Ron Fellows, and

Alex Tagliani.

Stock car racing is popular in Canada, where several series race in the class. Canadian stock car racing series include: The American Canadian Tour, The Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup,The Ontario Stock Car Association of Asphalt Racers (OSCAAR), The Pro All Stars Series, and, The Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing or CASCAR. CASCAR was founded in 1981 by Anthony Novotny, and would go on to create the first Canadian national stock car series, The CASCAR Super Series in 1986.

CASCAR had a decent amount of success, but was suffering financially by 2006, when NASCAR purchased them, and created the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. In 2016, Pinty’s Delicious Foods Inc. became the primary sponsor of the series, and the series is now known as the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. NASCAR will also send an up and coming driver to the Pitny’s Series to help with their development.

One driver who came into The CASCAR Super Series was Tara MacLeod in 2005. MacLeod had been a driver in the Ontario Late Model scene, and got her chance at the big show with her team MacLeod Racing, who were sponsored by Central Merchant Services. During her rookie season, she raced in 14 events, achieved an 18^th place finish, and won Rookie of the Year, but left the series for some reason. During her rookie year, she wore this Awesome Racewear made driver suit.Made by Awesome Racewear in Port Perry, Ontario, the suit shows decent use, with some stains and marks. I also have a hero card, and a couple of photos of MacLeod wearing the suit. The blue collar is unadorned, and there is a care and size tag in the cowl. Interestingly, there is no warranty label in the suit. The right chest features a MACLEOD RACING patch embroidered into it. Tara has autographed the area above the logo, and added a smiley face. On a side note, I don’t like when people add smiley faces or other things to autographs. Admittedly, I don’t know why this bugs me as much as it does, but it really annoys me.The left chest features a CASCAR logo, and a MICKS MOTORSPORTS logo embroidered into it.The front torso features a CENTRAL MERCHANT SERVICES logo embroidered into it. A red stripe separates the white and the blue material.The belt is blue with white borders, and has TARA MACLEOD embroidered into it.The unadorned legs have a quilt pattern, but no logos on the legs. The cuffs are a boot cut.The shoulder epaulets are blue with red borders. They have no adornment on them. The sleeves have an AWESOME RACEWEAR logo, and a Tara MacLeod #37 logo embroidered into the upper portion, and a red flame design with white borders at the end of the sleeve. The back of the suit shows some light wear.The blue neck is unadorned, but there is an APX RACEWEAR logo embroidered just below it.The back torso features WWW.TARAMACLEOD.COM, Tara’s old website, a CENTRAL MERCHANT SERVICES logo, and the url CENTRALMERCHANT.NET embroidered into it.This was one of the harder suits to research since there are no sites that have CASCAR stats. I would have loved to learn more information about it, but sadly Racing Reference has nothing on Tara, and the one site that had some information, Driver DB was sorely lacking. I’m sorry, but I had to work with what little information I had.

In keeping with firesuits, next week, I’m going to discuss an ARCA pit suit.