Category: paint scheme grades

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Schem Grades-January 2, 2016

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Beechcraft Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, but the design scheme needs work. I think the stripes should be toned down. Still, it’s not a terrible scheme, certainly worth a B+.

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

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth 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.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Cheerios Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Kasey Kahne #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade.

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same D+ grade.

Kasey Kahne #5 Liftmaster Chevy SS-When I heard that Liftmaster had a new scheme for 2016, I thought there would be some improvement. Sadly what we got could at best be described as “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” It’s still a cluttered mess, just a different kind of cluttered mess. I’ll give it a C

Alex Bowman #7 Road Rippers Chevy SS-Whenever I have to sum up a paint scheme by saying it’s a professionally designed scheme that looks like it was designed by a 5 year-old boy, it will earn an F.

Danica Patrick #10 Nature’s Pride Pumpkin Spice Chevy SS-It’s the same basic scheme as Nature’s Pride, and like Nature’s Pride, it has a good look, and a good color scheme. A+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry–Same scheme as last year, though with a slight redesign, same A+ grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry–Same scheme as last year, though with a slight redesign, same A+ grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry– Same scheme as last year, though with a slight redesign, same A+ grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, though with a slight redesign, same A+ grade.

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1 Chevy SS-It appears that Bass Pro Shops will not be back with Stewart Haas in 2016, so Mobil 1 will have a stand along scheme. The Pegasus wing is bold design, but it works quite well, and looks very good. Add in a great color scheme, and this scheme earns an A+.

Tony Stewart #14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevy SS–Same scheme as last year, though with a slight redesign, same A+ grade.

Tony Stewart #14 Rush Truck Stops/Mobil 1 Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, though with a slight redesign, same A+ grade.

Greg Bffle #16 Cheez-its Ford Fusion-I like what Cheez-It’s has done here. The look is still good, and the wider stripe doesn’t take away from it at all. A+

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Chevy SS-Same basic scheme as last year, same A- grade.F

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year same B+ grade.

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year same A grade.

Matt Kenseth #20 Dollar General Toytota Camry-Removing the black stripe at the very bottom looks so much better. I wish I could give it a higher grade. A+

Matt Kenseth #20 DeWalt USA Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Chase Elliott #24 3M Chevy SS-The color scheme works very well, but the needless design on the sides isn’t a good look. Still, the car is as a whole is decent, and I’ll give it a B+

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Moen Chevy SS-If this is the route that Moen would take with the car, I would have preferred that the car be black, with yellow stripes, instead of the black front/yellow rear. It looks like two different people designed the car. The Menard’s template normally looks good, but I can’t stand this. I’ll give it a B-

Ryan Newman #31 Cat Chevy SS–Same basic scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Ryan Newman #31 Granger Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same B + grade.

Kurt Busch #41 Monster Energy Chevy SS– Same scheme as last year same A+ grade.

Kurt Busch #41 Haas Automation Chevy SS-A great fade, a great color scheme, and a great design will earn an A+.

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield Ford Fusion– The red roof number looks much better than the yellow one, and it takes a B+ grade up to an A-.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Chevy SS– Same scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Chevy SS– Same scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same C- grade.

Kurt Busch #41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevy SS–A great fade, a great color scheme, and a great design will earn an A+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Axalta Chevy SS-Bold move going with a vertical fade. Axalta’s first car not driven by Jeff Gordon has a bold look for sure, and it has a good look. The color scheme is great, and the design looks great. A+

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The Driver Suit Blog-2015 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 4-The Grand Finale

By David G. Firestone

The Executive Paint Scheme Ranking Committee has had our final meeting. While I made the decisions, Alejandro slept on my lap and occasionally woke up and purred. All 49 teams are having their paint schemes ranked this week, so here we go:

1-FURNITURE ROW RACING #78 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:4th of 55-Black matte with orange numbers works. The ovarian cancer theme is very justifiable, as Truex’s wife is dealing with ovarian cancer. The #78 has earned the top spot.

2-FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #35 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:28th of 55-Front Row’s new team started their existence with a slew of great schemes. All of them are smooth, simple and great.

3-RAB RACING #29 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:16th of 55-Only one scheme, and it was a great one!

4-WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:1st of 55 I thought that the Snap On memories scheme wasn’t as good as it could be,but other than that, The Wood Brothers had a great season.

5-JTG DAUGHTERY RACING #47 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year: 15th of 55-A lot of great looks, but Bush’s kept them out of the top five in The Leaderboard.

6-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year: 36th of 55-Jeff’s last season in NASCAR was one of his best looking. The Penn State Scheme kept Jeff from taking the top spot, but a solid season nonetheless.

7-STEWART-HAAS RACING #4 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:5th of 55-Kevin had a great season, though the disaster that is Hunt Brothers Pizza dragged his ranking from 2nd, possibly first to Fourth in the Chevy Leaderboard.

8-JOE GIBBS RACING #11 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:24th of 55-Four brand new, amazing FedEx schemes, a mediocre SportClips scheme, and one mediocre SportClips throwback scheme.

9-JOE GIBBS RACING #20 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:33rd of 55-SportClips didn’t do the really good set of schemes any favors.

10-PHIL PARSONS RACING/PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #98-Rank Last Year:31st of 55-Due to the midseason switch, the #98 will be ranked in Chevy, Ford AND Toyota. Ran a lot of good schemes, except the Xyience scheme, and the modified scheme with sponsors.

11-TEAM PENSKE #2 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:6th of 55 Detroit Gasket drags down what could easily have been the top pick for 2015. Other than that, no complaints.

12-MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #15 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:44th of 55-I was much too harsh on the 15 last year, and looking at the schemes this year, they are all defendable. I did give extra credit for the hand-painted Buddy Baker scheme.

13-PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #62-Rank Last Year:N/A-Due to the midseason switch, the #98 will be ranked in Chevy, and Ford-A lot of solid schemes, though Vydrox and Low T Central were a bit too much.

14-FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:32nd of 55 While there weren’t a lot of new schemes, the new ones, as well as the camo schemes were not great.

15-LEVINE FAMILY RACING #95 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:13th of 55-Another top contender ruined by one scheme, this one Larry the Lobster. Other than Larry, the schemes are great.

16-FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:20th of 55-Front Row uses a template that usually works well, but modifying for Bully Hill didn’t work, and no escape was a disaster.

17-MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #55 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:3rd of 55-New Aaron’s scheme isn’t that great. The Throwback is amazing!

18-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #25 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:N/A-Chase Elliott, who is taking over for Jeff Gordon in 2016, used the #25 to get some Cup experience. The NAPA scheme by itself is not bad, but the fauxback Bill Elliott scheme is a disaster.

19-CIRCLE SPORT RACING #33 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:38th of 55-Science Logic and Pinkwashing derailed what was otherwise a great looking year for Circle Sport.

20-RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:11th of 55-The Nathan’s color scheme does not work well with the Petty color scheme, and the Fresh From Florida scheme is awful. The majority of schemes are good though.

21-TMG RACING #30 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:N/A-Smokey Mountain Snuff is awful, plain car with no sponsor is great.

22-JOE GIBBS RACING #19 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:N/A-Nothing really horrible here, though there are many mediocre schemes here.

23-HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #51 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:30th of 55-If the car is running a Brandt scheme it looks good, anything else looks terrible.

24-HILLMAN-SMITH MOTORSPORTS #40 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:27th of 55-The schemes were all over the place this year, but this team has had a lot of good looks.

25-CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:18th of 55-The plaid, Energizer, camo and Clorox sank them this season, otherwise they looked really good.

26-RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:36th of 55-Part of the problem of using a template is that it can backfire on you, and that is exactly what has happened here. The Menard’s template works well with some color schemes, but terribly with others. The Pittsburgh Paints scheme is horrible by itself.

27-RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #33 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:38th of 55-White Tail Lodge, Spongebob, and Kraft dragged down an otherwise great season.

28-HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #46 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:N/A-A lot of good schemes and a lot of bad schemes is the story of the #46 season.

29-BK RACING #83 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:25th of 55-Many new schemes and sponsors, and they were all over the place. When taking everything into account, I can say that they aren’t horrible.

30-BK RACING #23 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:8th of 55-VooDoo, Overture, and Pinkwashing take a decent grade down to a mediocre grade. Otherwise there is a lot of decent schemes here.

31-RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:49th of 55-Some great schemes, but the bad schemes dragged down the final grade.

32-ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #16 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:54th of 55-3M leaving was the best thing that happened to Greg Biffle, especially on this list, though Pinkwashing, Safety Kleen, and Jardiance do drag it down.

33-ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:35th of 55-Zest and EcoBoost are awful, and dragged Ricky out of a top spot.

34-ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:10th of 55-Camo and Pinkwashing kill a great rank, including one of my favorite throwbacks outside of Jeff Gordon’s.

35-JOE GIBBS RACING #18 TOYOTA CAMRY-Rank last year:4th of 55-A lot of changes in paint schemes, some good, some awful, many mediocre.

36-CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:12th of 55-McDonalds was either great or awful. Add a pinkwashing scheme, Bass Pro Shops, and Bad Boy Buggies, and they are ranked much lower than they should be.

37-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:51st of 55-When Kasey has a good scheme, it is still mediocre, and he didn’t have a great scheme all year.

38-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:2nd of 55-Completely changing their look dragged down Jimmie’s grade. On a separate note, I do think the yellow tribute numbers should stay, since they look better than the white numbers.

39-GO GREEN RACING #32 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:46th of 55-The most different paint schemes of any team in 2015, they ranged from amazing, a great throwback, to vomit inducing.

40-RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #9 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:41st of 55-Like Go Green, the #9 ran a lot of paint schemes, some were great, but many were awful. I really hope whoever drives the #9 next year helps tone it down.

41-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:17th of 55-With the exception of Dewshine, everything that Mountain Dew ran was average to awful. Nationwide is decent, but Halo was awful.

42-STEWART-HAAS RACING #14 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:47th of 55-Not much change in terms of sponsors. In terms of car design, there were a lot of changes this year. But with the exception of Rush’s, they were all mediocre to awful.

43-TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year: 48th of 55-The car looks so much better without a sponsor on average, it isn’t even funny.

44-TEAM XTREME RACING #44 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:53rd of 55-Not even the addition of Golden Corral could save Team Xtreme Racing. I’m glad I don’t have to see that Phoenix Warehouse scheme anymore!

45-TEAM PENSKE #22 FORD FUSION-Rank Last Year:42nd of 55-The Mario Andretti throwback, and the Helio Castroneves mockup were great, but sadly, those were the only highlights of the season for the 22 crew.

46-STEWART-HAAS RACING #10 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year: 52nd of 55-Hideous design, awful color choices, and pinkwashing…need I say more?

47-PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66-Rank Last Year:N/A-Another example of when a car looks so much better without a sponsor on average, it isn’t even funny.

48-GERMAIN RACING #13 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:50th of 55-No redeeming schemes at all here.

49-STEWART-HAAS RACING #41 CHEVY SS-Rank Last Year:9th of 55-Due to the driver’s actions toward his then girlfriend at Dover, the #41 has earned the bottom ranking.ICHAEL WALTRIP RACING,TMG RACING, BK RACING,

The Driver Suit Blog-2015 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 3-Toyota

By David G. Firestone

The Executive Paint Scheme Ranking Committee(I should pick a different committee name next year) has met for another round of meetings to determine the Toyota Leaderboard for 2015. While Alejandro looked at me sarcastically when I asked his opinion, we got the job done. Here are Toyota’s rankings for 2015.

1-RAB RACING #29-Rank last year: 5th of 13-Only one scheme, and it was a great one!

2-JOE GIBBS RACING #11-Rank last year:6th of 13-Four brand new, amazing FedEx schemes, a-mediocre SportClips scheme, and one mediocre SportClips throwback scheme.

3-JOE GIBBS RACING #20-Rank last year:8th of 13-SportClips didn’t do the really good set of schemes any favors.

4-MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #15-Rank last year:12th of 13-I was much too harsh on the 15 last year, and looking at the schemes this year, they are all defendable. I did give extra credit for the hand-painted Buddy Baker scheme.

5-MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #55-Rank last year:1st of 13-New Aaron’s scheme isn’t that great. The Throwback is amazing!

6-TMG RACING #30-Rank last year:N/A-Smokey Mountain Snuff is awful, plain car with no sponsor is great.

7-JOE GIBBS RACING #19-Rank last year:N/A-Nothing really horrible here, though there are many mediocre schemes here.

8-BK RACING #83-Rank last year:7th of 13-Many new schemes and sponsors, and they were all over the place. When taking everything into account, I can say that they aren’t horrible.

9-BK RACING #23-Rank last year:3rd of 13-VooDoo, Overture, and Pinkwashing take a decent grade down to a mediocre grade. Otherwise there is a lot of decent schemes here.

10-BK RACING #26-Rank last year:4th of 13-The many awful schemes here take them to back of the pack. Not even the great schemes can save it.

11-JOE GIBBS RACING #18-Rank last year:2nd of 13-A lot of changes in paint schemes, some good, some awful, many mediocre.

12-BK RACING #26-Rank last year:4th of 13-The many awful schemes here take them to back of the pack. Not even the great schemes can save it.

13-PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66-Rank last year:13th of 13-Awful last year, awful this year.

Next week, All 49 schemes will be ranked in the Grand Finale!

The Driver Suit Blog-2015 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 2-Ford

By David G. Firestone

The Executive Paint Scheme Ranking Committee has met for a second time. Alejandro decided to sleep through the proceedings, since he has to sleep for 18 hours a day. Anyway, this week the Committee has voted on Ford’s rankings for 2015, and here they are.

1-FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #35-Rank Last Year:8th of 17-Front Row’s new team started their existence with a slew of great schemes. All of them are smooth, simple and great.

2-WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21-Rank Last Year:1st of 17-I thought that the Snap On memories scheme wasn’t as good as it could be,but other than that, The Wood Brothers had a great season.

3-PHIL PARSONS RACING/PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #98-Rank Last Year:10th of 17-Due to the midseason switch, the #98 will be ranked in Chevy, Ford AND Toyota. Ran a lot of good schemes, except the Xyience scheme, and the modified scheme with sponsors.

4-TEAM PENSKE #2-Rank Last Year:2nd of 17-Detroit Gasket drags down what could easily have been the top pick for 2015. Other than that, no complaints.

5-PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #62-Rank Last Year:N/A-Due to the midseason switch, the #98 will be ranked in Chevy, and Ford-A lot of solid schemes, though Vydrox and Low T Central were a bit too much.

6-FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38-Rank Last Year:11th of 17-While there weren’t a lot of new schemes, the new ones, as well as the camo schemes were not great.

7-LEVINE FAMILY RACING #95-Rank Last Year:5th of 17-Another top contender ruined by one scheme, this one Larry the Lobster. Other than Larry, the schemes are great.

8-FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34-Rank Last Year:6th of 17-Front Row uses a template that usually works well, but modifying for Bully Hill didn’t work, and no escape was a disaster.

9-RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43-Rank Last Year:4th of 17-The Nathan’s color scheme does not work well with the Petty color scheme, and the Fresh From Florida scheme is awful. The majority of schemes are good though.

10-ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #16-Rank Last Year:17th of 17-3M leaving was the best thing that happened to Greg Biffle, especially on this list, though Pinkwashing, Safety Kleen, and Jardiance do drag it down.

11-ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17-Rank Last Year:12th of 17-Zest and EcoBoost are awful, and dragged Ricky out of a top spot.

12-ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6-Rank Last Year:N/A-Camo and Pinkwashing kill a great rank, including one of my favorite throwbacks outside of Jeff Gordon’s.

13-GO GREEN RACING #32-Rank Last Year:16th of 17-The most different paint schemes of any team in 2015, they ranged from amazing, a great throwback, to vomit inducing.

14-RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #9-Rank Last Year:13th of 17-Like Go Green, the #9 ran a lot of paint schemes, some were great, but many were awful. I really hope whoever drives the #9 next year helps tone it down.

15-TEAM PENSKE #22-Rank Last Year:14th of 17-The Mario Andretti throwback, and the Helio Castroneves mockup were great, but sadly, those were the only highlights of the season for the 22 crew.

Next week, The Toyota Leaderboard! See you soon!

The Driver Suit Blog-2015 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 1-Chevy

By David G. Firestone

It’s that time of year, so, here we are again, ranking the Chevy paint schemes. The Executive Paint Scheme Ranking Committee, consisting of myself and my cat Alejandro have ranked all 24 of Chevy’s paint schemes. Alejandro was of little use, having found a catnip toy. Anyway, with no further ado, the Chevy Paint Scheme Leaderboard for 2015

1-FURNITURE ROW RACING #78-Rank Last Year:5th of 25-Black matte with orange numbers works. The ovarian cancer theme is very justifiable, as Truex’s wife is dealing with ovarian cancer. The #78 has earned the top spot.

2-JTG DAUGHTERY RACING #47-Rank Last Year: 10th of 25-A lot of great looks, but Bush’s kept them out of the top spot in Chevy.

3-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24-Rank Last Year: 11th of 25-Jeff’s last season in NASCAR was one of his best looking. The Penn State Scheme kept Jeff from taking the top spot, but a solid season nonetheless.

4-STEWART-HAAS RACING #4-Rank Last Year:2nd of 25-Kevin had a great season, though the disaster that is Hunt Brothers Pizza dragged his ranking from 2nd, possibly first to Fourth in the Chevy Leaderboard.

5-PHIL PARSONS RACING/PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #98-Rank Last Year: N/A-Due to the midseason switch, the #98 will be ranked in Chevy, Ford AND Toyota. Ran a lot of good schemes, except the Xyience scheme, and the modified scheme with sponsors.

6-PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #62-Rank Last Year:N/A-Due to the midseason switch, the #98 will be ranked in Chevy, and Ford-A lot of solid schemes, though Vydrox and Low T Central were a bit too much.

7-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #25-Rank Last Year: N/A-Chase Elliott, who is taking over for Jeff Gordon in 2016, used the #25 to get some Cup experience. The NAPA scheme by itself is not bad, but the fauxback Bill Elliott scheme is a disaster.

8-CIRCLE SPORT RACING #33-Rank Last Year:16th of 25-Science Logic and Pinkwashing derailed what was otherwise a great looking year for Circle Sport.

9-HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #51-Rank Last Year:5th of 25-If the car is running a Brandt scheme it looks good, anything else looks terrible.

10-HILLMAN-SMITH MOTORSPORTS #40-Rank Last Year:14th of 25-The schemes were all over the place this year, but this team has had a lot of good looks.

11-CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42-Rank Last Year:8th of 25-The plaid, Energizer, camo and Clorox sank them this season, otherwise they looked really good.

12-RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27-Rank Last Year:15th of 25-Part of the problem of using a template is that it can backfire on you, and that is exactly what has happened here. The Menard’s template works well with some color schemes, but terribly with others. The Pittsburgh Paints scheme is horrible by itself.

13-RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #33-Rank Last Year:16th of 25-White Tail Lodge, Spongebob, and Kraft dragged down an otherwise great season.

14-HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #46-Rank Last Year:N/A-A lot of good schemes and a lot of bad schemes is the story of the #46 season.

15-RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3-Rank Last Year:21st of 25- Some great schemes, but the bad schemes dragged down the final grade.

16-CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1-Rank Last Year:5th of 25-McDonalds was either great or awful. Add a pinkwashing scheme, Bass Pro Shops, and Bad Boy Buggies, and they are ranked much lower than they should be.

17-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5-Rank Last Year:23rd of 25-When Kasey has a good scheme, it is still mediocre, and he didn’t have a great scheme all year.

18-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48-Rank Last Year:1st of 25-Completely changing their look dragged down Jimmie’s grade. On a separate note, I do think the yellow tribute numbers should stay, since they look better than the white numbers.

19-HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88-Rank Last Year:7th of 25-With the exception of Dewshine, everything that Mountain Dew ran was average to awful. Nationwide is decent, but Halo was awful.

20-STEWART-HAAS RACING #14-Rank Last Year:19th of 25-Not much change in terms of sponsors. In terms of car design, there were a lot of changes this year. But with the exception of Rush’s, they were all mediocre to awful.

21-TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7-Rank Last Year: 20th of 25-The car looks so much better without a sponsor on average, it isn’t even funny.

22-TEAM XTREME RACING #44-Rank Last Year:25th of 25-Not even the addition of Golden Corral could save Team Xtreme Racing. I’m glad I don’t have to see that Phoenix Warehouse scheme anymore!

23-STEWART-HAAS RACING #10-Rank Last Year: 24th of 25-Hideous design, awful color choices, and pinkwashing…need I say more?

24-PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66-Rank Last Year:N/A-Another example of when a car looks so much better without a sponsor on average, it isn’t even funny.

25-GERMAIN RACING #13-Rank Last Year:22nd of 25- No redeeming schemes at all here.

26-STEWART-HAAS RACING #41-Rank Last Year:3rd of 25-Due to the driver’s actions toward his then girlfriend at Dover, the #41 has earned the bottom ranking.

Next Week, We do The Ford Leaderboard… See you then!

FURNITURE ROW RACING,JTG DAUGHTERY RACING,HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS,STEWART-HAAS RACING,PHIL PARSONS RACING,PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS,CIRCLE SPORT RACING,HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS,HILLMAN-SMITH MOTORSPORTS,CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM, RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING, TOMMY BALDWIN RACING,TEAM XTREME RACING,GERMAIN RACING,

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 28, 2015

By David G. Firestone

Kyle Larson #42 Target Plain Chevy SS-I really hope the plaid thing is done with, because these cars are brutal to look at. D-

Ryan Preece #98 Mowhawk/East West Marine Chevy SS-The sponsorship destroys an otherwise solid scheme, taking it from an A to a B+.

With that, my winter sabbatical begins. I will occasionally update the tracker and grades, but for the most part, I’m going to decompress, and enjoy the holiday season. The paint scheme leaderboard will go ahead as planned. I want to thank you for another successful year, and see you in 2016!

The Driver Suit Blog-The 3rd Annual Paint Scheme Awards!

CIMG1130

By David G. Firestone

For the end of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season, the Paint Schemies have returned! The Schemies will reveal the best,and worst paint schemes of 2015. I’ve eliminated the exhibition and improved categories for 2015, with exhibition replaced by throwback paint scheme.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 Alejandro, 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.

CIMG1130 - CopyFirst, the Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme .

The nominees are:

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy SS

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Lyons Financial Ford Fusion

Matt DiBenedetto #83 Voodoo Grills Toyota Camry

The Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to…

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Lyons Financial Ford Fusion

The next award is for Worst Paint Scheme Set, meaning the team that is running consistently bad schemes all year. The nominees are:

GERMAIN RACING #13 CHEVY SS

TEAM PENSKE #22 FORD FUSION

BK RACING #26 TOYOTA CAMRY

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66

The The winner of the Award For Worst Scheme Set of 2015 goes to…

GERMAIN RACING #13 CHEVY SS

The next Paint Schemie Award is for Throwback Paint Schemes. This category is a little different, as the Schemies will go to the best and worst throwback. For 2015, the nominees for Worst Throwback Paint Scheme are…

Chase Elliott #25 NAPA Fauxback Chevy SS

Denny Hamlin #11 Sport Clips Throwback Toyota Camry

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Winn Dixie Throwback Ford Fusion

The Schemie for Worst Throwback Paint Scheme of 2015 goes to…

Chase Elliott #25 NAPA Fauxback Chevy SS

Now after talking about the bad, we discuss the good. Here are the winners in the best category…

CIMG1130First, the Paint Schemie Award for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevy SS

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Toyota Camry

Matt Kenseth #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft/Quicklane Ford Fusion

Jeff Gordon #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS

David Ragan #34 CSX Ford Fusion

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Windows 10 Chevy SS

And the winner of the Paint Schemie Award for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme is…

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft/Quicklane Ford Fusion

The next category is best throwback, and it should come as no surprise that the competition was strong this year.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Genuine Draft Ford Fusion

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Mark Martin Throwback Ford Fusion

Clint Bowyer #15 Buddy Baker Throwback Toyota Camry

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Cargil David Pearson Throwback Ford Fusion

Jeb Burton #23 Estes Cat Throwback Toyota Camry

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta Throwback Chevy SS

Josh Wise #32 Beer Frost/Corvetteparts.com Tide Throwback Ford Fusion

Mike Bliss #33 Harry Gant Throwback Chevy SS

Kyle Larson #42 Mello Yello Chevy SS

Aric Almirola #43 STP 1972 Throwback Ford Fusion

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Valvoline Buddy Baker Throwback Chevy SS

The Schemie for Best Throwback of 2015 goes to…

Clint Bowyer #15 Buddy Baker Throwback Toyota Camry

The final award of 2014 is the Paint Schemie for Best Paint Scheme Set of 2015. The nominees are:

TEAM PENSKE #2 FORD FUSION

JOE GIBBS RACING #11 TOYOTA CAMRY

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #15 TOYOTA CAMRY

JOE GIBBS RACING #20 TOYOTA CAMRY

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21 FORD FUSION

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24 CHEVY SS

RAB RACING #29 TOYOTA CAMRY

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #35 FORD FUSION

JTG DAUGHTERY RACING #47 CHEVY SS

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78 CHEVY SS

PHIL PARSONS RACING/PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #98

The Schemie goes to…

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78 CHEVY SS

Now for my annual top 10 list, this year, we are looking at the 10 worst paint schemes of all time…

10. Tony Stewart 2011 #14 El Monterey/Office Depot Chevy Impala-Dark red, Petty blue, and gold do not work as a color scheme.

9.Jimmie Johnson 2013 #48 Yellow Lowe’s Chevy SS-As awful as this scheme is, at least he didn’t wear a yellow uniform, or he would look like a peep, though I do like the chrome helmet.

8. AJ Allmendinger 2003 #51 Neil Bonnett Tribute Chevy SS-This scheme worked in 1994, and really should have stayed there. Also, you couldn’t have used throwback door numbers?

7. Marty Robbins 1978 #42 Marty Robbins Dodge-As deomnstrated above, pink and yellow is NOT a good color scheme.

6. Any paint scheme run by Travis Pastrana in NASCAR-This is just a representation, but anything Travis Pastrana has driven in NASCAR is awful.

5. Brian Keselowsk 2014 #52 Support Millitary Toyota Camry-There is a reason this scheme won the Worst Single Scheme Schemie for two years in a row.

4. Jeff Green 2003 #43 Yu-Gi-Oh Cheerios Dodge Avenger-”Hey! NASCAR fans really like Yu-Gi-Oh, so we should advertise to them” said no one ever.

3. Various Teams 2007 57 Chevy Monte Carlo-To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1957 Chevy, one of the most beautiful cars ever made, Chevy convinced NASCAR to run one of the ugliest paint schemes ever run.

2. Kenny Irwin 1997 #27 Tonka/Winner’s Circle Ford Thunderbird-I really think, given the sponsor, a 9 year old helped design this car.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2000 #3 Peter Max Chevy Monte Carlo-I was a die hard Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan since watching my first race, the 1990 Twin 125’s. I loved that black #3 with the silver stripe on the bottom. For what would be his last race, Dale raced this car, which looks like a clown threw up all over it. I have yet to find a Dale Sr. fan who will defend this scheme. At least he didn’t wear a matching driver suit.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 21, 2015

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Tribute Chevy SS-It’s amazing how changing the door number makes this scheme look much better. The yellow door number works with this scheme and it looks better, and earns a C+

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Go Bowling/Gigablast Ford Fusion-Same as Medallion Bank, same B+ grade.

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Cheney Brothers Ford Fusion-The curve around the door number is unnessicary, and it looks awful. Adding part of the paint scheme around it makes it look even worse. I can’t give this scheme a passing grade if my life depended on it. F

Greg Biffle #16 Bleacher Report Ford Fusion-It’s a solid design, though the color scheme could use some work. Still, it’s work a B+.

JJ Yeley #26 Overture Toyota Camry-Same as #23 Overture, same F grade.

Brett Moffitt #34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Fusion-The color scheme is great, can’t find fault with it, and the design is great as well, I like the flames. All in all, I give it an A+.

Cole Whitt #35 Speed Stick Ford Fusion-The color scheme works well with the design, which is simple and smooth. I like this scheme. A+

Cole Whitt #35 Ferguson Enterprises Ford Fusion-Simple design with a great color scheme will always earn an A+.

Landon Cassill #40 Interstate Moving/Precon Chevy SS-Get rid of those spikes at the bottom, and this would be a solid A scheme, but those ugly spikes take it down to a B+.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Tribute Chevy SS-It’s amazing how changing the door number makes this scheme look much better. The yellow door number works with this scheme and it looks better, and earns a B-

Brendan Gaughn #62 Prairie Auto Credit Chevy SS-Nothing wrong with this scheme! A+

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Tribute Chevy SS-If this was Diet Mountain Dew, the yellow numbers would work quite well, but with Nationwide, it clashes, and takes it down to a C+.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 14, 2015

We have a 2016 paint scheme…

Danica Patrick #10 TaxAct Chevy SS-This is a good look, I like the large X behind the door numbers, and the color scheme is really good too. A+

Casey Mears #13 Geico Chevy SS-Much improved design from 2015, much smoother and simpler look. I give it an A+.

Casey Mears #13 Geico Millitary Chevy SS-While I support the troops, I grade tribute schemes on the same scale as any other scheme. In this case, this does not look good. It’s the Geico design, but with a black and camo motif. It looks forced, and awkward. F

Now on to the 2015 schemes…

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Plastic Additives Chevy SS-I like the design here. The plastic particle design does look good, and combined with a great color scheme earns an A+.

Austin Dillon #3 Bad Boy Buggies Chevy SS– Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy Tribute Chevy SS-It’s a decent tribute, but a tribute based on an F scheme.

Greg Biffle #16 Jardiance Ford Fusion-Yellow, white, and teal doesn’t work, and the design is over done. As a result, it earns an F.

JJ Yeley #23 Overture Toyota Camry-I HATE ORANGE AND BLUE! I will scream that from the mountains! The design might work if it were a fade, then I could give it a C, but the zigzag design is horrible, and I can’t give it better than an F.

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta/Service King Chevy SS-Same as Axalta, same A+ grade.

Ryan Newman #31 CAT Command Chevy SS-This is one of the few designs that works perfectly. I love the look, it’s unique, and the circular design on the rear wheel is great. I give it an A+.

Kyle Fowler #32 Corvette Parts Pink Ford Fusion-Pinkwashing is an automatic F. Thank God October is over!

Joey Gase #32 Zak Ford Fusion-Great color and design schemes will always earn an A.+

Joey Gase #32 R Factor 2 Ford Fusion-Not even a great color scheme can save this over designed mess of a paint scheme from a passing grade. F

Brett Moffitt #34 Visit Dallas Ford Fusion-Great color and design schemes will always earn an A.

Cole Whitt #35 Moen Ford Fusion-One of the few schemes where it has a great color scheme and a great design scheme, but for some reason, they don’t work together. Still, I will give it a B+.

Landon Cassill #40 Fiberlock Chevy SS-Too many contrasting shades of green, the shamrock motif is awful, and the whole car is overdone. I can’t give this scheme anything but an F.

Landon Cassill #40 Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, but the side design is a bit overdone. I’ll give it a B+.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Fry’s Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same A+ grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes Patriotic Chevy SS-A tad overdone, but a really good patriotic scheme. B+

Justin Allgaier #51 Texas Lottery Chevy SS-This was a bit of a bold attempt, and it worked quite well. I like the stripe design on the sides, it’s bold, and the color scheme works well too. I give it an A+

Michael McDowell #95 TWD Ford Fusion–The design is bit overdone, nothing really bad, and the color scheme works well too. I give it a B+.

Ryan Preece #98 Xyience Energy Ford Fusion-Green, silver, and orange don’t work as a color scheme, and the car is so over designed, it is just hideous. F

Ryan Preece #98 Vydrox Plus Ford Fusion-Same scheme as #62, same A grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-October 17, 2015

By David G. Firestone

First we start with some 2016 paint schemes…

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy John’s Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Outback Chevy SS-As much as I like the color scheme, the new mountain design looks kinda forced, and the face that it eminates from the brake duct doesn’t do it any favors. B+

Kevin Harvick #4 Ditech Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Chevy SS-A brand new design, the old Amp Energy scheme but with Nationwide colors, and I have to say…it works very well. I can’t say anything bad about this scheme. A+

Now on to the 2015 schemes..

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s All Day Breakfast Chevy SS-Black doesn’t work with McDonald’s, red or yellow would work. The design doesn’t remind of McDonald’s either. Nothing works, so I’ll give it an F.

Jamie McMurray #1 HALO 5 Chevy SS-Calling this car over designed would be an understatement. The color scheme doesn’t really fit the design. It earns an F.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Great Stuff Chevy SS-Same scheme as last year, same B- grade.

Alex Bowman #7 Pink Chevy SS-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Alex Bowman #7 Accell Pink Chevy SS-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Sonic Ford Fusion-Another case of design elements on the side, all of which would work by themselves, but look horrible together. The color scheme is good, but the design kills the color scheme, and earns an F.

Tony Stewart #14 Rush Truck Stops/Arctic Cat Chevy SS-New scheme for 2015, same as Rush’s but with Artic Cat on quarter panels. A+

Alex Kennedy #33 Little Joe’s Auto Chevy SS-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Cole Whitt #35 Rich Logistics Ford Fusion-Overall, I like the design, but the grid pattern looks forced. Get rid of that, and it would be a solid A scheme with a great color scheme. The grid takes it down to a B+

David Gilliland #38 Love’s/Tire Pass Ford Fusion-Same as Love’s, same A grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Target Dark Plaid Chevy SS-The dark plaid design works very well, and the black and red color scheme fits the design perfectly. A+

Kyle Larson #42 Target Plaid Chevy SS-It reminds me of an old Cincinatti Red uniform, and while the Reds uniform looked great, this looks…the word “meh” comes to mind. The stripes are way too thin to look good. Still the color scheme is good, and I’ll give it a C-.

Michael Annett #46 TMC Transportation Chevy SS-The Dale Jr. Style lettering works well in yellow, and the black background works well too. I give it an A+

AJ Allmendinger #47 Dillon’s Chevy SS-Same as Kroger’s, same A+ grade

Timmy Hill #62 Becker Autos Chevy SS-Simple design, great color scheme, no complaints, A+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 HALO 5 Chevy SS-Calling this car over designed would be an understatement. While the color scheme does fit the design, the color scheme can’t save the scheme. It earns an F.

Reed Sorenson #98 VIP Racing Experience Ford Fusion-Simple design, great color scheme, no complaints, A+.