Category: paint scheme grades

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-September 5, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Austin Dillon #3 Boot Barn Chevy Camaro-Major downgrade from last year. B-

Noah Gragson #4 Southeastern Equipment and Supply/Tennant Company Robotics Ford Mustang-I like this, good design, and good color scheme. A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Gerald’s Tires/BTS Rewards Chevy Camaro-I really like the shade of orange, it works well with the black. I think the sides can be cleaned up. All things considered, this gets a C.

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Gold Peak Tea Ford Mustang-The darker shade of green is an improvement on an already great scheme. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-Great design scheme with an awful design scheme will always earn a C.

William Byron #24 Valvoline Restore & Protect Chevy Camaro-The new added designs take an A- scheme down to a C.

Riley Herbst #35 GoGo Squeez Toyota Camry-Both the color scheme and design scheme are mediocre. C

Cole Custer #41 Sysco/Parker’s Kitchen Ford Mustang-White and blue with chicken tenders, need I say more?

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-Get rid of the designed on the white, this gets an A. With the designs, this gets an A-.

Cody Ware #51 ApexFX Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the dots would elevate this from an A- to an A.

Corey Heim #67 Celsius Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #16, same A grade.

Carson Hocevar #77 Spectrum Chevy Camaro-Too over designed, and I hate the gray here. F

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 29,2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Wendy’s Watermelon Lemonade Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2026, yellow with watermelon motif. F

It’s a horrifically over designed mess. F

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops Deer Season/Winchester Chevy Camaro-Love the look, not over done, this gets an A.

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Deer Season XP Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the white would get this a solid A, but with the white, this gets an A-.

Daniel Suarez #7 Coke Zero Sugar Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the black would get this a solid A, but with the white, this gets an A-.

Todd Gilliland #34 Grillo’s Pickles Ford Mustang-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Zane Smith #38 Aaron’s Dream Machine Ford Mustang-This is a great look, and brings back some Mac Tonight memories! A

John Hunter Nemechek #40 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Getting rid of the white is a slight upgrade, but it is still over designed. C+

Erik Jones #43 Dollar Tree Throwback Toyota Camry-I love a good 1990’s throwback, and this is a great throwback. A

Joey Gase #44 National Fire Prevention Week Chevy Camaro-Too many colors and too over designed, so it gets an F.

Cody Ware #51 Super.com Chevy Camaro-Love the look, not over designed, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Oikos Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2026, white and black.-Not bad, but a bit of a downgrade from last year. A-

Michael McDowell #71 Fly Alliance Chevy Camaro-Too. Many. Stripes. F

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 22, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Daniel Suarez #7 UHP.com Chevy Camaro-A good look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Kleenex Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Hill #33 zone Sweet Coffee Chevy Camaro-I like the dark red, it works well with this scheme. A

Todd Gilliland #34 Nucar Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, and an awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Zane Smith #38 imagine360 Ford Mustang-Not a bad look, the circle motif can work when not over used, this gets an A.

Cody Ware #51 Schluter Systems Chevy Camaro-Metallic gold isn’t used enough, and this not over designed scheme works well as a result. Also, this is a major upgrade from last year. A

Carson Hocevar #77 Modo Casino Chevy Camaro-If this was just the fade, it would get an A. With the designs, it gets taken down to a C.

Connor Zilisch #88 SuperFile Camaro-There is no way I can defend a hideous mess like this. F

Shane van Gisbergen #97 SuperFile Chevy Camaro-See above. F

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 15, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Jockey 150th Anniversary Camaro-Same scheme as #88, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 BodyArmor Flash I.V. Ford Mustang-As much as I like fades, the colors are off, it should be pink to yellow. Also, the black stripes look odd. This could be an A, but this gets a C.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Black’s Tire Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Hill #33 Morgan & Morgan Kyle Busch Tribute Chevy Camaro-The color scheme is good, the design scheme is awful, all things considered, this gets a C.

Cody Ware #51 Rocket Doctor Chevy Camaro-These changes are rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. F

Ty Gibbs #54 Victory Junction/Cook Out Toyota Camry-Too over designed to get anything but an F.

Shane van Gisbergen #97 Mitti Chevy Camaro-It’s basically a redesign of Safety Culture, which is an F scheme. This gets an F as well.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 8, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light #ForTheFarmers Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2026, designs changed. F

No improvement whatsoever. F

Austin Dillon #3 Get Bioethanol Chevy Camaro-Not bad at all. A

Ty Dillon #10 Sea Best Seafood Chevy Camaro-Be it in a restaurant or on a car, added shrimp NEVER goes wrong. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Pennington Ford Mustang-Grass with the Menard’s template just looks really bad here. F

Josh Berry #21 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang-Red works, traditional Menard’s template works, this just looks odd, especially when compared to last year. C

Zane Smith #38 Patriot Mobile Ford Mustang-Good color scheme with an alright design scheme gets a B.

Cody Ware #51 Costa Oil Chevy Camaro-Adding design after design took a great look, and cluttered it up. I can’t say is horrible, but it isn’t great. C

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Force Factor Ford Mustang-This car is too over designed, with the liquid motif being over done. F

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 1, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Flavor Showdown Chevy Camaro-I like the unique fade, it looks good, and I give this an A.

Austin Cindric #2 PPG Patriotic Ford Mustang-I like the American flag motif. It works well. A

Austin Cindric #2 Freightliner Throwback Ford Mustang-This is now my favorite throwback! I was always a fan of the simple black schemes! A

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Veterans Science Chevy Camaro-Too many designs and too many colors. f

Austin Dillon #3 Titan Risk Solutions Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Austin Dillon #3 BREZTRI Chevy Camaro-I rarely comment on this, but the silver 3 looks odd with the color scheme, and takes an A down to an A-.

Noah Gragson #4 A&W Root Beer Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Brad Keselowski #6 Travel Centers of America Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Daniel Suarez #7 Modo Casino Chevy Camaro-The blue skull motif works well, I can’t complain, this gets an A.

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Desi9n to Drive Chevy Camaro-Not bad at all. A

Chase Elliott #9 LLumar Window Film Chevy Camaro-This cleaner look is a better look, and it goes from an A- to an A.

Ty Dillon #10 Sea Best Seafood Chevy Camaro-For a seafood sponsor this is a much better scheme. The color and design work. A

Ty Dillon #10 BREZTRI Chevy Camaro-Same issue as the #3, the orange #10 looks odd on the black and silver. A-

Ryan Blaney #12 BodyArmor Flash I.V. Ford Mustang-I like a good fade, and this is a good fade. This gets an A.

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

AJ Allmendinger #16 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-The red and black would work, the white tree motif would work, but together, it’s just meh. C

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Heinz Ketchup/Artesano Brioche Buns Ford Mustang-You can’t go wrong with red and a burger! A

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Coca-Cola Patriotic Ford Mustang-Too many designs to work. F

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Minute Rice Ford Mustang-Not bad, but a massive downgrade from last year. B+

Chase Briscoe #19 Free Bird Southern Spring Water Toyota Camry-Perfect look, great color scheme, this gets an A!

Chase Briscoe #19 Wix Filters Toyota Camry-Too ugly and over designed to get anything but an F.

Christopher Bell #20 Saia Freight + Logistics Patriotic Toyota Camry-I get what they are going for, but this could be improved with some more consistency. It’s not bad, so it gets a B.

Josh Berry #21 eero Ford Patriotic Mustang-This should be the new eero scheme, as it looks so much better than the plain blue scheme. A

Joey Logano #22 Hunt Brothers Patriotic Ford Mustang-Not really that much of an improvement. D

Bubba Wallace #23 Upper Deck Space Jam 30th Anniversary Toyota Camry-I love the space motif, it works well, and isn’t over done. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia PFG/Academy Sport Toyota Camry-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

William Byron #24 Anduril Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Better color scheme than an A grade earns an A grade.

Austin Hill #33 Bank OZK Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A- grade.

Austin Hill #33 FICO Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A grade.

Todd Gilliland #34 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Patriotic Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, mediocre design scheme, this gets a C.

Todd Gilliland #34 Ruedbusch Development and Construction Ford Mustang-Good look, I like the cubes, and it’s not over designed. A

Zane Smith #38 Vermeer Midwest Ford Mustang-Getting rid of the patriotic stripe would elevate this to an A, this gets a B.

Zane Smith #38 Losi RC Ford Mustang-Good color scheme and awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Cole Custer #41 Haas/Standard Nuclear Ford Mustang-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Cole Custer #41 Sysco/Smoke Pit Ford Mustang-Not great, but a much better color scheme. B

Cole Custer #41 Air Lift Ford Mustang-A smooth look, a great color scheme, and this gets an A.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Raid/Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-The color scheme is the only thing giving this scheme anything higher than an F. D-

Erik Jones #43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Not bad, but a downgrade from the green scheme. C

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-The bottom design could be cleaned up for an A, but this gets a B.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Clemco Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Brazier Lumber Company Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Cody Ware #51 Super.com Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the fireworks would elevate this scheme to an A, but this gets a B.

Cody Ware #51 Sky Fund Aviation Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2026, black and white. AIt’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Mariano’s/Athletic Brewing Ford Mustang-Getting rid of the yellow would elevate this to an A. A-

Ryan Preece #60 SimpleTire Ford Mustang-A good look, orange and black are a good color scheme, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #6, same C grade.

Ryan Preece #60 Thornton’s Ford Mustang-Good color scheme plus awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Chad Finchum #66 Truan Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Corey Heim #67 Shield AI Toyota Camry-Good color scheme plus awful design scheme will always earn a C

Corey Heim #67 Field and Stream Toyota Camry-Good color scheme plus awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Michael McDowell #71 Delaware Life Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Not a great color scheme, white should replace gray. I also think that the car is a bit over designed. This gets a C.

Michael McDowell #71 NEFCO Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the white, and just going orange and blue would elevate this scheme to an A, this gets a B.

Carson Hocevar #77 Zeigler Auto Group Patriotic Chevy Camaro-The patriotic elements don’t really work, and this is a terrible look. F

BJ McLeod #78 Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Shane van Gisbergen #97 SuperFile Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Daniel Suarez #97 Wendy’s Chevy Camaro-The red elevates this from an F to a D.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-June 27, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Noah Gragson #4 Hard Rock Casino Tejon Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #38, same C grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry-It’s a bad look, the yellow is awful, and the white isn’t needed. It’s not terrible, so it gets a D.

AJ Allmendinger #16 EchoPark Automotive Chevy Camaro-A solid green would work much better. A-

Chris Buescher #17 Trimble/Liverpool FC Tea Ford Mustang-Good color scheme and awful design scheme average out to a C.

Christopher Bell #20 CRAFTSMAN Racing for a Miracle Toyota Camry-For a car designed by a small child, it’s a good look. A

Zane Smith #38 Michael Roberts Construction Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Brazier Lumber Company Ford Mustang-Too many designs. F

Ryan Preece #60 Consumer Cellular Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Carson Hocevar #77 Classic Collision Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the white would elevate this scheme to an A. With the white, this is an A-

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-June 20, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Kubota Patriotic Chevy Camaro-The aircraft motif works well here, and I can’t really complain. A

Austin Cindric #2 Menard’s/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Boot Barn Patriotic Chevy Camaro-The aircraft motif works well here, and I can’t really complain. A

Noah Gragson #4 Rush Truck Centers Patriotic Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Gold Filters Patriotic Chevy Camaro-This is a downgrade from both last years

Ty Dillon #10 The Fallen Outdoors Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Denny Hamlin #11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Patriotic Toyota Camry-Not better than the regular scheme, not worse, same C grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Body Guard Patriotic Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2026, black with patriotic elements. FAmazing that last year’s camo design is actually better than this year’s scheme. F

Josh Berry #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Patriotic Ford Mustang-Nothing wrong with this scheme. A

William Byron #24 Anduril Chevy Camaro-Good look, not over designed, this gets an A.

Austin Hill #33 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade

Zane Smith #38 Hard Rock Casino Tejon/Hard Rock Cafe Ford Mustang-Not really amazing, not really awful, this gets a C.

Cole Custer #41 Texas A&M University/George H.W. Bush Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 DriveValue.com Toyota Camry-Too many colors and too over designed, F

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Sycuan Casino and Resort Chevy Camaro-Mediocre design and mediocre color schemes combine for a C grade.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Changing the colors isn’t doing this scheme any favors, it’s still ugly and over designed. F

Ty Gibbs #54 Monster Energy Patriotic Toyota Camry-That bottom stripe is so awful, it takes an A scheme down to a C.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Scott 1000 Ford Mustang-It’s a great scheme but a bit of a downgrade from last year. A-

Casey Mears #62 Gracie Foundation Chevy Camaro-Too many colors and too over designed, F

Corey Heim #67 Mobil 1/O’Reilly Auto Parts Patriotic Toyota Camry-Reversing the red and blue makes this scheme worse, and takes a C down to a D.

Michael McDowell #71 Defense Unicorns Chevy Camaro-Meh design scheme, meh color scheme, just meh, this gets a C.

Carson Hocevar #77 Spectrum Patriotic Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Jimmie Johnson #84 Carvana Toyota Camry-I love the sunset motif, and I love the designs. This gets an A.

Connor Zilisch #88 Red Bull Chevy Camaro-I like the look, it’s done very well, this gets an A.

Kevin Magnussen #91 Qualcomm Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme plus an awful design scheme earns a C.

Shane van Gisbergen #97 Red Bull Chevy Camaro-I like the look, it’s done very well, this gets an A.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-June 13, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Lime Chevy Camaro-I like the look here. The green works well. A

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Ideal Door Ford Mustang–No change. A

Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Mobility Science Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Austin Dillon #3 BetMGM x Survivor Triple Challenge Chevy Camaro-The Survivor Triple Challenge aspect is awful, the BetMGM part looks good, this gets a C.

Noah Gragson #4 Ribbiot Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, awful design scheme, this gets a C.

Brad Keselowski #6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang-Mediocre design and mediocre color equal a C.

Daniel Suarez #7 Freeway Insurance/Roamly Chevy Camaro-Mediocre design and mediocre color equal a C.

Denny Hamlin #11 King’s Hawaiian Shake ‘Em Bites Toyota Camry-This is way too over designed to get anything more than an F.

Ryan Blaney #12 Wabash Throwback Ford Mustang-I like a very accurate throwback, and this is a great throwback. A

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Oscar Mayer/Rustik Oven Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Josh Berry #21 Capgemini Ford Mustang-I like the purple, but the blue really doesn’t work here, and the stripes don’t work. It’s not bad, not great, and it gets a C.

Bubba Wallace #23 Shady Rays Toyota Camry-Getting rid of the stripe will elevate this to an A. With the stripe, this gets an A-.

Austin Hill #33 Rebel Bourbon Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Austin Hill #33 zone Jalapeño Lime Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A- grade.

Todd Gilliland #34 Martin Transportation Systems Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Cole Custer #41 Air Lift Ford Mustang-Taking a good scheme and making it better will always earn an A.

JJ Yeley #44 Fanatics Casino Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-Taking a bad scheme and making it worse will always earn an F.

Cody Ware #51 Super.com Chevy Camaro-Taking a good scheme and making it better will always earn an A.

Cody Ware #51 Rocket Doctor Chevy Camaro-The yellow is awful, and clashes with the rest of the scheme, and the circles just don’t work. This is just awful and it gets an F.

Connor Zilisch #88 WeatherTech Camaro-Taking a good scheme and making it better will always earn an A.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-May 30, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Country Chevy Camaro-Not terrible, but a bit of a downgrade from the regular scheme. A-

Ryan Blaney #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang-Too over designed to be any good. F

AJ Allmendinger #16 Spire Academy powered by VensureHR Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme, and good design scheme will always. A

Chris Buescher #17 Castrol Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #6, same A grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 Hardee’s Throwback Toyota Camry-Unless something better comes along, this will win best throwback of the year, it’s that good! A

Austin Hill #33 BetMGM Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A grade. (Note: Kyle Busch’s grades will be averaged at the end of the year, and Austin Hill will be graded as his own team.)

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Dollar Tree Patriotic Toyota Camry-It’s a good look, and a step up from last year. A

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Chevy Camaro-Cleaning up the sides is a better look, however, the names over the logos and stripes gives the car a cluttered look. F

Erik Jones #43 Advent Health Patriotic Toyota Camry-The patriotic motif isn’t better, it isn’t worse, it’s still a B+

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 NOS Energy Chevy Camaro-Too ugly and over designed to get anything but an F.

Ryan Preece #60 Kroger/Celsius Ford Mustang-I like the new look, the black looks good, and this is a solid scheme. A

Chad Finchum #66 Garrison Homes Ford Mustang-I think the stripes are a bit over designed, but it’s still a solid scheme. A-

Corey Heim #67 Chief’s Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #71 Garner Trucking Chevy Camaro-Not terrible, but a downgrade from last year. B

Shane van Gisbergen #97 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy Camaro-This is the best that Tootsies Orchid Lounge has looked in years! A