A suit worn by Porsche dealer and enthusiast Nort Northam at the 1988 24 hours of Daytona will be featured this week.
Driver Suit Blog…The Origins
By David G. Firestone
The Driver Suit Blog is my favorite project I have ever undertaken. I’ve gotten a few people who ask about the origins of The Driver Suit Blog, and so this week, we will start with how it came to be. The origins are rooted in my game-used memorabilia collection. I started in hockey, and looked at the various game wear patterns on jerseys. I then would get into other forms of memorabilia, and would analyze them for an old website. In 2008, I went to the National Sports Collector’s Convention in Rosemont, and came away with a late 1960’s Oakland A’s jersey. As fate would have it, when I got home, I was looking for something on my computer and found Windows Movie Maker on my XP based hard drive. I decided on a whim to make a video about it, and with that Introduction to Sports Memorabilia was born.
I started into driver suits in 2010, and researched the suits the same way I research every other game-used item. I had a lot of trouble finding information for a collector about the various aspects of driver suits and race-worn memorabilia. So I just did what I could, research wise. In 2012, I asked Paul Lukas if I could guest write a column for Uni-Watch. Now the blog was never a thought prior to this article, but as work progressed, it dawned on me that I could start a blog for driver suit and racing memorabilia collectors. So in January 2013, The Driver Suit Blog was born.
The paint scheme grading was born out of frustration. I had been working on a Christian Fittipaldi article, and it wasn’t long enough, so I started grading paint schemes to fill some extra space. I kept doing it, and it has become a part of the blog. The same can be said for Tailgating Time, which was also based on a Uni-Watch feature known as Cuilinary Corner. Tailgating Time was designed for tailgaters, to give them recipies that can be cooked on a grill or hot plate at a track, but are something more than just burgers and hot dogs.
Where will the blog go from here? I will continue my work for driver suit collectors, giving them tips on how to analyze driver suits. Tailgating Time will return, but I can’t say for sure when this will happen. I have a lot of stuff planned so stay tuned.
I also want to take a moment to thank my readers. Without you guys, this would have never taken off, and I just want to say thanks. I also owe a huge debt to Paul Lukas. Without him, the Driver Suit Blog would have never been created. Paul, next time you are in Evanston, hit me up, we’ll go out for a beer!
Next week, we will go behind the scenes and examine how a Driver Suit Blog article comes to be. One other thing that I will start in a couple of weeks is I will do more Wheel Reviews for The Driver Suit Blog, but for now, we conclude with
PAINT SCHEME REVIEWS!
Ryan Blaney #12 SKF Ford Fusion I gave this exact same scheme an A last year, and it earned 9th place on the Paint Scheme Leaderboard as well. This scheme still earns an A+
Clint Bowyer #15 Cherry 5-hour ENERGY benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation Toyota Camry Well we have a new winner for longest sponsor name, and we have a new high score for Clint Bowyer with a solid B+ scheme. It has a smooth look, and an overall great design. The sides are a bit overdesigned, which took down the grade.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Building For America’s Bravest Ford Fusion Much too overdesigned, and another example of why camoflage on race cars NEVER WORKS! The only thing keeping this design above water is a great color scheme. C-
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Eco Power Rerefined Oil Ford Fusion I’m not a fan of green on race cars, it often does not work, but this scheme is really good. I love the light to dark fade, and the overall design is great. A+
Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Peanut Toyota Camry Another great M&M’s scheme, great color and design schemes, A+
Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Toyota Camry Great color scheme, and a decent design scheme. It has a look similar to the Stavloa Brothers design from the early 1990’s.
Cole Whitt #26 Iowa Chop House Toyota Camry When it comes to great paint schemes for the #26, BK Racing picked up where Swan Racing left off. Great color and design schemes, A+
Cole Whitt #26 Scorp’d Crossbows Toyota Camry See Above A+
AJ Allmedinger #47 Hungry Jack Toyota Camry What is this new deal with diagonal curved stripes across the side? It just looks awkward. It has a great color scheme, but the design just looks bad. C-
Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes/Valspar Chevy SS Jimmy’s same great classic design with a very nice red rear end. I love a great shade of red on a race car, and this is a great shade of red. A+
Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-NASCAR Replica Helmets
This week, we take a look at some NASCAR replica helmets. Not made for racing, but made for collectors.
Showing Some Love for the NHRA!
By David G. Firestone
While the bulk of The Driver Suit Blog is devoted to NASCAR, which, admittedly is my favorite form of auto racing, I do follow other forms of racing, and collect items from many different forms of racing. I am a fan of NHRA drag racing, and I attend races when I can. I have a decent collection of NHRA memorabilia, so this week, I’m gonna show some love for drag racing.
First, let’s get some factual history out of the way. Founded in 1951 by Wally Parks, the National Hot Rod Association or NHRA was created to act as a governing body for the sport of drag racing. Parks had previously founded Motor Trend and Hot Rod magazines, and was a racing enthusiast . The NHRA has 80,000 members, 95% of which are non-professional drivers. While there are hundreds of drag racing classes, The three most popular and well-known are top fuel, funny cars and pro stocks.
Top fuel dragsters are 25 feet long, have the engine mounted behind the driver to provide weight to the rear tires, which are 36 inches high by 17 inches wide. They run on a 90/10 fuel mix, 90% nitromethane and 10% methanol.
Funny cars are designed with a frame, engine, suspension and cockpit with a fiberglass body that raises up to allow access to the car. The name “funny car” came to be because the early models in the 1960’s had the rear wheel base moved forward, and huge rear tires. They didn’t look “stock” so they were called “funny.”
Pro stocks are an interesting design. Whereas top fuel and funny cars use nitro burning supercharged V8’s, by rule, pro stocks can’t use superchargers, turbochargers, or nitrous oxide. They also run on 118 octane racing fuel. Little consideration is given aerodynamically, and the cars can be hard to handle.
In regards to race-used equipment, I have this timing belt from Bob Tasca’s Motorcraft Funny car, this one used in his first qualifying session at the Ford Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol Tennessee. This run he had a 4.15 second, 306 MPH run. This thing is HUGE, measuring over 64 inches in circumference and 3 inches across.
As well as an ignition coil and a spark plug from Morgan Lucas Racing. Ignition coils are used to turn on cars in general, but this MSD 8142 is designed to fire up these 8000 horsepower engines, which need a lot of electricity to start and operate. I was fortunate enough to have Tony Schumacher and Ron Capps autograph it in person.
One thing I wanted was a race-used piston. I recently got one, but it is in two different pieces. The piston rod itself was used and autographed by top fuel driver Bob Vandergriff, and the piston head was used and autographed by Brandon Bernstein, son of drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein. The piston head is 3 inches in diameter, and the piston rod is almost a foot long!
One of the more oddball items I have is this 1987 Budweiser/NHRA driver suit. Here is what I can say definitively about this suit: It was made in 1987, shows a lot of use, is not safety certified, and shows the Simpson open-wheel tag. Other than that, I don’t know much about this suit and I’m still working on it.
Now we move on to die-casts. In my die cast article, I mentioned that I have a 1:32 Cruz Pedregon 1998 die cast from his days with Joe Gibbs Racing.
During my recent vacation, I found myself at a baseball card store. I bought a bunch of NASCAR die casts, as well as a Darrell Alderman 1:24 pro stock from 1997, where the doors open, and the hood comes off.
Also from 1997, this Tony Pedregon 1:24 funny car die cast, with a body that is removable
My personal favorite die cast is this Bob Vandergriff 1:24 top fuel die cast.
Now we move from NHRA to NASCAR with…
PAINT SCHEME REVIEWS
Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna Chevy SS Not the worst patriotic scheme I have seen, but it it a bit overdone. Giving it a C+
Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevy SS It’s a bit overdesigned, but the green looks good(I hate most shades of green used in NASCAR) and it earns a C
Danica Patrick # 10 GoDaddy Chevy SS I didn’t think this was possible, but they took one of the ugliest schemes in racing and found a way to make it worse…the hood speaks for itself, and it says “I’m getting an F-!”
Greg Biffle 3M Window Film Ford Fusion What in the blue Hell is going on here? This is the worst Greg Biffle scheme I have seen this year and considering how bad his schemes have been that is saying a lot. F-
Travis Kvapil #32 Keen Parts Ford Fusion Awful color scheme, and the goofy pyscadelic side design just looks awful. I’m also laughing at corvetteparts.net painted on the side of a FORD! F-
David Ragan #34 KFC Ford Fusion Great color choice, smooth look, great all around design, I will give them an A+
Landon Cassill #40 Atlantic Plumbing and Utilities Chevy SS Good color scheme, and the simple yet attractive design works well. A
Kurt Busch #41 Haas Made in America Chevy SS When it comes to patriotic schemes, it is hit or miss, and this is a hit. The stars and stripes look good, and the overall design is solid enough to earn an A.
Josh Wise #98 DogeCoin Ford Fusion Such colors! Very design! So good! A+
Before I go I need to cover an update to a story I discussed last week. I had discussed Swan Racing going under due to lack of sponsorship. I did not get a chance to discuss that Swan Racing has gone under, but the two cars, #26 and #30 have found new homes. BK Racing is now the new home for the #26, and XXXtreme Motorsports is home for the #30, though it will change to #44, and keep the current owner points. It is always sad when a team has to close, but at least the equipment did not go to waste. Sadly, Parker Kligerman is now out of a ride for the foreseeable future.
Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-Forest Barber Driver Suit
Powerboat racing takes center stage this week, as we examine a Forest Barber driver suit from his days at Drambue Racing in 1999.
Two Great Pieces of Advice for Anyone With A Hobby
By David G. Firestone
If I could give a new collector two pieces of advice, they would be 1: In this hobby, when you stop learning, it stops being fun and 2: Research, research, research. Research is critical in any hobby, and that is, for the most part, why The Driver Suit Blog exists. I put a lot of research into this hobby, and I will give some pointers to help my fellow collectors.
First, always get a picture of the item you are going to buy beforehand. This is useful for a number of reasons. First, you can photo match the item. If you are not able to find an exact photo of the suit, helmet or accessory, you can “style match” the item. Style matching is finding evidence that the driver or crew member wore a design similar to the item in question. Drivers wear multiple versions of the same suit for a number of reasons. Nomex is a great material, however, if the suit catches fire, the Nomex will change color, and will not protect the area of the burn after the fire. So if a driver gets into a fiery crash in practice, and the suit gets damaged on the arm. The suit will have to be replaced for the race, because it is very possible that a similar crash could occur during the race, and wearing the damaged suit would wind up burning the driver.
Figuring out WHEN the suit was worn can be tricky, but in addition to photo matching, you can do a driver search on Racing Reference. Racing Reference is a site devoted entirely to racing stats, and for every race they list, they have driver, owner and sponsor information. So for example, let’s take this Stevie Reeves suit:
The primary sponsor is Big A Auto Parts, and is a Busch Series suit. So you go to his driver page:
and clicking the races in his Nationwide Series Statistics section, you can look at each of his sponsors.
In this case, he was only sponsored by Big A Auto Parts in 1997. So it can be concluded that the suit was worn in 1997.
In some cases, you will not be able to find a photo of the driver wearing the suit, that is just the law of the land. When searching for a photo, I use Getty Images, Google, YouTube, and eBay. It might seem strange that I use eBay but it works quite well and I have had a lot of success. People sell photos, press kits, hero cards and other such things on eBay, and this is a gold mine. In some cases, I have no luck in searching for photos, and I will take a break, get something to eat, play with the cat, take the dog for a walk, and I will have a moment when I realize I should change a parameter of the search. Sometimes it works, other times it does not.
When it comes to learning, when you stop, the hobby stops being fun. I’ve been collecting sports memorabilia since I was 5, and I’m constantly learning new things about it all the time. Never stop learning, because every hobby is constantly changing, and new information can be very useful.
I also have to cover this story. I gave Swan Racing a lot of bad reviews for paint schemes last year, and I said this year, they stand a good chance of winning the Schemie for most improved paint scheme set. Well, it looks as though they will have to shut down due to a lack of sponsorship. As it stands right now, the team is shutting down and Cole Whitt does not have a ride for Richmond. I will update the story as I learn more information.
Now we move on to…
PAINT SCHEME REVIEWS
Brad Keselowski #2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford Fusion Great design, great color scheme, I like the black B post, A+
Kevin Harvick #4 Budweiser Chevy SS The Coca Cola 600 is held as the July 4th race, and as such, NASCAR teams like to run patriotic schemes. The scheme as a whole is good, and red, white and blue is a great color scheme. I give it an A. Something else to note: Notice that the name on the windshield is in a patriotic design, as opposed to white lettering on a black background. Is this going to be run by all teams? Stay Tuned!
Kasey Kahne #5 Farmers/Thank A Million Teachers Chevy SS I really hate the huge FARMERS lettering on the side of the car, and I’m guessing that the design on the lettering is a photo mosiac. The color scheme is not good, and there are a number of dark designs on the black background which are almost impossible to see. I support the idea of Thank a Million Teachers, but this scheme looks awful, and earns an F
Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Chevy SS Sadly this is the best Bass Pro Shops scheme I have seen in 2014, and it is a C+ design so that isn’t saying much. Why can’t we go back to this?
Greg Biffle #16 Scotch Ford Fusion Greg’s paint scheme downward spiral continues, with this horrid scheme! The green and plaid doesn’t work with the Biffle template, and it just looks like a mangled mess that earns an F grade!
Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Certainteed Chevy SS This scheme works! I love the color scheme, and the design is really good. A+
Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Pittsburgh Paints Chevy SS I love this scheme! The color works well, the design is original. It stands out, and it just plain works! A+
David Stremme #33 Newton Building Supplies Chevy SS Red and white is a good color combination, and if the side did not have the small rectangle just behind the front wheel, I would give it an A, but it takes it down to a B+
Kyle Larson #42 Target 25th Anniversary Chevy SS Really simple design, and a good color scheme. I will tentatively give this scheme an A until I see the real scheme.
Kyle Larson #42 Axe Peace Chevy SS Decent color scheme, but much too overdesigned. Too much visual noise, and i just don’t like it. The green number look awful as well. D-
Ryan Truex #83 VooDoo BBQ Toyota Camry color scheme is not great, and the car in general is way too overdesigned. I can’t give this scheme anything less than a D-
Carl Edwards #99 Fordalwaysracing.com Ford Fusion See Brad Keselowski Above…A+
Also, NASCAR.com has come up with their staff picks for the best paint schemes in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. I can’t say I disagree with most of their choices in this respect!
Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-NASCAR Race-Used Gloves and Shows
This week, we look at two lesser-known but critical aspects of racing uniforms, the gloves and shoes. Specifically, a pair of Scott Riggs race-worn and autographed shoes circa 2004-2007, and a pair of Hut Stricklin race-worn and autographed gloves circa 2000-2001
2014 Driver Uniform Chart
By David G. Firestone
I wanted to wait until all 3 racing seasons got underway to do this chart because by this time, more photos are accessable and it makes my job much easier. This is the 2014 driver uniform chart. I am fully aware this list is incomplete, but if I can’t find photographic or video evidence of what kind of suit the drive wears. We start with the…
===2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series===
Alex Bowman-Oakley
Ryan Truex-Oakley
Brian Keselowski-Simpson
Kyle Larson-Impact
Jamie McMurray-Impact
Timmy Hill-Simpson
Landon Cassill-Impact
Eric McClure-Simpson
Blake Koch-Simpson
David Ragan-Simpson
David Reutimann-Simpson
Martin Truex Jr.-Oakley
Travis Kvapil-Simpson
Terry Labonte-Simpson
Dale Earnhardt Jr.-Alpine Stars
Jeff Gordon-Alpine Stars
Jimmie Johnson-Alpine Stars
Kasey Kahne-Alpine Stars
Justin Allgaier-Simpson
Bobby Labonte-Sparco
Joe Nemecek-Simpson
AJ Allmendinger-Sparco
Kyle Busch-Alpine Stars
Denny Hamlin-Nike
Matt Kenseth-Sparco
Michael McDowell-Sparco
Cliny Bowyer-Oakley
Jeff Burton-Oakley
Brian Vickers-Oakley
Michael Waltrip-Oakley
Brad Keselowski-Puma
Joey Logano-Puma
Josh Wise-Simpson
**Randy Humphrey Racing
Dave Blaney-Impact
Austin Dillon-Sparco
Paul Menard-Sparco
Ryan Newman-Sparco
Aric Almirola-Sparco
Marcos Ambrose-Simpson
Greg Biffle-Simpson
Carl Edwards-Simpson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.-Oakley
Kevin Harvick-Sparco
Danica Patrick-Alpine Stars
Tony Stewart-Simpson
Cole Whitt-Impact
Parker Kligerman-Sparco
Michael Annett
Reed Sorenson-Impact
Trevor Bayne-Simpson
===2014 Verizon IndyCar Series===
Takuma Sato-Sparco
Marco Andretti-OMP
James Hinchcliffe-Sparco
Ryan Hunter-Reay-OMP
Carlos Muñoz-Sparco
Jack Hawksworth-Sparco
Ryan Briscoe-Impact
Scott Dixon-Impact
Tony Kanaan-Impact
Charlie Kimball-Impact
Carlos Huertas-Alpine Stars
Justin Wilson-Oakley
Ed Carpenter-Oakley
Mike Conway-Oakley
Sébastien Bourdais-Sparco
Sebastián Saavedra-Sparco
**Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Graham Rahal-Sparco
Josef Newgarden-Oakley
**Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports
Mikhail Aleshin-Sparco
Simon Pagenaud-Sparco
Juan Pablo Montoya-Puma
Hélio Castroneves-Puma
Will Power-Puma
===2014 FIA Formula One World Championship===
Marcus Ericsson-Sparco
Kamui Kobayashi-Sparco
Sebastian Vettel-Alpine Stars
Daniel Ricciardo-Alpine Stars
Romain Grosjean-Alpine Stars
Pastor Maldonado-Alpine Stars
Max Chilton-Sparco
Jules Bianchi-Sparco
Kevin Magnussen-Sparco
Jenson Button-Sparco
**Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
Nico Rosberg-Puma
Lewis Hamilton-Puma
Kimi Räikkönen-Puma
Fernando Alonso-Puma
Sergio Pérez-Alpine Stars
Nico Hülkenberg-Alpine Stars
Esteban Gutiérrez-OMP
Adrian Sutil-OMP
Jean-Éric Vergne-OMP
Daniil Kvyat-OMP
Felipe Massa-Puma
Valtteri Bottas-Puma
Vintage Box Break-1994 Finish Line Gold Part 3
We crack open another 1994 Finish Line Gold box on Vintage Box Breaks.
Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-Tracy Leslie Race Worn Helmet
To accommodate the beginning of Passover, I decided to upload this week’s episode of ITSM a day early. We look at Another old school NASCAR helmet, this one worn by Tracy Leslie, will be examined.
The Driver Suit Blog 