Paint Scheme Grades-August 3, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Country Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look, but over designed somewhat. B+

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Peach Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Boot Barn Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Austin Dillon #3 SENIX Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme with a bad design scheme will always earn a C.

Josh Berry #4 Panini/Caitlin Clark Ford Mustang-Too over designed to be good. F

Brad Keselowski #6 Elk Grove Manufacturing and Technology Expo Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 Garner Trucking Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 Party in Paris Chevy Camaro-Too many designs, and too many colors gives this scheme a jumbled look.

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

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Ideal Garage Doors Ford Mustang-The template works with the right colors, and this is the right color. A

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

AJ Allmendinger #13 Benesch Law Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang-New look is just as good as the previous look. A

Chase Briscoe #14 Mahindra Tractors Patriotic Ford Mustang-Good color scheme and awful design scheme will earn a C.

Cody Ware #15 Zeam Ford Mustang-Pastel doesn’t work on race cars, and the car has a really confusing design. This gets an F in my book.

Shane van Gisbergen #16 Wendy’s Saucy Nuggs Chevy Camaro-I love boneless buffalo wings, and I love this scheme. A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme, but the car is a tad over designed. B

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Patriotic Ford Mustang-Smooth, bold, patriotic, nothing wrong here! A

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-I really like the concrete motif, and the car looks good. A

Christopher Bell #20 CRAFTSMAN Racing for a Miracle Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, the motif works, and it isn’t over designed. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota Camry-I HATE CAMO ON RACE CARS!!!! F

Bubba Wallace #23 McDonald’s/JUJUTSU KAISEN Toyota Camry-Not an amine guy, but this scheme looks good. A

William Byron #24 Relay Payments Chevy Camaro-Could do without the green, and the car is a bit over designed. B+

Ty Dillon #33 Titan Risk Solution Chevy Camaro-A bold look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Michael McDowell #34 Chicago White Sox Ford Mustang-Good look, no complaints. A

Michael McDowell #34 GUNK Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Todd Gilliland #38 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-I love the color, and the drip motif is bringing back some Scott Hall vibes, so this gets an A.

Todd Gilliland #38 C.H. REED Ford Mustang-Good color and awful design will always get a C.

Todd Gilliland #38 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-Smooth, simple, bold, perfect. A

John H. Nemechek #42 Massey Motor Freight Toyota Camry-Red and silver work, and the car has a nice design, so this gets an A.

J.J. Yeley #44 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevy Camaro-Another smooth look with a great color scheme. A

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-Are these a new design of shoe? I hope so! This would work well! Even if, not, this is awesome, and it gets an A!

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Artesano Hawaiian/Oscar Mayer Chevy Camaro-I love the Hawaiian motif, and this gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Mariano’s/Colgate Optic White Chevy Camaro-Great shades of red and white, smooth look, this gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Sugarlands Sippin’ Cream Chevy Camaro-In addition to the pastel designs, the fact that there is light text on a light background makes this hard to see. F

Ricky Stenhouse #47 Kroger/Kleenex 100 Years/Donors Choose Chevy Camaro-A good, simple look, not over done, this gets an A.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Nashville Chevy Camaro-Still looks like crap, just with a Nashville theme. F

Ty Dillon #50 AmeriVet Securities Chevy Camaro-You can’t go wrong with an American Flag motif. A

Chad Finchum #66 Cooper&Hunter/Land Loan TN Ford Mustang-Like the color scheme, getting tired of waves, so this gets a C

Josh Bilicki #66 Purekick Hydration Ford Mustang-This would work much better with white and black on yellow, or white and yellow on black. C

Zane Smith #71 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Chevy Camaro-This look is a great look, not over done, and with a great color scheme. A

Daniel Suarez #99 Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge Chevy Camaro-It’s amazing how much cleaning up a scheme can work. This scheme went from an F to an A.

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey/Folds of Honor Chevy Camaro-This is a great look, and the car is perfect! A

The Final Paint Scheme Grades of 2023

By David G. Firestone

J.J. Yeley #15 Patriot Mobile Ford Mustang-No real issues here, good design with a great color scheme. A

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt/Rheem Toyota Camry-This is a downgrade, there are two different color and design schemes, and it looks forced and awkward. It’s not bad, nor is it good, so this gets a C.

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Company/Star Wars X-wing Toyota Camry-If you didn’t know this design was based on an X-wing, you would have no idea what this design is. It’s odd, and while it isn’t bad, this gets a C, for confusion.

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Erik Jones #43 Allegiant Allways Rewards Chevy Camaro-White and orange is odd to begin with, the blue numbers don’t help, and the design looks bad with the color scheme, so this gets an F.

Tyler Reddick #45 Toyota/Star Wars TIE Fighter Toyota Camry-The TIE Fighter, in addition to being ridiculously impractically designed, what with the solar cells on the sides restricting vision for the pilot, is also not well represented here. The black on the front and back looks out of place, and, like the X-wing scheme, if you didn’t know this design was based on an X-wing, you would have no idea what this design is. F

Rickey Stenhouse Jr. #47 Fry’s/Cheez-It Chevy Camaro-A solid red car with a good set of yellow designs will always earn an A.

Ryan Newman #51 Serial 1 E-Bikes Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #38, same A grade.

B.J. McLeod #78 Pala Casino Resort and Spa Chevy Camaro-A good design scheme with a horrible color scheme will always earn a C.

Paint Scheme Grades-October 29, 2022

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Kubota/Onx Homes Chevy Camaro-I think the designs are over done, but the color scheme works, so this gets a B.

Austin Dillon #3 Huk Performance Fishing Chevy Camaro-I like the neon motif, and the color scheme works well too. This gets an A.

J.J. Yeley #15 ConectUS Wireless/Kyocera Ford Mustang-I can’t really argue the look. It’s bold, but not over designed, and it gets an A.

Ty Gibbs #23 Money Lion Toyota Camry-Adding teal really doesn’t help anything, so it gets the same D the previous one did.

Cole Custer #41 Dixie Vodka Ford Mustang-The scheme is horribly messy, and has an awful color scheme. F

Bubba Wallace #45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #23, same B grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #45 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota Camry-I like the look here, and I think that the car has a great look, and a great color scheme. A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Food 4 Less/Slim Jim Chevy Camaro-The addition of more white takes away from the scheme as a whole. This takes an A scheme down to a B+