The Driver Suit Blog-A Crash Course on SFI Ratings

By David G. Firestone

This week, we’re going to do things a little differently. I came across this post from Bartley Motorsports in Rocksprings, Texas, and they were so good in explaining the SFI raiting for driver suits that I had to repost it. I take no credit fir this post, it all goes to Bartley Motosports. Thanks to Patrica Bartley for letting me use this!

A Crash Course on SFI Ratings

Posted by bartleymotorsports ⋅ May 15, 2012 ⋅ 1 Comment

What is “SFI” and why does it matter to me, as a racer? The SFI Foundation is a non-profit that administers standards for specialty automotive and racing equipment. For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on “spec 3″ of the ratings as they relate to fire protection materials, driver suits and driver accessories.

3.2 is specifically a technical bulletin on Fire Protection Material while 3.2A is very prescriptive in the requirements to meet ratings such as 3.2A/1, 3.2A/3, 3.2A/5 having to do with “TPP” or Thermal Protective Performance or, how long until you reach a 2nd degree burn. As a realist, I hope we can all agree these are guidelines and not guarantees. One can imagine many circumstances that would influence the effectiveness of a given article and it’s ability to protect against flame. Of note, the 3.2A/10, 3.2A/15, 3.2A/20 ratings for driver suits currently require recertification every 5 years.

3.3 deals with accessories such as arm restraints, footwear, gloves, helmet supports and underclothing to name a few.

How do you know if an article is SFI approved and what it’s rating is? Glad you asked that. Every SFI approved item must carry a tag (normally affixed in a conspicuous location) that has a specific standard layout and will not only show SFI’s logo but it will call out the specification that it meets. It is interesting to note that different manufacturers use different materials to achieve the same ratings. Do your homework before you buy to be sure you are spending those dollars wisely. In addition, always follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions as you could easily alter the properties of your gear’s material and have disasterous results if the time came to rely on it. This is not something to take lightly.
null

To give you an idea of the relationship of the SFI rating, to TPP, to ‘time to burn’ we offer the following:

SFI-TPP-Time chart

Race sactioning bodies will specify, in their rules, the minimum requirements to compete at various levels. For most highly competitive / high speed events you should give serious consideration to what your own expectations are as they relate to your safety. Ask yourself if you are prepared for the worst. Stop and think about “what if…”.

It wasn’t long ago we were passing through technical inspection and were told “you don’t need that [safety item] in this class” to which I quickly answered “I will if we flip the car”, which drew an affirming nod from the inspector. Only you can be responsible for you and you must be prepared to deal with the consequences of your decisions. We always exceed the requirements because we consider the “what ifs”. One more comment on that note – I’d rather exceed requirements as I PASS tech, than to fall short and be sitting out the event or scrambling to address the deficiency at the last minute.

When you are planning a first-time purchase or it is time to replace/upgrade, just think as you would when packing a suitcase:

1. Underwear (bottoms)

2. Undershirt (top)

3. Socks

4. Suit (two-piece top/bottom or one-piece driver suit)

5. Shoes

6. Gloves

7. Head protection (head sock (balaclava) and helmet)

6. “other” as required – helmet support, arm restraints, head/neck restraints, harnesses…there is a lot going on as it relates to your safety in competition. READ THE RULES!

Check out our website for pictures, information and pricing of safety equipment.

Thanks again to Patrica Bartley and Bartley Motosports for letting me use this! Next week, we examine an area of the racing memorabilia market many fans are shocked even exists.

The Driver Suit Blog-Motorcycle Madness!

By David G. Firestone

Admittedly, I don’t watch a lot of motorcycle racing, out of pro stock motorcycle. In the US, we don’t have the access to MotoGP that we do for Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, and the NHRA. When I get the chance to watch it, I love it for a number of reasons. I like watching a form of motorsports where I have no favorite rider, and the racing is really good.

Leather has a long history in sports. Most game balls, gloves, shoes, and some on-field equipment are made of leather, and many older uniforms, especially helmets were made of leather. Nowhere is leather more critical to the safety of the wearer than motorcycle racing. I’ve discussed it in my NHRA Uniform article, but the reality is that at high speeds, the leather will protect the rider from having his skin ripped off.

What I found interesting is that while professional riders exclusively wear leather, the weekend warriors can pick from a number of different of different fabrics, some of which you might not expect. Take this BMW City II motorcycle suit for example:

Made of 100% Nylon, this red, green, and white suit was made in the 1990’s by Dainese. The suit is multi-layered with several layers of fabric, and has pads on the shoulders, elbows, and knees. There is no padding on the back. It shows no wear at all, and is in great condition. The cuffs and collar are designed to cover as much skin as possible, but unlike a Nomex suit, this is to prevent road rash. This suit is also notable for the biggest belt I have ever seen. It is over 6 inches wide!

How well this would protect the rider at street speeds is unknown. It looks like that if you were at a stoplight, the suit would protect quite well. At 55 MPH, it might provide some protection from injury, and at 100 MPH, it would provide no protection at all. The padding area would provide more support than the cloth area. It does feel heavy duty, but I don’t think that it would provide as much protection as a leather suit.

I’ve been trying to find a MotoGP suit, or a similar suit, but they aren’t available. I bought this one because it is uniquely designed, and it does look pretty good. I hope to get a race-used suit soon.

That covers it for this week, tune in next week when I cover SFI ratings again.

The Driver Suit Blog-Duality in a Pit Crew Suit

[Editor’s Note: I’m on vacation for July, and I will not update the tracker or paint scheme grades until August. In the meantime, I’ve got articles ready to go on Fridays. DGF]

By David G. Firestone

Nomex is a great material for driver suits. It will protect the driver in the event of a fire, with no health issues, unlike asbestos. It is much more comfortable to wear than chemical dipped cotton, and much more durable. It does however have one major drawback. Should the material get burned, and discolored, the whole suit becomes useless. The discolored area of the suit will not protect the driver from fire.

The damage from fire can’t be fixed. This is why there are multiple suits issued to drivers Contrary to what a lot of people believe, cleaning a Nomex suit won’t reduce the fire protection, in fact it will help. This is why when photo-matching, drivers can often be seen in the same basic design, with some very slight differences. Fire protection is key for drivers and crew members alike.

These are two of the exact same suit, issued to a crew member named Chip. They were sponsored by Stock Building Supply, which has a number of stores in 13 states. I’m gonna show both suits at the same time, to show how similar they are. The suit is made by Deist, though isn’t SFI certified. The collar has a Velcro-shut design with a DEIST logo on it, with a warranty tag underneath. The shoulders, belt, and legs have no designs on them. The front has a STOCK BUILDING SUPPLY logo on it. The sleeves have green and white stripes, and DEIST logos embroidered into them. The only difference between the two suits is that one has CHIP written on the top of the right sleeve. The back of the neck has a DEIST tag. The back torso has a STOCK BUILDING SUPPLY logo and a DEIST SAFETY logo embroidered into it. This duality helped protect whoever Chip is, and it’s a good thing that neither suit suffered fire damage, and Chip wasn’t at any risk. Nomex has been the standard since 1967, and I see no signs of that changing in the foreseeable future.

The Driver Suit Blog-Getting My Kicks At The Lucas Oil NHRA Route 66 Nationals!

By David G. Firestone

Every year, I take a month-long vacation in the summer, which coincides with the NHRA Lucas Oil Route 66 Nationals. I love drag racing, and the Route 66 Nationals is the NHRA’s stop on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour. I go with friends from work, and every year, we have a great time.

Mother Nature was not in the kindest of moods on Saturday. Friday Night Qualifying went off without a hitch. I did get to watch the Jeg’s All-Stars race their elimination races. After the Jeg’s All Stars on Saturday, it began to rain. The rain continued to fall for several hours, during which time, I wandered around the pits. I got to meet Driver Suit Blog favorites Tony Schumacher and Ron Capps. Every year, I get the chance to ask Tony Schumacher a question, and the video below is of how that went.

I got a #1 qualifier interview cap from The Thunder Valley Nationals on eBay, and I got it signed by Schumacher, Capps, Tommy Johnson Jr., Fast Jack Beckman, Erica Enders-Stevens, JR Todd, Alexis DeJoria, and John Force. The story behind these interview hats is interesting. Mello Yello gives these hats out to drivers at events, and there are a series of different colors. For qualifying and round winners who don’t wear a sponsor hat after getting out of a car for an interview, they are given either a gray, orange, or black hat. They are all of the same design. For the driver who qualifies #1, they are given a green hat, with a #1 Qualifier patch with their respective class. The drivers who win the event get a yellow cap, with a winner patch to wear, similar in design to the #1 qualifier hat. The drivers who win the championship get a white hat. Drivers wear these hats during interviews, except for John Force who prefers to wear his own hat for an interview after he qualifies #1 or wins.

Jack Beckman personalized my Infinite Hero Challenge Coin, and gave me a very heart felt thank you. I also got one of Cruz Pedregon’s valve springs from his engine, and a burnt hose cover. This is a perfect example of why Nomex is the go-to material for driver suits. This Nomex hose cover went through a serious fire, and was burnt. Nomex isn’t fireproof, it’s fire retardant, which means it will burn, but much slower than most fabrics. It will burn, but will protect whatever it is covering from fire damage for a brief time. The easy way to see if the material has been compromised is if the fabric is discolored. Notice the areas of light on the black fabric, that means that area of the fabric has been compromised. Driver suits, when burned, will show the same discoloration. Should the driver wear the suit, and suffer a similar fire, the suit won’t protect them, and serious burns can and will occur. It may seem like a waste, but countless drivers are alive and well today because of this property of Nomex.

After the rain subsided, and the track was dried, I got to watch round 3 of qualifying, which was supposed to happen at 1 pm, but took place at about 4 pm. It had a lot of good rounds, including TJ Zizzo’s explosion. We decided to go home after round 3, and as we were leaving, we saw the storm clouds were beckoning. Round 4, which started after we left was canceled due to another rainstorm.

Sunday’s weather was much better. After the first two rounds, I wandered around the pits getting hero cards, and autographs. I got pictures with, and autographs from, Driver Suit Blog favorite Vieri “V” Gaines, JR Todd, Courtney Force, and John Force. I filmed one of Antron Brown’s engine tests,

filmed some slow motion video,

and got to see Solid Rock, a 1971 Ford Mustang funny car.

In the end, Tony Schumacher, Tommy Johnson Jr, Allen Johnson, and Hector Arana Jr. won their classes, I got a sunburn, and had a great time, and I can’t wait to go back next year.

The Driver Suit Blog-Cory McClenathan Hero Cards, Press Kit, and…Tire Covers?

[Editor’s Note: I’m on vacation for July, and I will not update the tracker or paint scheme grades until August. In the meantime, I’ve got articles ready to go on Fridays. DGF]

By David G. Firestone

Cory McClenathan has raced in top fuel since 1991. Within that time, he has 34 wins, in 71 final round appearances. In 2015, he is making a comeback after disappearing from the sport for the last two seasons. Cory raced for Joe Gibbs Racing for many years, but now is racing for Chris Dakin and Dexter Tuttle.

I recently purchased a fan pack with two hero cards, one from 1999, which he has autographed, and one from 2011-2012 when he was racing for Rapisarda Racing, an Australian-based team. These are standard items. As is this press kit from 1999, which has driver, and team stats and news, and sponsor information from MBNA, who used to be a huge racing sponsor. The highlight of the collection are these tire shades. Unlike Formula 1, these are meant to protect the tires from the shade. Why is this important? Well tires are 36 inches tall by 17 inches wide. These races often take place in bright sunlight on hot days. If there was no shades, tire pressures could be very uneven, and as a direct result, the tire wouldn’t race as well, and there could be safety issued. These are designed and marketed by Jeg’s, who in addition to being a major seller of racing parts to many professional and amateur teams, is also a sponsor and team owner. These are designed for top fuel dragsters. Funny cars have a square piece that covers the wheel on the body.

This pair is unused and in great condition, and has CORY MCClLENATHAN printed on the side. They appear to be made out of insulated plastic. These are interesting items, and they come up for sale every now and again.

The Driver Suit Blog-Replica Helmets and Why We Need Them In Racing Part 7

By David G. Firestone

Recently, I came across some helmets this last year from a company called BrandArt. I’d never heard of the company before, and I looked them up. I thought at first that they were a memorabilia company, but it turns out they are an “Global Sourcing and Licensor Co-Branding Services in North America and Asia.” Looking at some of their helmets on eBay, their helmets range from accurate versions of helmets, as sold on Lionel’s website, to more plain versions. I’ve been saying we need more of these, and now BrandArt is leading the charge.

I got one of these helmets for Christmas. This Ricky Stenhouse Best Buy helmet.

Let me say, right off the bat, this helmet is very well made. If there wasn’t a strap inside the helmet warning you it is for decoration, you would swear that it was a protective helmet. The quality is part of what makes these helmets good. The design on this helmet is good too. This plain helmet with the sponsor and bare design works well for getting autographs at the track or sponsor events. I also like the driver name on the visor stripe. The font they chose is really good. I don’t normally talk about fonts, but this one is really good. This makes a really good display item too. It would work well in an office, or rec room. It’s also perfectly designed to fit on a bookshelf.

The second helmet I got is this Carl Edwards Aflac helmet. When Carl made the jump from Roush Fenway to Joe Gibbs, Subway went with Carl, but Aflac chose not to stay. This Aflac helmet works well because black is a good background color. The green doesn’t work, blue can work sometimes, but not always, but black works well as a background color. This is another instance of a helmet that would be good to collect autographs on.

These are an older version of the helmet. Newer replica helmets have a more elongated shape, and are much more faithful in design to their on-track counterparts. BrandArt is hitting it out the park with these replica helmets, and I will get some more soon!

Editor’s Note, Next week, I’ll be starting my month long vacation. I will have Friday Features, but I won’t update the tracker or paint scheme grades.

The Driver Suit Blog-Replica Helmets and Why We Need Them In Racing Part 6.

By David G. Firestone

Last week, I covered the first incarnation of Sports Cover Up full size replica helmets. Well after that set was released, the design was completely redesigned. The softer plastic was replaced with a more rigid, harder plastic. Also, the visor has been redesigned, so it can be moved up or down. The finish is much shiner too. To sum it up, the quality is much better. The bottom is also a rigid plastic stand, which helps display the helmet better.

The first example is a Bill Elliott McDonald’s helmet from, I’m guessing 1999. I think it’s from 1999 as there isn’t a 50^th Anniversary logo anywhere on the helmet. NASCAR put that logo on EVERYTHING in 1998, and the lack of it makes me think that this came from 1999. Anyway, the helmet feels much more well made than the 1997 helmet. It isn’t impossible that Elliott wore this design during 1998 or 1999, but I have yet to see it.

Mark Martin’s accurate design makes a return with this helmet. Interestingly, unlike the Bill Elloitt model, the intake nozzle is accurate. In NASCAR, and other forms of stock car racing, air is blown into the helmet via a filtering system to keep the driver cool. Not only does this helmet have a nozzle, it is pretty accurate.

Outside of these helmets, I can’t find anything else from this company. They look good, and I would have to guess that they made more memorabilia, not just for NASCAR but for other sports teams as well. If anyone can help me out with information, shoot me an email. I really want to know about this company. We’ll discuss a more modern version of these helmets next week.

The Driver Suit Blog-Replica Helmets, and Why We Need Them In Racing Part 5

By David G. Firestone

Last November, I discussed replica helmets. Between then and now, I came across a line of replica helmets that were released in the 1990’s. I sincerely don’t know how I missed these growing up. These look like the kinds of things that were marketed in the NASCAR catalog, and Winston Cup Illustrated.

The company that made them was called Sports Cover Up. They are long out of business, and this is the only product I was ever able to find them making. Helmet marketing was interesting back then because Simpson was marketing mini helmets of the drivers who they made helmets for, Bell made some too, but from what I’ve seen, these were done on a team by team basis.

There are two kinds. The first ones were made in 1997, and made of a softer plastic. It almost has a rubbery feel to it. The visor is stuck in place, and can’t be moved up, and they have a thick plastic bottom permanently attached to the helmet. There are 5 holes, one large and four tiny. As for the design, I was able to find three examples, Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, and Mark Martin. Bobby Labonte was sponsored by Interstate Batteries, and the motif looks good. Previously, Labonte had worn NFL helmet designs, but that went away, and was replaced with Interstate Batteries motifs, and this example looks really good.

Bill Elliott was sponsored by McDonald’s and the motif looks like a real McDonald’s helmet. McDonald’s has a really good shade of red, and it is frequently used on the helmets of the drivers they sponsor. This example really does look like a race helmet, though I don’t know who Serengeti, the visor stripe sponsor is though.

The Mark Martin helmet is great because it really looks like what Martin used to wear in the 1990’s when he was sponsored by Valvoline. The details are good, and the visor stripe is accurate too. One thing I noticed is that on the bottom, it states that Roush Racing was, at the time this helmet was made, located in Livonia Michigan. I never knew that. Apparently, the team was originally a small piece of Roush Enterprises, but has since grown into a racing powerhouse.

Sports Cover Up released a second set of full-size helmets, which we will discuss next week.

The Driver Suit Blog-The New Pit Crew Uniform Rules

By David G. Firestone

Starting this week at Pocono, all pit crew members will be required to wear Nomex headsocks, underwear, and gloves. This follows a ruling made in response to the Xfinity Series race at Richmond International Raceway, where three of Brendan Gaughn’s crew members were burned in a pit road fire. This is a long overdue change to pit road rules, which had left the door open for injury with the gaps that it left.

I have a couple of thoughts about this. According to ESPN this rule only extends to pit crew members who service the car. This makes sense as there are no longer officials on pit road during pit stops. What I noticed was that this rule didn’t extend to full faced helmets. A number of crew members wear helmets that look like glorified bicycle helmets. These helmets provide no facial protection at all. At least a full face helmet will provide that extra bit of protection.

I’m also wondering if the current pit helmet, like this one will be outlawed.

This is a late 1990’s Champ Car officials helmet, and it is representative of what pit crew members wear. Look at how open the face is. Fire could easily get into that part of the helmet, and burn the area around the crew member’s eyes and he could breathe the fire in. This design is one of, if not the most common design that pit crew members wear. Pit crew suits are designed to take fire, but these helmets are basically not much more than what BMX bikers wear in competition.

My other question is will there be sufficient grip in the gloves? Fun fact about me is that at one point, I worked in Walmart, changing oil and tires. I quit after three weeks. While there, I used Mechanix gloves, which are the standard gloves that tire changers wear. They provide amazing grip, and are comfortable. With the new rules, Nomex gloves will replace Mechanix gloves, and I have to wonder if there are gloves that have the level of grip.

I get that these rules will protect pit crew members, but will they impact performance? I can’t say, but we will see. Next week, we will discuss replica helmets again.

The Driver Suit Blog-Midseason Paint Scheme Grades

By David G. Firestone

I figured that after the Coca Cola 600 I should do an article on how the teams stack up paint scheme wise. Here is how I figured the grades out. Using a grade average, I took each grade a car number gets and averaged out the grades. I will add comments on the scheme sets as I go. Car #41’s driver has been blacklisted for his indiscretion at Dover, and as a direct result, his schemes will be omitted. So without further ado, the grades thus far in the season.

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1-A lot of very solid schemes, but the Energizer takes a solid ad down to a B.

TEAM PENSKE #2-A lot of good schemes, but the needless redesigns of some of the throwback schemes is irritating. They were good the way they are. The Penske Template works for some color schemes, but not for Detroit Genuine Parts. All in all it adds up to an A-.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3-Another solid B grade ruined by one scheme, in this case, Bass Pro Shops. Still there is a lot of good here, so I’ll give it a C+.

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4-See above, but Hunt Brothers Pizza in place of Bass Pro Shops. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5-Oddly, Kasey Kahne’s schemes aren’t great, but they aren’t horrible either. Pepsi works well, Great Clips is horrible. C+

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6-The regular scheme is great, the camo scheme is horrible, they average out to a C.

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7-When the car isn’t sponsored, it gets high grades, when it is sponsored, it gets low grades, which average out to a B.

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #9-Twisted Tea is the only good scheme in this group. One A scheme with a bunch of F schemes lead to a solid F.

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10-Horrible color schemes and design schemes seem to be Danica’s strong suit this year. Averaged out, it earns an F.

JOE GIBBS RACING #11-If not for Sport Clips, Denny would have a solid A scheme, but not to worry, the average ends up giving him an A-.

GERMAIN RACING #13-Nothing good can be said about Casey’s schemes this year. F

STEWART-HAAS RACING #14-Early in the season, Tony was running a C+ across the board, but two new recent A+ have pushed his average up to a B.

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #15-Clint hasn’t had a grade below a B this year, and his schemes look really good, and average out to a B+.

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #16-If not for Patrick Starr and Safety-Kleen, Greg would have a solid A+, but those two F’s hurt his average, taking it down to a B.

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17-Yet again we have a case where a solid A average is taken down because of one scheme, in this case, the Zest scheme is the guilty party. B-

JOE GIBBS RACING #18-Interstate Batteries is horrible, and Snickers Extreme is almost as bad. It’s too bad, because M&M’s Crispy, Red Nose Day, Skittles, and Pedigree were all A+ schemes, it all averages out to a B-.

JOE GIBBS RACING #19-I hate the idea of two different cars having the same paint scheme. Sport Clips is doing this with Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards. If the Comcast Business scheme wasn’t too over designed, it would get a higher grade. It averages out to a B-

JOE GIBBS RACING #20-Two very solid schemes with great color schemes. Can’t say anything about these schemes! A

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21-One of the only paint schemes in racing that doesn’t evolve because it doesn’t have to. It is simply perfect. A+

TEAM PENSKE #22-A set of awful schemes that has a higher average because of two schemes. The only good schemes were redesigns of Cruz Pedregon’s funny car, and Helio Castroneves’ Indy 500 car. It averages out to a C-.

BK RACING #23-I am not a fan of sublimated designs on cars, but sometimes a blind spider catches a few flies. The I’m A Pepper scheme works very well, and the sublimated designs work well. The rest of the schemes are decent, and average out to a solid B.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24-In his final full-time season, Jeff Gordon has raced a series of great schemes, not having less than a B+ grade. The average is an A.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #25-NAPA has a great color scheme, but the designers felt the need to compensate with a mediocre design that averages out to a B.

BK RACING #26-It was all going so well for Jeb Burton until Estes, which derailed an otherwise solid average down to a B-.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27-Paul Menard’s schemes can best be described as all over the place. He goes from great to awful to average from race to race. His grades average out to a C+.

RAB RACING #29-The wood motif works very well, and a great color scheme adds to an A+.

TMG RACING #30-Another example of an unsponsored car looking better than a sponsored car. The average ends up being a C+.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #31-His All-Star scheme and Wix Filers scheme take a solid A scheme down to a C+.

GO FAS RACING #32-Feast or famine, that’s the way to describe Go FAS Racing’s schemes in 2015. They are either high grades, or F’s. It averages out to a C+.

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING/CIRCLE SPORT RACING #33-Two teams, same car number, all over the place in terms of grades. Averaging them out, it leads to a B-.

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34-Front Row Motorsports has hit it out of the park this year. The only bad scheme across 3 cars is the #38 camo scheme. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #35-See above. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38-See above. B+

HILLMAN-SMITH MOTORSPORTS #40-CRC Knock’er Loose and Cars For Sale derail a series of A schemes, and take the average down to a B.

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42-Camo doesn’t work on race cars, and red camo REALLY doesn’t work. The Energizer scheme is horrid, but the rest of the schemes are good. The average is a B-

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43-The only awful scheme here is Fresh From Florida, otherwise a series of really solid schemes. B

TEAM XTREME RACING #44-An A scheme, Golden Corral, an F scheme, Phoenix Warehouse, average out to a C.

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #46-A series of terrible schemes here, but All-State Peterbuilt, and Pilot/Flying J are great. Those two schemes kick the average up to a D+.

JTG DAUGHTERY RACING #47-Nothing wrong with any of these schemes. A+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48-Three C- schemes. This was an A level team last year, but they’ve fallen to a C-.

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #51-The Fraternal Order of Eagles scheme is horrid, but otherwise, a lot of great schemes, which average out to a C+.

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #55-Get rid of that damn Spongebob scheme, and the 55 would have a solid A+ grade. Spongebob takes the average down to an A-.

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #62-No really bad schemes here, a solid B+ effort.

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66-Green has been considered unlucky in racing for many years. Examples like this prove why. The worst shades of green, and an awful design lead to an F.

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78-Perfection is the only word that can sum up this set of schemes. A+

BK RACING #83-3 B- schemes will always average out to a B-.

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88-Diet Mountain Dew and Baja Blast take a solid effort down to a C+. I do like the door number design.

LEVINE FAMILY RACING #95-Once again, a Spongebob character, this time Larry the Lobster takes an A average down to a B

PHIL PARSONS RACING #98-Nothing bad can be said about this set! A+