The Driver Suit Blog

I hate internet outrage! I don’t mind when the outrage is about a serious matter, but when the outrage is about something that doesn’t matter at all, it’s annoying as all hell! I read something earlier this week, and I heard the reaction surrounding it, and it boggles my mind on so many levels.

NBC is considering canceling Days Of Our Lives, which has been on since 1965 for a news show starring Megyn Kelly. For some reason, people are angry about this. Let me explain something to you who are mad: NBC doesn’t have to lose money to make you happy. The soap opera is a thing of the past, just like milkmen, and the evening newspaper. NBC is a for profit company, and if a show isn’t profitable, it goes away. If Days of Our Lives was as popular as people claim, wouldn’t NBC make every attempt to keep it on the air?

The television market is a constantly evolving market. Obviously the ratings matter. I’m amazed at people who think that what is profitable and what the market is showing to be profitable doesn’t matter because it’s not what they want. I’m sorry the world doesn’t work the way you want it to. Entertainment and technology are going to progress the way they are, and if you aren’t happy, then that’s too bad. Also, it’s not impossible that a cable channel could pick the series up. Stay tuned.

Paint Scheme Grades-January 7, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 GearWrench Chevy SS-The black background works very well, and the stripes work very well too. Add in a great color scheme, and you have an A scheme.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Auto Trader Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS-Overall, it’s a great scheme, with a great design. My one complaint is those designs in the red just in front of the door number. They are ugly, and they take an A scheme down to an A-.

Austin Dillon #3 AAA Chevy SS-It’s an over designed, ugly mess of a car. There are too many designs, and not enough thought put into the design. The color scheme is the only good thing, and earns a D+.

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy SS-The side stripes being removed gives the car a great look. The color scheme is good too. It earns an A.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Ford Fusion-The blue scheme works well, and I like the detail in the mountains. Its a great looking scheme, and I give it an A.

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kasey Kahne #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same D+ grade.

Kasey Kahne #5 Liftmaster Chevy SS-It’s a much cleaner scheme. It’s a much simpler scheme. It’s an A scheme.

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same D+ grade.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Joey Logano #22 AAA Ford Fusion –Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Chase Elliott #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy SS-I like the yellow accents added to the sides, roof, and front fender. The car still has a great look, and it earns an A.

Chase Elliott #24 Kelly Blue Book Chevy SS-It’s a much simpler design, and it has a great color scheme. An upgrade from last year that earns an A.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Richmond Chevy SS-The new Menard’s template works well…if this is a template. The front can work, and the lack of side stripes works well too. It earns an A.

Ryan Newman #31 CAT Chevy SS-I love the hood and roof design, but I don’t like the side design between the wheel wells. It doesn’t match, and just look awkward. Still, even taking this in to consideration, it’s still a B- scheme.

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Aric Almiroa #43 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion-What’s cooler than lightning…more lightning! That’s what this new scheme has. It looks great, and it’s still an A scheme.

Kurt Busch #41 Monster Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Kurt Busch #41 Haas Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Erik Jones #77 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry-I get what they were trying to do, but the scheme as a whole just doesn’t look good. The lightning stripes look bad. It just doesn’t work. The color scheme works well though, so I’ll give the scheme is a C-.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Chevy SS-The loss of silver works with this scheme. The design works well, and I like the stripes up the sides. I give it an A.

Wheel Reviews-Senna

By David G. Firestone

January is Wheel Reviews Month. This month, I will feature four Wheel Reviews, two movie and two book reviews. I’ve got an obscure movie next week, and a couple of interesting books prepared for the weeks after that. This week, I’m going to focus on one of, if not the, best racing documentaries ever produced.

One of the most important laps in Formula One history was the seventh lap of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. That was the lap where Ayrton Senna lost control of his car on the Tamburello corner at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, located in Imola, Italy, and died as a result of his injuries. That accident was the genesis of the refocusing on safety that saw Formula One go without a fatality for 20 years, which is unheard of in the history of auto racing.

The dark clouds that were over that race were clear to everyone. Rubens Barrichello was seriously injured during a crash. During Saturday qualifying, Roland Ratzenberger was killed in a wreck. There was talk among the drivers and track staff about the issues, and if drivers would back out of the race. Senna and Dr. Sid Watkins allegedly discussed Senna backing out of the race and going fishing. Senna did appear to be visibly shaken and his mental state before the race clearly wasn’t where it needed to be. Senna decided against going fishing, and during lap seven, his life came to an end.

One of the best documentaries about Formula One, and for that matter auto racing, Senna was released in 2010. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and James Gay-Rees, and directed by Asif Kapadia, Senna revolves around Ayrton Senna’s Formula One career. It touches on his time with Toleman in 1984, and Lotus from 1985 to 1987. Where it really starts to get in depth is when it discusses his signing with McLaren in 1988.

Senna won five races prior to 1988, but when he joined McLaren, he became a top-shelf driver. The film discusses in detail his personal life, and his relationships with his family off track, and his rivalries with Alain Prost, and Jean-Marie Balestre, among others. The rivalry between Prost and Senna is the main conflict. You get a sense that the two didn’t like each other on a personal level, but they had a deep respect for each others driving skills.

You also see that Senna had a deep respect for Brazil, even though politically the country was in a bad place at the time. The country rallied around him because he gave the country something to root for in a dark time. Senna was a devout Catholic, and his faith plays in to who he was as a driver and a person. The conflict between his on-track and off-track lives makes the ending even harder.

One of the things that I like is that the documentary doesn’t have a single narrator, but that Senna speaks via archival footage, and what interviews were done aren’t shown, but heard audibly. It’s hard to watch the ending, seeing the wreck that took the life of a great driver. The personal life/professional life conflict is also a great part of the film.

I would make a few changes to the film. I would like to see more on his racing upbringing. The first 4 years of his career are covered, but I’d like to see more focus on 1984-1987. More importantly, nothing is discussed concerning how he went from Karting to Formula One. I’d like to see Ayrton Senna before he was a legend in the industry. I also would love to see more background on the political issues that Brazil was facing. It’s covered somewhat, but I would love to see the documentary get more into the issues, and how they affected him, both personal and professional.

All in all, Senna has a few minor issues, but it’s still in my mind the best racing documentary ever made. If you haven’t seen it yet, go out and rent a copy.

Next week, an obscure Formula One documentary.

Throwback Thursday-Johnny Rutherford-1981

Johnny Rutherford, defending Indy 500 and Series Champion is seen with his 1981 #1 Pennzoil Chaparral Cosworth

For the 2017 edition of Throwback Thursday, we are going to spend the first 13 editions focusing on entries to the 1981 Indy 500. Our first edition is this Pennzoil Chaparral Cosworth. I’m not a huge fan of yellow on race cars in this day in age, because many of the sponsors insist on highlighter yellow shades which will “stand out” to the fans. Pennzoil is one of two companies besides Kodak that has a great shade of yellow, and this is the perfect example. Add in a great shade of red, and you have a great paint scheme. I give this an A

Paint Scheme Tracker-January 4, 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

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-

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

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

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

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-

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

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

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-

STEWART-HAAS RACING #41

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

Kurt Busch #41 Haas Ford Fusion–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.

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

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-

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

My Thoughts on 2017

By David G. Firestone

2017 is upon us. We all celebrated New Years in our own way. I celebrated my 35^th birthday yesterday. I don’t make resolutions for myself, but I’m going to make some for The Driver Suit Blog.

*Politics is banned forever from The Driver Suit Blog. You come here to get away from the worries, and I will help you as I can.

*I will not make any major changes to the Driver Suit Blog formula. Everything will be the same.

*For current events, I will try to be as neutral as I possibly can.

*As promised, I will have a few Tailgating Time recipes for this year.

*I’m also going to work on a few videos as Friday Features. For some subjects, it’s easier to express certain things with a video than it can through text.

*If you send me an email, I will respond. I wasn’t as good as I could have been last year, you guys and gals rule, and I love looking up stuff for you!

*As always, I’m going to keep trying new projects, some for The Driver Suit Blog, some for my own enjoyment.

*Finally, as always, all are welcome here, no questions asked.

I wish you all the best 2017!

Paint Scheme Leaderboard-The Grand Finale

By David G. Firestone

Alejandro and I have finished averaging out all the grades of all 45 teams that ran in The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Alejandro was there for moral support, as he slept on my lap the whole time. Without further ado, here is the list:

1-#98 Premium Motorsports Chevy/Toyota-Position Last Year-10^th of 49-The #98 of Premium Motorsports has- done the impossible…They’ve had a perfect season! Not one of their paint scheme grades was below an A! The have dethroned The Wood Brothers for the top spot, in both their manufacturer, and across the board. A

2-#35 Front Row Motorsports Ford-Rank Last Year:2^nd of 49-The #35 had a great showing, with two very solid A schemes, and…well…nothing else. Two perfect A schemes means an A for the year.

3-#55 Premium Motorsports Chevy/Toyota-Position Last Year-17^th of 49-Becker Auto Trailers was the only paint scheme that kept the #55 out of the top spot. The #55 had a very solid year, and with the exception of the B+ Becker Auto Trailers scheme, and when your worst scheme is a B+, that’s worth an A

4-#21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford-Rank Last Year:4^th of 49-A throwback for a basic scheme, two other schemes based on this design is a great way to have a high A average. The Virginia Tech scheme was a B+, just barely keeping them out of the top spot. A

5-#47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-5^th of 49-A few sub par grades kept JTG Daugherty from the top spot, namely Unwharrie Bank, Bush’s Baked Beans, and Pink-washing. Still, They had a very sold year, and they have earned an A for the season.

6-#20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-9^th of 49-Four solid A schemes, Dollar General, DeWalt, DeWalt USA, Tide, and Dollar General Silver Numbers, that’s what Matt Kenseth had this season. Sadly, Flexvolt derailed the A train, taking the A down to an A-.

7-#30 TMG Chevy-Position Last Year-NA-TMG had a very solid and impressive year…until the D- level Feed The Children scheme debuted. It derailed a sold A year, and took the whole set from an A to an A-.

8-#41 Stewart Haas Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-49^th of 49-Kurt Busch had a very solid year, and while the Slate and Hass VF1 schemes weren’t great, they were still B+ level. All in all, Kurt earns an A- this season.

9-#2 Team Penske Ford-Rank Last Year:11^th of 49-Brad Keselowski had a great season, with all of his sponsors having great showings…except Auto Trader and the patriotic Miller Lite scheme. It averages out to an A-

10-#46 HScott Motorsports Chevy-Position Last Year-23^rd of 49-Northland Oil, and St Jude’s were two B+ grades, that took an otherwise solid A season down to an A-.

11-#44 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford-Rank Last Year:40^th of 49-Thanks to Shore Lodge, and The Red Cross, this is another scheme that could have taken the top spot, but is relegated to an A- for the season. All of Alberston’s schemes were A schemes. The Twisted Tea schemes were good too, though I stand by the F given to the modern scheme run during the Throwback race at Darlington.

12-#14 Stewart Haas Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-42^nd of 49-Tony Stewart’s final season saw a series of very solid A schemes, and several mediocre schemes. Bass Pro Shops, Ducks Unlimited, and TaxAct didn’t do him any favors. Still his average ends up being an A-.

13-#15 HScott Motorsports Chevy-Position Last Year-NA-While Visine needed a few tweaks, and AccuDoc needed a lot of work, Clint had a great season. Solid A- season for sure.

14-#38 Front Row Motorsports Ford-Rank Last Year:14^thof 49-If not for Snapchat/Rock the Vote, and Florida Lottery, this set would have taken the top spot. With the two blemishes, the #38 earns an A- for the season.

15-#4 Stewart Haas Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-7^thof 49-The one real black mark on Kevin Harvick’s season was the Bloomin Monday paint scheme. Outback needed a little work, the hunting camouflage scheme needed a decent amount of work. It was a season that could have been much better without those schemes. B+

16-#16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford-Rank Last Year:32^nd 49 of 49-Greg Biffle had a lot of great schemes this year, and he has a decent grade. The one scheme that hurt Biffle was the pink washing scheme. It helped take Greg down to a B+ for the season.

17-#88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy-Position Last Year-41^stof 49-Nationwide’s and Axalta’s schemes were great, but Mountain Dew is where the schemes began to go off the rails. Many of them were great, but Dewcision was a disaster, the camouflage scheme was horrid. The worst of them all was the green, yellow, and white “Patriotic” scheme, that couldn’t have been less patriotic if their lives depended on it. Most of their schemes were A’s, but the two F’s and a C brought the total down to a B+.

18-#18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-35^thof 49-The Interstate Batteries scheme still sucks, but the Throwback did make up for it. The Skittles/Marvel scheme needed work, and the Halloween and Snickers Crispier schemes could have been better. It averages out to a B+.

19-#5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy-Position Last Year-37^th of 49-Kasey had a pretty decent year this year. His average scheme grade is higher, B over a C+. Also, his schemes were notably better than last year, so he really earned the B.

20-#34 Front Row Motorsports Ford-Rank Last Year:16^th of 49-Chris Buescher had a slew of great schemes. Love’s Truck Stops, and CSX had great showings, but the Support the Troops and Hire our Veterans were F schemes, and took him from the top spot down to a B.

21-#31 Richard Childress Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-27^th of 49-Ryan Newman’s schemes were all over the map, some were great, some were awful. Wix was a disaster, Florida Lottery was bad, Kalahari Resorts was worse. Still, there were a decent amount of A’s to make up for it, bringing their total up to a B.

22-#19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-22^ndof 49-If not for Comcast Busniess, Carl Edwards would be higher ranked. All of the schemes except for Comcast were solid. The average of the grades is a B.

23-#17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford-Rank Last Year:33^rdof 49-Sunny D was a downgrade, which sucks, because while Eco-Boost needed some work, all of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s schemes were A schemes. He finished the season with a solid B

24-#42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-25^th of 49-Clorox and Huggies dragged a solid A season down to a B. The Target fade scheme was good, though some variations needed work. The Coca Cola scheme needed work, but it wasn’t awful. It’s still a solid B scheme.

25-#10 Stewart Haas Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-46^thof 49-Replacing GoDaddy with Nature’s Bakery was a good move, and Mobil 1 worked too. Sadly, the Patriotic scheme, April O’Neil, and Aspen Dental killed off what would have been a Solid A season. It’s still a B for the year though.

26-#59 Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-NA-This is a case of two mediocre schemes that average out to a B. Nothing great, and nothing awful.

27-#3 Richard Childress Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-31^st of 49-There are a lot of schemes on this list that needed improvement. There were a number of good schemes, and a number of awful schemes. Credit to Bass Pro Shops, in that their scheme didn’t look that bad here. The AAA scheme needs to go. B-

28-#11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-8^thof 49-The four primary FedEx schemes were great, sad that three of them have gotten the axe. The SportClips scheme still looks awful, and the FedEx Cares scheme was awful. Also, great call in letting Denny design a D- scheme. All grades taken into account, Denny averages a B-.

29-#95 Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-15^thof 49-If not for Donatello, ON Semiconductor, and Advil, the #95 would rank much higher ere. There were a lot of A’s and B’s handed out over the course of the season. Still, with some of the designs, it ended as a B- season.

30-#6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford-Rank Last Year:34^th of 49-The basic Advocare scheme was good, and the Mark Martin throwback was great, but from the Patriotic scheme on, the schemes went downhill. The fan mosaic, Advocare Spark, and SEAL Legacy schemes were all in the B range, and averaging them out, the schemes grade ends up as a B-.

31-#7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-43^rdof 49-Nikko had a lot of bad schemes this season. Citizen Soldier wasn’t that good either. Add in not one, but two pink-washing schemes, and Tommy Baldwin Racing couldn’t earn anything better than a C+. What kept them above water, in terms of grades, was the many good non-Nikko and throwback schemes.

32-#32 Go Fas Racing Team Ford-Rank Last Year:39^th of 49-Of the 25 pages of schemes that make up the Paint Scheme Tracker, Go FAS Racing takes up an entire page. The schemes are all over the place, from solid A schemes, to horrid F schemes. The schemes average out to a C+.

33-#99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford-Rank Last Year:NA-Since the team only ran one race, I’ll just quote my piece during the paint scheme grades…The color scheme is good, but the design is a bit too much. It’s not bad, just over done. I’ll give it a C+.

34-#23 BK Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-30^thof 49-If the car had a beverage sponsor, it almost always got a higher grade. The Life With Cancer scheme got a decent grade, but Leonardo, Brandeis Machinery, Sweet Frog, and Bubba Burger were all disasters, and the final grade has been dragged down to a C+.

35-#24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy-Position Last Year-6^th of 49-Sun Energy was the worst scheme of the bunch, coupled with Dewcision Baja Blast,and two bad patriotic schemes leads to a final grade of C+.

36-#27 Richard Childress Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-26^th of 49-With two temperamental templates used this season, it’s no surprise that Paul Menard was all over the spectrum this season, in terms of grades. His schemes could be great, or they could be awful. Averaging all the grades out, he winds up with a C+.

37-#48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy-Position Last Year-38^thof 49-It’s not a good sign when all three primary schemes earn a C-, and most of the special schemes earn much higher grades. The Jimmie Johnson Foundation scheme is a disaster though, and the final grade is a C+.

38-#78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-Position Last Year-1^st of 49-As much as I like their stores, I’m beginning to hate Bass Pro Shops because of their car designs. Furniture Row had a great scheme this year, as did Auto Owner’s Insurance. The throwback scheme needed work, and Tanger Outlets looked bad. Everything Bass Pro Shops did with the #77 was bad. The grades average out to a C+.

39-#43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford-Rank Last Year:20^th of 49-Once upon a time, the #43 had a lot of great schemes, and almost never looked bad. Then Fresh From Florida and the Waffle House came on board, and the schemes went from a solid A for the season to a C+.

40-#83 BK Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-29^th of 49-Another team that takes up one whole page of the 25 page Paint Scheme Tracker, BK Racing was all over the place. Grades were either high, or low, not many in between. In averaging them out, BK Racing earns a C+ for the season.

41-#1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-36^th of 49-The season started out solid…then Credit One came on board. Bass Pro Shops didn’t help, and did I mention that I HATE THE MAC TONIGHT SCHEME? In the end, the best they could muster is a C.

42-#13 Germain Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-48^th of 49-A great primary scheme, and a great throwback scheme were neutralized by two bad military schemes. Two A’s and two F’s averages out to a C.

43-#40 Hillman Racing Chevy-Position Last Year-24^thof 49-Their Daytona 500 scheme was a D-, then, the team went belly up.

44-#93 BK Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-NA-A couple of B’s could not help the #93 from being at the bottom of the barrel, with a D+ for the season.

45-#22 Team Penske Ford-Rank Last Year:45^th of 49-Penske used the same template that earned them the bottom rank in Ford last year, and the results speak for themselves. The only good schemes were the ones that threw the template away, and did their own thing, namely the Throwback, and Pennzoil. The schemes grades average out to a D+, though they should be lower.

Throwback Thursday-Sterling Marlin-1999

By David G. Firestone

Sterling Marlin returns in 1999, driving his Coors Light Chevy Monte Carlo, for our final paint scheme of 2016.

Who in the world designed this car, and how drunk were they? I’d really like to know. Coors Light was using the all-silver can design in 1999, so why not paint the car as such? Seriously? Why in the world is this car the mess that it is? I could sit here and type everything that I hate about the car, but I’ll sum it up in one word-nothing. This car has no redeeming design qualities at all. It’s the worst scheme of the year, and that says a lot.

Paint Scheme Leaderboard-Toyota

By David G. Firestone

Toyota takes center stage this week, as The Executive Paint Scheme Ranking Committee releases our results. Alejandro was a lot of help, sitting behind me, and licking my hair. The results are below:

1-#98 Premium Motorsports Chevy/Toyota-Position Last Year-NA-The #98 of Premium Motorsports has- done the impossible…They’ve had a perfect season! Not one of their paint scheme grades was below an A! The have dethroned The Wood Brothers for the top spot, in both their manufacturer, and across the board. A

2-#55 Premium Motorsports Chevy/Toyota-Position Last Year-Position Last Year-5^thof 13-Becker Auto Trailers was the only paint scheme that kept the #55 out of the top spot. The #55 had a very solid year, and with the exception of the B+ Becker Auto Trailers scheme, and when your worst scheme is a B+, that’s worth an A

3-#20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-3^rd of 13-Four solid A schemes, Dollar General, DeWalt, DeWalt USA, Tide, and Dollar General Silver Numbers, that’s what Matt Kenseth had this season. Sadly, Flexvolt derailed the A train, taking the A down to an A-.

4-#18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-11^thof 13-The Interstate Batteries scheme still sucks, but the Throwback did make up for it. The Skittles/Marvel scheme needed work, and the Halloween and Snickers Crispier schemes could have been better. It averages out to a B+.

5-#19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-7^thof 13-If not for Comcast Busniess, Carl Edwards would be higher ranked. All of the schemes except for Comcast were solid. The average of the grades is a B.

6-#11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-2^nd of 13-The four primary FedEx schemes were great, sad that three of them have gotten the axe. The SportClips scheme still looks awful, and the FedEx Cares scheme was awful. Also, great call in letting Denny design a D- scheme. All grades taken into account, Denny averages a B-.

7-#23 BK Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-9^thof 13-If the car had a beverage sponsor, it almost always got a higher grade. The Life With Cancer scheme got a decent grade, but Leonardo, Brandeis Machinery, Sweet Frog, and Bubba Burger were all disasters, and the final grade has been dragged down to a C+.

8-#78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-NA-As much as I like their stores, I’m beginning to hate Bass Pro Shops because of their car designs. Furniture Row had a great scheme this year, as did Auto Owner’s Insurance. The throwback scheme needed work, and Tanger Outlets looked bad. Everything Bass Pro Shops did with the #77 was bad. The grades average out to a C+.

9-#83 BK Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-8^th of 13-Another team that takes up one whole page of the 25 page Paint Scheme Tracker, BK Racing was all over the place. Grades were either high, or low, not many in between. In averaging them out, BK Racing earns a C+ for the season.

10-#93 BK Racing Toyota-Position Last Year-NA-A couple of B’s could not help the #93 from being at the bottom of the barrel, with a D+ for the season.