Category: paint scheme grades

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 17, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Matt DiBenedetto #32 The Hurricane Heist Ford Fusion-The dark blue thunderstorm motif works very well, and the car has a great look. I give it an A.

Kyle Larson #42 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-This is an over designed car, with a decent color scheme. Seriously, how can the DC Solar designers take an already over designed car and over design it even more? The only thing keeping this grade above water is a good color scheme. D-

Mark Thompson #66 Phoenix Air Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 10, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jeffery Earnhardt #00 VRX Racing Simulators Chevy Camaro-I like the blue and silver color scheme, it works well with the white. I don’t like the side designs, I think they are overdone. All things considered, I give it a C.

Danica Patrick #7 GoDaddy/Warriors By Danica Chevy Camaro-The green design is smooth, but I don’t like the black rear. It takes away from the overall look. It’s a minor complaint, and the scheme earns an A-.

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dew Chevy Camaro-It’s a great look, with a great color scheme, and it earns an A.

Erik Jones #20 Circle K Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as last year, same A grade.

Landon Cassill #34 Love’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #37 Kleenex Chevy Camaro-Another silver, blue, and white color scheme that is over designed to the point of being ridiculous. It just doesn’t look good from a design perspective. The color scheme is good, so I’ll give it a C.

David Ragan #38 Speedco Ford Fusion-The shade of blue and the shade of yellow work very well, and the design works very well too. It’s worth an A.

Justin Marks #51 Keens Buildings Chevy Camaro-The scheme is too over designed, and while the color scheme is decent, it’s just a mess, and it gets a D+.

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore Chevy Camaro-Reversing the black and white does nothing to fix this scheme. F

DJ Kennington #96 Lordco Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as last year, same C- grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 3, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Blaney #12 PPG Ford Fusion-The color scheme looks good and the paint drip motif works well. All in all, a great scheme.A

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion-The removal of the white works very well, and the rest of the color scheme works very well too. Not a bad look at all.A

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Ruckus Toyota Camry-The smooth look, combined with a great shade of orange, and good logos will always earn an A.

Erik Jones #20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry-The vertical black fade to red works very well, and the smooth look and great color scheme earns an A.

Michael McDowell #34 Love’s Truck Stops/Speedco Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #34 K-Love Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-January 27, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-The color scheme is good, but the design scheme is cluttered. If cleaned up, it could work much better. B-

Chase Elliott #9 Kelly Blue Book Chevy Camaro-Reversing the colors from last year could have worked, but the design is a bit cluttered. The design scheme could work with a red car, but it isn’t as good as a blue scheme. All things considered, I give it a C.

David Ragan #38 Shriner’s Children’s Hospital Ford Fusion-The shades of red and blue are good, and the stripe looks good too. It’s an all around good look, and earns an A.

Kyle Larson #42 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-See Jamie McMurray above. B-

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 STP Chevy Camaro-My one complaint about this scheme is the silver on the borders. The silver is tacky, and takes an A scheme down to an A-.

David Gilliland #92 Carquest/Black’s Tire Ford Fusion-The wave motif could work with a different color scheme, and whatever those yellow things on the wave are, they are visually distracting. It could be better, but this scheme earns a C-.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-January 20, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Blaney #12 Dex Imaging Ford Fusion-The Penske Template works well with red and white. Red as the primary color works well too. It’s an all-around great scheme, and earns an A.

William Byron #24 UniFirst Chevy Camaro-The scheme is clunkier than last year, the side designs could be cleaned up a bit. Still, it’s not horrible, so I’ll give it a B-.

Brendan Gaughan #62 Beard Oil/South Point Chevy Camaro-The car has a great color scheme, and the design scheme looks really good too. A

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-January 13, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna Chevy Camaro-Love the black and dark blue, the design scheme works, and the car looks great! A

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy Camaro-They took a great design, and just needlessly over designed it. The wave form could work, but it just doesn’t. It’s not horrible, so I’ll give it a C-.

Daniel Suarez #19 Peak Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford Fusion-It has a great color scheme, and the design scheme looks really good here. Nothing bad to say. A

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-January 6, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 GearWrench Chevy Camaro-Major improvement from last year. Much less cluttered look with a great color scheme, which earns an A.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Auto Trader Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Austin Dillon #3 AAA Chevy SS-The shade of red is really good, and the track pattern works will on the sides as well. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy Johns Ford Fusion-Reversing the scheme works well, this new scheme looks really good, and I can’t complain. A

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Ford Fusion-Black usually works well for a paint scheme, and this is no exception. Add in some great stripes, and a great color scheme, and this scheme is worth an A.

Trevor Bayne #6 Performance Plus Motor Oil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Chase Elliott #9 Sun Energy Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Duracel/Menard’s Ford Fusion-Please let this be the new Menard’s template! This is an amazing looking scheme! Great color scheme, and a great design scheme! A

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Chevy Camaro-The cutting edge design doesn’t work well here, it’s just design for design’s sake. Last year, Geico earned an A, this year it earns a C.

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Millitary Chevy Camaro-The slight changes do nothing to help this scheme. It keeps the F it had last year.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford Fusion-While I was a fan of the old Fastenal scheme, this new version looks really good, and I can’t really say anything bad about it.A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Toyota Camry-Taking the silver out of the scheme works well, and while the old scheme works well, this scheme works well too. A

Erik Jones #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2018, same as #12. A

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D- grade.

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Ryan Newman #31 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Chevy Camaro-Its a decent color scheme, but it’s a bit over designed. Reversing the black and the red could improve this scheme. C-

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Chevy Camaro-Cleaning up this scheme works well, and the new design has a smooth look, with a good color scheme. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Air Force Chevy Camaro-Taking a good scheme, and adding in a new black stripe could be either bad or good. In this setting, it works well. A

Alex Bowman #88 Axalta Chevy Camaro-It’s an ugly, over designed mess, but it’s ugly and over designed in a new way. What I’m trying to say is that it’s ugly and over designed. F

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore Chevy Camaro-Last year’s scheme was a great looking scheme. This year, it’s an over designed mess, that doesn’t look good. Why Kasey thinks he is a design genius is only known to him, but his designs suck. F

The Driver Suit Blog-The Final Paint Scheme Grades Of 2017-November 25, 2017

By David G. Firestone

First a 2018 Scheme…

Daniel Suarez #19 Stanley Toyota Camry-It’s an over designed mess with too many different design elements to really look good.  The only thing keeping this scheme above water is a great color scheme. D-

Now on to 2017 schemes…

Matt Kenseth #20 DeWalt Final Race Toyota Camry-I like the idea of a driver racing their final race with the scheme they started racing in.  I especially like it when the scheme is a smooth scheme with a great look.  This is a great scheme. A

David Ragan #38 The Weather Channel Ford Fusion-The Front Row template works very well with sky blue and white. It’s a great look, and has a great color scheme, so it naturally gets an A.

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One/DC Solar Chevy SS-It’s a bit over done, though it’s not terrible.  I think this could work better if it was a fade as opposed to cutting edge designs.  It is a decent scheme, so I’ll give it a B-.

Kyle Weatherman #51 P2 Patrick Peterson Chevy SS-There is nothing bad I can say about this scheme.  It has a great look, and a great design. A

David Starr #66 Eureka Chevy SS-The design has been revamped, the car has a better look as a result.  Throw in a great color scheme, and you have a scheme worth an A.

Joey Gase #83 Premier Millwright Toyota Camry-BK Racing seems to take joy in over designing their cars.  This is one such example.  While it does have a mediocre color scheme, the side design is beyond overdone, and has a horrible look.  I hate this look, and it earns an F.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 18, 2017

By David G. Firestone

First some 2018 schemes…

William Byron #9 Hooters Chevy Camaro-Hooters has a good color scheme, and while this is a new look, it’s not an improvement.  I think it could be better if the whole car was orange, and the white was limited to numbers and logos.  Still, it’s not terrible, so I’ll give it a B-.

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods Ford Fusion-The black and white slash pattern is a good look, and the car has an amazing look.  I’ll give it an A.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Click N Close Ford Fusion-The shade of blue works well, and the design works well.  It’s an all around great look. A

Now on to the 2017 schemes…

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Veterans Ford Fusion-New scheme for 2017, same as regular Miller Lite scheme, but with names of deceased veterans on side. A

Austin Dillon #3 Realtree Chevy SS-White with camoflague is not a good look, and while the design would work with another color it doesn’t work with white.  I’ll give it a D-

Joey Gase #7 Eternal Fan Chevy SS-I think that the blue could be darker, but the whole car has a good look, and it works very well. A-

Clint Bowyer #14 Damnation Ford Fusion-The field motif is a bold look, but it works well.  The color and design work well.  It’s an all around great look.  A

DJ Kennington #15 Northern Provincial Pipelines LTD Chevy SS-The Canadian flag motif works very well here, the color and design scheme work well, and the scheme gets the A is deserves.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Robert Yates Tribute Ford Fusion-The 1990’s Texaco scheme works very well, and this tribute car works well, with the color and design faithful to the original.  It’s worth an A.

Corey LaJoie #23 Beardfresh/Earthwater Toyota Camry-The solid black matte look is the best that Earthwater has looked all year. A

Ryan Newman #31 Cat Minstar Chevy SS-While I’m not big on the cutting edge designs that CAT has used, the Minestar color scheme works well with the look.  It’s a great look. A

Kyle Larson #42 Refresh Chevy SS-There are two different designs in play here, either one would work well by itself, but together, the wave form and the fade creates a cluttered look. The color scheme is decent, so I’ll give it a C.

David Starr #66 Eureka Chevy SS-While this scheme would normally get an A, the vaccum design looks a lot like race damage, and it takes an A scheme down to a B-.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 11, 2017

By David G. Firestone

First some 2018 schemes…

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Ford Fusion-Discount Tire always has great looking cars, and this is no exception. It’s a smooth look, it has a great color scheme, and it earns an A.

Ryan Newman #31 Liberty National Chevy Camaro-It’s a horrible shade of green, with a decent shade of blue. The look is awful, it’s a bad design, and I can’t give it anything but an F.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger Chevy Camaro-L like the color scheme, but the design scheme, while decent, is a bit over-designed. It’s worth a B-.

Now on to the 2017 schemes.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Olympics Chevy SS-The winter motif and new color scheme work very well here, it’s a good look. A

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips/Justice League Chevy SS-The red and gold look is really good. The design scheme works very well too. It’s an all around great look. A

Joey Gase #7 Donate Life Chevy SS-The hood design works very well, but the side design is another story. It’s an ugly, over designed mess, with a decent color scheme. All things considered, it earns a C-.

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Patriotic Ford Fusion-Adding patriotic elements doesn’t do that much to help the scheme. It is the same F grade as the regular Aspen Dental scheme.

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush Truck Stops/Mobil Delvac Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Rush Truck Stops, same A grade.

Matt Kenseth #20 Xfinity Toyota Camry-It’s a bold look, not over designed, and has a great color scheme. It works very well. A

Ray Black Jr.#51 Scubalife Chevy SS-The whole motif works very well, and the color scheme is good. For some reason, water motifs on cars work well. Anyway, it’s worth an A.

David Starr #66 Moore Freight Service Chevy SS-A simple look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Gray Gaulding #83 The Country Network/Earthwater Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Earthwater, same F grade.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.#88 Nationwide/Justice League Chevy SS-The black Justice League motif works very well, and the scheme as a whole is a great look. I can’t give this anything less than an A.