Episode 5 features a discussion on the Rolex 24 and Formula E broadcasting, and some history of Nomex in auto racing.
Category: friday feature
The Driver Suit Blog-Driver Suit Blog Radio Episode 3
This week, Driver Suit Blog Radio has some discussions about the NASCAR charter system, A Paul Newman Racing special from 1971, and the GM EV1.
The Driver Suit Blog-Driver Suit Blog Radio Episode 2
Episode 2 features some insights into the end of Chip Ganassi’s NASCAR program, and a review of the little-known Kenny Rodgers NASCAR movie Six Pack from 1982.
The Driver Suit Blog-Driver Suit Blog Radio Episode 1
On the debut episode of Driver Suit Blog Radio, our intrepid host discusses Formula 1 television ratings, and reviews The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Local Forecast – Slower by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3988-local-forecast—slower
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Bossa Antigua by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3454-bossa-antigua
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Porch Swing Days – slower by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4234-porch-swing-days—slower
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The Driver Suit Blog-2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 4-The Grand Finale
By David G. Firestone
Well, all the votes have been counted, and the final Paint Scheme Leaderboard is complete. Without further ado, the final post of 2020:
1-Stewart-Haas Racing# 14 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 21 of 46
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 4.00
2-Rick Ware Racing #28 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 4.00
3-B.J. McLeod Motorsports #55 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 4.00
4-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 1 of 46
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 4.00
5-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 7 of 46
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 3.79
6-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 18 of 46
Number of Schemes:
GPA: 3.65
7-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 39 of 46
Number of Schemes: 7
GPA: 3.61
8-Kaulig Racing #16 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 2 of 46
Number of Schemes: 5
GPA: 3.60
9-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 34 of 46
Number of Schemes: 11
GPA: 3.55
10-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 29 of 46
Number of Schemes: 4
GPA: 3.50
11-23XI Racing #23 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 19
GPA: 3.49
12-Wood Brothers #21 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 10 of 46
Number of Schemes: 17
GPA: 3.41
13-Front Row Motorsports #34 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 45 of 46
Number of Schemes: 9
GPA: 3.33
14-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 23 of 46
Number of Schemes: 18
GPA: 3.31
15-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 17 of 46
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 3.31
16-Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 39 of 46
Number of Schemes: 9
GPA: 3.29
17-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 5 of 46
Number of Schemes: 24
GPA: 3.28
18-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 9 of 46
Number of Schemes: 18
GPA: 3.13
19-MBM Motorsports #13 Ford Mustang/Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 6
GPA: 3.00
20-Front Row Motorsports #36 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 27 of 46
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 3.00
21-Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 24 of 46
Number of Schemes: 16
GPA: 2.98
22-Stewart-Haas Racing# 4 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 14 of 46
Number of Schemes: 19
GPA: 2.92
23-Live Fast Motorsports #78 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 15 of 46
Number of Schemes: 22
GPA: 2.90
24-MBM Motorsports #66 Ford Mustang/Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 40 of 46
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.88
25-Front Row Motorsports #38 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 19 of 46
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 2.85
26-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 32 of 46
Number of Schemes: 11
GPA: 2.82
27-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 35 of 46
Number of Schemes: 5
GPA: 2.80
28-Rick Ware Racing #15 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 6 of 46
Number of Schemes: 26
GPA: 2.73
29-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 16 of 46
Number of Schemes: 25
GPA: 2.71
30-Team Penske #33 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 3
GPA: 2.70
31-JTG Daugherty Racing #37 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 38 of 46
Number of Schemes: 27
GPA: 2.69
32-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 25 of 46
Number of Schemes: 21
GPA: 2.68
33-StarCom Racing #00 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 31 of 46
Number of Schemes: 19
GPA: 2.68
34-Chip Ganassi Racing #42 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 26 of 46
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.67
35-Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 22 of 46
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 2.62
36-Roush Fenway Racing #6 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 36 of 46
Number of Schemes: 22
GPA: 2.56
37-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 11 of 46
Number of Schemes: 11
GPA: 2.51
38-Stewart-Haas Racing #41 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 46 of 46
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.50
39-Roush Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 44 of 46
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 2.49
40-Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 13 of 46
Number of Schemes: 6
GPA: 2.28
41-Spire Motorsports #7 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 20 of 46
Number of Schemes: 15
GPA: 2.18
42-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 41 of 46
Number of Schemes: 24
GPA: 2.14
43-Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 43 of 46
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.04
44-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 12 of 46
Number of Schemes: 25
GPA: 1.77
45-Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 28 of 46
Number of Schemes: 7
GPA: 1.53
46-Trackhouse Racing #99 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 10
GPA: 1.26
Next Year, Driver Suit Blog Radio takes over, AND Wheel Reviews returns!
The Driver Suit Blog-2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 3-Toyota
By David G. Firestone
The 2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard rolls on, this week, it’s the Toyota teams time to shine!
1-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 3 of 8
Number of Schemes: 15
GPA: 3.65
2-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year:6 of 8
Number of Schemes: 11
GPA: 3.55
3-23XI Racing #23 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 19
GPA: 3.49
4-MBM Motorsports #13 Ford Mustang/Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 6
GPA: 3.00
5-MBM Motorsports #66 Ford Mustang/Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 8 of 8
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.88
6-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 5 of 8
Number of Schemes: 11
GPA: 2.82
7-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 2 of 8
Number of Schemes: 11
GPA: 2.51
8-Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: 4 of 8
Number of Schemes: 7
GPA: 1.53
Next week, the Grand Finale!
The Driver Suit Blog-2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 2-Ford
By David G. Firestone
This week, the 2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard shifts focus to the blue oval. Ford’s rankings are up for this week.
1-Stewart-Haas Racing# 14 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: of 14 of 18
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 4.00
2-Rick Ware Racing #28 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 4.00
3-B.J. McLeod Motorsports #55 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA:
4-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 12 of 18
Number of Schemes: 4
GPA: 3.50
5-Wood Brothers #21 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 4 of 18
Number of Schemes: 17
GPA: 3.41
6-Front Row Motorsports #34 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 17 of 18
Number of Schemes: 9
GPA: 3.33
7-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 2 of 18
Number of Schemes: 24
GPA: 3.28
8-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 3 of 18
Number of Schemes: 18
GPA: 3.13
9-MBM Motorsports #13 Ford Mustang/Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 6
GPA: 3.00
10-Front Row Motorsports #36 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 11 of 18
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 3.00
11-Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 10 of 18
Number of Schemes: 16
GPA: 2.98
12-Stewart-Haas Racing# 4 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 5 of 18
Number of Schemes: 19
GPA: 2.92
13-Live Fast Motorsports #78 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 22
GPA: 2.90
14-MBM Motorsports #66 Ford Mustang/Toyota Camry
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.88
15-Front Row Motorsports #38 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 7 of 18
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 2.85
16-Rick Ware Racing #15 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 26
GPA: 2.73
17-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 6 of 18
Number of Schemes: 25
GPA: 2.71
18-Team Penske #33 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 3
GPA: 2.70
19-Stewart-Haas Racing# 10 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 9 of 18
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 2.62
20-Roush Fenway Racing #6 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 14 of 18
Number of Schemes: 22
GPA: 2.56
21-Stewart-Haas Racing #41 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 9 of 18
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.50
22-Roush Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 16 of 18
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 2.49
23-Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 15 of 18
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 2.04
Next week, the Toyota Leaderboard
The Driver Suit Blog-2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 1-Chevy
By David G. Firestone
Thanksgiving has passed, holiday music and decorations are abound, and the 2021 Paint Scheme Leaderboard is here! Here’s how the process works. I will rank all of the Cup Series teams by their paint scheme GPA. I will rank them by manufacturer, then all of them in one final list. There is no committee this year, as Zoe chose to skip the proceedings. Here is the Chevy list:
1-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 1 of 23
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 4.00
2-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 5 of 23
Number of Schemes: 8
GPA: 3.79
3-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 21 of 23
Number of Schemes: 7
GPA: 3.61
4-Kaulig Racing #16 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: of 23
Number of Schemes: 5
GPA: 3.60
5-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: of 23
Number of Schemes: 4
GPA: 3.50
6-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 13 of 23
Number of Schemes: 18
GPA: 3.31
7-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 11 of 23
Number of Schemes: 13
GPA: 3.31
8-Hendrick Motorsports #5 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 9
GPA: 3.29
9-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 3 of 23
Number of Schemes: 24
GPA: 3.28
10-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 3 of 23
Number of Schemes: 5
GPA: 2.80
11-Rick Ware Racing #15 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 26
GPA: 2.73
12-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang
Rank Last Year: 10 of 23
Number of Schemes: 25
GPA: 2.71
13-JTG Daugherty Racing #37 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 20 of 23
Number of Schemes: 27
GPA: 2.69
14-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 14 of 23
Number of Schemes: 21
GPA: 2.68
15-StarCom Racing #00 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 18 of 23
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 2.68
16-Chip Ganassi Racing #42 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 15 of 23
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 2.67
17-Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 8 of 23
Number of Schemes: 6
GPA: 2.28
18-Spire Motorsports #7 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 12 of 23
Number of Schemes: 1
GPA: 2.18
19-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 22 of 23
Number of Schemes: 24
GPA: 2.14
20-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: 7 of 23
Number of Schemes: 25
GPA: 1.77
21-Trackhouse Racing #99 Chevy Camaro
Rank Last Year: N/A
Number of Schemes: 10
GPA: 1.26
Next week, the Ford Leaderboard.
The Driver Suit Blog-Ladies and Gentlemen…THE 2021 PAINT SCHEMIES!
By David G. Firestone
Well, it’s that time again! We have the annual Paint Schemie Awards for the 2021 season. As per the usual, every year, I pick the best and worst paint schemes and award them the Paint Schemie. This was done using the Driver Suit Blog executive committee for paint scheme analysis and consists of me and Driver Suit Blog assistant, my cat Zoe, and uses the following standards:
*Color Scheme:How the colors look, and how they work with each other.
*Overall Design:How good the design itself looks, is there too much, or not enough.
*Primary Sponsor Logos: How the primary sponsor logos look on the car
*Originality: How original is the scheme.
All of the above can work for or against a scheme, and all will be taken into consideration.
Let’s get the bad Paint Scheme Awards out of the way…
First, the Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.
The nominees are:
Austin Dillon #3 Dow Military Degree Equivalency Chevy Camaro
Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light #Hunt4Busch Ford Mustang
Corey LaJoie #7 Built Bar Chevy Camaro
Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry
Christopher Bell #20 DEWALT Salute First Responders Toyota Camry
Ryan Preece #37 Natural Light Vodka Chevy Camaro
Anthony Alfredo #38 Bence Motor Sales Ford Mustang
BJ McLeod #78 Traxion.gg/Motorsport Games Ford Mustang
Ty Dillon #96 Bass Pro Shops/Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota Camry
The 2021 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to:
Ryan Preece #37 Natural Light Vodka Chevy Camaro
The next Paint Schemie Award is for Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes. This category is a little different, as the Schemie will go to the best and worst throwback. For this category, all exhibition race and throwback paint schemes qualify automatically.
The 2021 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Exhibition or Throwback Paint Scheme goes to…
Austin Cindric #33 Pirtek Ford Mustang
The next award of 2021 is the Paint Schemie for Worst Paint Scheme Set of 2021. This is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:
Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro
Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry
Roush Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang
Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry
Stewart-Haas Racing #41 Ford Mustang
JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro
Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry
Trackhouse Racing #99 Chevy Camaro
The 2021 Paint Schemie Award for for Worst Paint Scheme Set goes to…
Trackhouse Racing #99 Chevy Camaro
Now after talking about the bad, we discuss the good. Here are the winners in the best category…
First, the Paint Schemie Award for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.
The nominees for the 2021 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme are:
Quin Houff #00 Mount-N-Lock Chevy Camaro
Kurt Busch #1 Monster Energy Chevy Camaro
Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang
Chase Briscoe #14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang
Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry
Christopher Bell #20 Stanley Toyota Camry
Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Ford Mustang
Parker Kligerman #96 Fast Checkout Toyota Camry
Daniel Suarez #99 Good Sam/Autism Awareness Chevy Camaro
The 2021 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to…
Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry
The next category is Paint Schemie Award is for Best Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes, and it should come as no surprise that the competition was strong this year.
The 2021 winner for best throwback is:
Joey Gase #28 Register Me Ford Mustang
The final award of 2021 is the Paint Schemie for Best Paint Scheme Set. Like the Worst Set, this is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:
Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro
Stewart-Haas Racing# 14 Ford Mustang
Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry
Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry
Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro
Rick Ware Racing #28 Ford Mustang
B.J. McLeod Motorsports #55 Ford Mustang
Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro
The 2021 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Paint Scheme Set goes to…
Stewart-Haas Racing# 14 Ford Mustang
That’s it for the Schemies, next week, the Paint Scheme Leaderboard begins with Chevy!
The Driver Suit Blog-A Robert Pressley Driver Suit, And The End Of An Era
By David G. Firestone
This is kind of an odd moment for me. I’m sad and excited at the same time. When I wrote a column for Uni-Watch back in 2013, I never thought I would end up creating The Driver Suit Blog. I never thought I would be able to keep this project going for eight years. I never thought I would be able to interview Funny Car drivers Jack Beckman, Cruz Pedregon, Alexis DeJoria, and Del Worsham. I also never thought that this would be the last traditional Friday Feature column I would ever do. For the last few years, I’ve been thinking of ending The Driver Suit Blog, and I always find a way to save it. Starting next year, Friday Features will be replaced with Driver Suit Blog Radio, a podcast. Everything is ready to go, and I will start on the first Friday of January. With that, on to the column.
It can be said that a lot of drivers who had success in the Xfinity and Truck Series, didn’t have that same success in the Cup Series. One such example is Robert Pressley. While he only had 5 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s in the Cup Series in 205 races between 1995 and 2002, his Xfinity and Truck careers are different. In the Xfinity Series, he has 10 wins, 38 top 5’s, 76 top 10’s, and 6 poles in 244 starts. In the Truck Series, he has 2 wins, 11 top 5’s and 27 top 10’s in 69 starts.
From 2002 to 2005, Robert Pressley raced in the Truck Series. During that time, while raced for Bobby Hamilton in 2002, and James Harris from 2003-2005. During that time, he was constantly sponsored by Harris Trucking. As mentioned before, he has 2 wins, 11 top 5’s and 27 top 10’s in 69 starts. He raced in this Simpson firesuit at some point during that time. The suit doesn’t really show any use.The black collar is unadorned, and doesn’t have any closures.
The cowl has a standard Simpson warranty label.
The right chest features a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES logo and a DUCK HEAD FOOTWEAR logos embroidered.
The left chest features HARRIS TRUCKING, MOOG CHASSIS PARTS, and STARLINE logos embroidered, and a SIMPSON patch sewn into it.
The red front torso is unadorned.
The red belt has ROBERT PRESSLEY embroidered in white.
The red legs are boot cut, and have black vertical stripes.
The black shoulder epaulets have GOODYEAR embroidered in white.
The right sleeve has a HARRIS TRUCKING logo on the upper sleeve, and an SFI 3-2/A 5 certification patch, and a SIMPSON logo sewn into the end of the sleeve..
The left sleeve has a SIMPSON logo and a HARRIS TRUCKING logo embroidered, and nothing at the end.
The back of the suit doesn’t have any wear.
The back of the neck is unadorned.
There is an additional set of fabric on the belt area of the back of the suit.
I still can’t believe that this is my final traditional Friday Feature. I’m sad, but excited for the future as well. I will do the traditional Paint Scheme Awards and Rankings starting in two weeks.
