The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Tracker-January 6, 2021

By David G. Firestone

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Ford MustangNo Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford MustangNo Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Pirtek Ford MustangNo Change. F

STEWART HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford MustangNew scheme for 2021, green with white and dark green stripes. B+

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford MustangNo Change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford MustangNo Change. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Ford MustangNew scheme for 2021, redesign with a series of sublimated designs. F

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #9

Chase Elliott #9 LLumar Window Film Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2021, white fade to green fade to red with sublimated designs. A

STEWART HAAS RACING #10

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods Ford MustangNo change. A

TEAM PENSKE #12

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Moen Ford MustangNo change. B+

Ryan Blaney #12 Dex Imaging Ford MustangNo change. A

STEWART HAAS RACING #14

Chase Briscoe #14 HighPoint Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2021, white with blue curves and stripes. A

IROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Ford MustangNo change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota CamryNo change. F

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota CamryNo change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota CamryNo change. C-

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Christopher Bell #20 Rheem Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2021, black with red and white stripes. A

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2021, yellow with a series of black stripes. A-

Christopher Bell #20 Irwin Tools Toyota CamryNo change. C

Christopher Bell #20 Stanley Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2021, yellow with red and black stripes. A

Christopher Bell #20 Craftsman Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2021, black and red with stripes and designs. C

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Ford MustangNo change. A

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menard’s/Dutch Boy Ford MustangNo change. C

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 AAA Insurance Ford MustangNo change. D

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford MustangNo change. D

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader Ford MustangNo change. D+

Joey Logano #22 AAA Southern California Ford MustangNo change. D

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2020, white with red flames and red and blue stripes. A

The Driver Suit Blog-Wheel Reviews-The Speed King-1913

By David G. Firestone

Before we get to the movie review, I have some housekeeping to take care of. I’m starting a new job soon, so I won’t have as much time to devote to The Driver Suit Blog as I once did. As such, I will only do Friday Features every other week. The Tracker and Grades will be unaffected. With that out of the way, let’s get to the review:

I have a great deal of respect for silent movies. Nowadays anyone can shoot their own shows for YouTube, with the greatest technology a person can have. Back when movies first started in 1894, sound technology wasn’t even close to being a thing, so “moving pictures”, which movies were called, had no sound, and usually, at theaters, there was someone playing a piano for the audience. Once movies with sound, or “talkies” became a thing, silent film was done pretty much for good.

It’s easy to dismiss silent films as obsolete, but these movies can be really entertaining. Guys like Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin made the genre their own, and produced some very hilarious films over the years. One of the most popular stars of the silent era was Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. While Arbuckle was known for his movies, he is better known for the death of Virginia Rappe, at a party at the St. Francis Hotel, in San Francisco. While Arbuckle was not responsible for her death, the press at the time painted a picture of Arbuckle as a violent rapist, which would destroy his career. History has since vindicated Arbuckle, but that was of little comfort to a comedian who had everything stolen from him.

One of Fatty Arbuckle’s early roles was in a 1913 Keystone film named The Speed Kings.

It stars Ford Sterling as Papa, Mabel Normand as Mabel, and Teddy Tetzlaff, Earl Cooper, and Barney Oldfield as themselves. The plot is that Mabel and Papa are going to watch the races, Papa is a fan of Cooper, whereas Mabel is a fan of Tetzlaff. While Cooper and Papa are talking, Tetzlaff and Mabel sneak off to a bench for some alone time before the race. Papa decided to sabotage Tetzlaff’s car to keep him from winning the race and his daughters heart.

The day of the race comes, and Papa and Mabel attend. They briefly see Barney Oldfield in his car, and in that same brief sequence, Fatty Arbuckle also make an appearance. Mabel goes to see Tetzlaff, and this enrages her father. She takes a seat, and the race begins. The racing footage itself was from several races, so it does look kind of odd, but it’s not bad. Given the technical limitations, some of the footage shot for the short is really good.

During the race, Mabel goes on to the track and stands next to Fatty Arbuckle, who waves the flag. An argument ensues, Papa attacks Fatty, and Mabel and Papa have a chase back to their seats. Papa’s sabotage works, and Tetzlaff’s car is damaged, forcing him and his mechanic to pull over and fix it, losing the lead to Cooper. Cooper wins the race, and Papa tells Cooper that Mabel is his, though Mabel runs towards Tetzlaff. Mabel and Tetzlaff embrace, while Papa decides to have another fight with Arbuckle, as the movie comes to an end.

While I did enjoy this movie overall, there were a few issues. First, the race footage looks odd when compared to more polished movies. Sometimes the race is on a track, other times it is on public roads. The second, and bigger problem is Papa. Papa is played by Ford Sterling, a well-known and respected silent film veteran. My problem with Papa is that Sterling is way too over the top with his facial and body expressions, especially when compared to the rest of the cast. He is overacting, while everyone else is acting normally, and it just looks odd. Still, I like the movie, so I’ll give it an A-.

Next week, a Charlie Chaplain classic from 1914.

The Driver Suit Blog-2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 4-The Grand Finale

By David G. Firestone

Well, all the votes have been counted, and the final Paint Scheme Leaderboard is complete. Without further ado, the final post of 2020:

1-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 46 of 47

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

2-Kaulig Racing #16 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

3-Rick Ware Racing #54 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 15 of 18

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

4-Motorsports Business Management #49 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 4

GPA: 3.90

5-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 36 of 47

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 3.88

6-Premium Motorsports #15 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 15 of 47

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 3.87

7-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 4 of 47

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 3.66

8-Hendrick Motorsports #88 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 24 of 47

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 3.56

9-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 6 of 47

Number of Schemes: 19

GPA: 3.56

10-Wood Brothers Racing #21 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 10 of 47

Number of Schemes: 17

GPA: 3.51

11-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 31 of 47

Number of Schemes: 9

GPA: 3.50

12-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 1 of 47

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 3.50

13-Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 35 of 47

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 3.50

14-Stewart-Haas Racing #4 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 18 of 47

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.44

15-B.J. McLeod Motorsports #78 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 3.42

16-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 29 of 47

Number of Schemes: 22

GPA: 3.33

17-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 16 of 47

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.30

18-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 11 of 47

Number of Schemes:

GPA: 3.22

19-Front Row Racing #38 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 45 of 47

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.15

20-Tommy Baldwin Racing #7 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 3.12

21-Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 13 of 47

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.12

22-Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 25 of 47

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.11

23-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 30 of 47

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.04

24-Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 9 of 47

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 3.02

25-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 7 of 47

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.00

26-Chip Ganassi Racing #42 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 28 of 47

Number of Schemes: 5

GPA: 3.00

27-Front Row Racing #36 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 34 of 47

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 3.00

28-Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 8 of 47

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 2.97

29-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 39 of 47

Number of Schemes: 25

GPA: 2.90

30-Premium Motorsports #27 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 17 of 47

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 2.90

31-StarCom Racing #00 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 27 of 47

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 2.83

32-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 21 of 47

Number of Schemes: 9

GPA: 2.82

33-Go FAS Racing #32 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 12 of 47

Number of Schemes: 23

GPA: 2.79

34-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 22 of 47

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 2.77

35-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 32 of 47

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 2.75

36-Roush-Fenway Racing #6 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 38 of 47

Number of Schemes: 20

GPA: 2.66

37-Leavine Family Racing #95 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 33 of 47

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 2.62

38-JTG Daugherty Racing #37 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 41 of 47

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 2.58

39-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 23 of 47

Number of Schemes: 11

GPA: 2.53

40-Motorsports Business Management #66 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 5 of 47

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 2.22

41-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 20 of 47

Number of Schemes: 20

GPA: 2.08

42-Germain Racing #13 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 42 of 47

Number of Schemes: 7

43-Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 44 of 47

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 1.81

44-Roush-Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 47 of 47

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 1.75

45-Front Row Racing #34 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 26 of 47

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 1.40

46-Stewart-Hass Racing #41 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 6 of 18

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 1.33

Next Year, Wheel Reviews returns!

The Driver Suit Blog-2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 3-Toyota

By David G. Firestone

The 2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard rolls on, this week, it’s the Toyota teams time to shine!

1-Motorsports Business Management #49 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 4

GPA: 3.90

2-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 8 of 9

Number of Schemes: 9

GPA: 3.50

3-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 4 of 9

Number of Schemes:

GPA: 3.22

4-Gaunt Brothers Racing #96 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 3 of 9

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 2.97

5-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 6 of 9

Number of Schemes: 9

GPA: 2.82

6-Joe Gibbs Racing #19 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 7 of 9

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 2.77

7-Leavine Family Racing #95 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 9 of 9

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 2.62

8-Motorsports Business Management #66 Toyota Camry

Rank Last Year: 2 of 9

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 2.22

Next week, the Grand Finale!

The Driver Suit Blog-2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 2-Ford

By David G. Firestone

This week, the 2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard shifts focus to the blue oval. Ford’s rankings are up for this week.

1-Rick Ware Racing #54 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 15 of 18

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

2-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 12 of 18

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 3.88

3-Team Penske #12 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 1 of 18

Number of Schemes: 19

GPA: 3.56

4-Wood Brothers Racing #21 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 3 of 18

Number of Schemes: 17

GPA: 3.51

5-Stewart-Haas Racing #4 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 7 of 18

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.44

6-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 10 of 18

Number of Schemes: 22

GPA: 3.33

7-Front Row Racing #38 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 17 of 18

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.15

8-Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 5 of 18

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.12

9-Stewart-Haas Racing #10 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 8 of 18

Number of Schemes: 12

GPA: 3.11

10–Team Penske #2 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 2 of 18

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 3.02

11-Front Row Racing #36 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 11 of 18

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 3.00

12-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 14 of 18

Number of Schemes: 25

GPA: 2.90

13-Go FAS Racing #32 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 4 of 18

Number of Schemes: 23

GPA: 2.79

14-Roush-Fenway Racing #6 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 13 of 18

Number of Schemes: 20

GPA: 2.66

15-Team Penske #22 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 16 of 18

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 1.81

16-Roush-Fenway Racing #17 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 18 of 18

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 1.75

17-Front Row Racing #34 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 9 of 18

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 1.40

18-Stewart-Hass Racing #41 Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 6 of 18

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 1.33

Next week, the Toyota Leaderboard

The Driver Suit Blog-2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 1-Chevy

2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 1-Chevy

By David G. Firestone

Thanksgiving has passed, holiday music and decorations are abound, and the 2020 Paint Scheme Leaderboard is here! Here’s how the process works. I will rank all of the Cup Series teams by their paint scheme GPA. I will rank them by manufacturer, then all of them in one final list. There is no committee this year, as Zoe chose to skip the proceedings. Here is the Chevy list:

1-Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 24 of 24

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

2-Kaulig Racing #16 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 1

GPA: 4.00

3-Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 17 of 24

Number of Schemes: 6

GPA: 3.88

4-Premium Motorsports #15 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 5 of 24

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 3.87

5-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 3 of 24

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 3.66

6-Hendrick Motorsports #88 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 10 of 24

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 3.56

7-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 1 of 24

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 3.50

8-Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 16 of 24

Number of Schemes: 2

GPA: 3.50

9-B.J. McLeod Motorsports #78 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: N/A

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 3.42

10-Rick Ware Racing #53 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 13 of 24

Number of Schemes: 22

GPA: 3.33

11-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 6 of 24

Number of Schemes: 10

GPA: 3.30

12-Tommy Baldwin Racing #7 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:N/A

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 3.12

13-Richard Childress Racing #3 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 14 of 24

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 3.04

14-Spire Motorsports #77 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:4 of 24

Number of Schemes: 15

GPA: 3.00

15-Chip Ganassi Racing #42 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 12 of 24

Number of Schemes: 5

GPA: 3.00

16-Rick Ware Racing #51 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rank Last Year: 19 of 24

Number of Schemes: 25

GPA: 2.90

17-Premium Motorsports #27 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 7 of 24

Number of Schemes: 13

GPA: 2.90

18-StarCom Racing #00 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 11 of 24

Number of Schemes: 14

GPA: 2.83

19-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 15 of 24

Number of Schemes: 8

GPA: 2.75

20-JTG Daugherty Racing #37 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 21 of 24

Number of Schemes: 16

GPA: 2.58

21-Hendrick Motorsports #9 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year: 9 of 24

Number of Schemes: 11

GPA: 2.53

22-Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:8 of 24

Number of Schemes: 20

GPA: 2.08

23-Germain Racing #13 Chevy Camaro

Rank Last Year:22 of 24

Number of Schemes: 7

GPA: 1.85

Next week, the Ford Leaderboard.

The Driver Suit Blog-Ladies and Gentlemen…THE 2020 PAINT SCHEMIES!

By David G. Firestone

Well, it’s that time again! We have the annual Paint Schemie Awards for the 2020 season. As per the usual, every year, I pick the best and worst paint schemes and award them the Paint Schemie. This was done using the Driver Suit Blog executive committee for paint scheme analysis and consists of me and Driver Suit Blog assistant, my cat Zoe, and uses the following standards:

*Color Scheme:How the colors look, and how they work with each other.

*Overall Design:How good the design itself looks, is there too much, or not enough.

*Primary Sponsor Logos: How the primary sponsor logos look on the car

*Originality: How original is the scheme.

All of the above can work for or against a scheme, and all will be taken into consideration.

Let’s get the bad Paint Scheme Awards out of the way…

First, the Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.

The nominees are:

Quin Houff #00 Ashurst American Honey Chevy Camaro

Ty Dillon #13 GEICO Hump Day Chevy Camaro

Chris Buescher #17 SunnyD Ford Mustang

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

Michael McDowell #34 CarParts.com Patriotic Ford Mustang

Ryan Preece #37 Tide Pods Chevy Camaro

Joey Gase #53 Sparks Ford Mustang

Timmy Hill #66 RoofClaim.com Toyota Camry

Daniel Suarez #96 Toyota Toyota Camry

The 2020 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to:

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry Mustang

The next Paint Schemie Award is for Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes. This category is a little different, as the Schemie will go to the best and worst throwback. For this category, all exhibition race and throwback paint schemes qualify automatically.

The 2020 Paint Schemie Award for Worst Exhibition or Throwback Paint Scheme goes to…

JJ Yeley #27 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro

The next award of 2020 is the Paint Schemie for Worst Paint Scheme Set of 2020. This is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

Richard Childress Racing #8 Chevy Camaro

Germain Racing #13 Chevy Camaro

Front Row Racing #34 Ford Mustang

Stewart-Hass Racing #41 Ford Mustang

Motorsports Business Management #66 Toyota Camry

Leavine Family Racing #95 Toyota Camry

The 2020 Paint Schemie Award for for Worst Paint Scheme Set goes to…

Stewart-Hass Racing #41 Ford Mustang

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

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

The nominees for the 2020 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme are:

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Patriotic Ford Mustang

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford Mustang

Denny Hamlin #11 National Civil Rights Museum Toyota Camry

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Ford Mustang

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Air Force Chevy Camaro

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Chevy Camaro

The 2020 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to…

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro

The next category is Paint Schemie Award is for Best Exhibition or Throwback Paint Schemes, and it should come as no surprise that the competition was strong this year.

The 2020 Paint Schemie Award for Best Exhibition or Throwback Paint Scheme goes to…

Ross Chastain #77 Dirty Mo Media Throwback Chevy Camaro

The final award of 2020 is the Paint Schemie for Best Paint Scheme Set of 2020. Like the Worst Set, this is based on the total GPA of the individual grades for paint schemes. The nominees are:

Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota Camry

Kaulig Racing #16 Chevy Camaro

Motorsports Business Management #49 Toyota Camry

Rick Ware Racing #52 Chevy Camaro/Ford Mustang

Rick Ware Racing #54 Ford Mustang

Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

The 2020 Paint Schemie Award for for Best Paint Scheme Set goes to…

Beard Motorsports #62 Chevy Camaro

That’s it for the Schemies, next week, the Paint Scheme Leaderboard begins with Chevy!

The Driver Suit Blog-Which Driver Wore What Suit In 2020?

By David G. Firestone

For the most part, the 2020 racing season is behind us, and, as tradition, I start The Driver Suit Blog silly season with who wore what suit. The driver is named, with the suit they wore in 2020. If no conclusive photographic evidence of what suit the driver wore is found, there is a ? placed. Without further ado, let’s get started.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Quin Houff #00-Tri Star

Kurt Busch #1-Alpinestars

Brad Keselowski #2-Puma

Austin Dillon #3-Sparco

Kaz Grala #3-?

Kevin Harvick #4-Alpinestars

Ryan Newman #6-Sparco

Ross Chastain #6/15/77-Sparco

J.J. Yeley #7/27/52/53/54/77-K1

Garrett Smithley #7/51/53/77/78-G Force

Joey Gase #7/51/53-HRX

Josh Bilicki #7/53/77-Tristar

Tyler Reddick #8-Sparco

Chase Elliott #9-Alpinestars

Aric Almirola #10-Alpinestars

Denny Hamlin #11-Jordan Branded/Simpson Made

Ryan Blaney #12-Puma

Ty Dillon #13-Sparco

Clint Bowyer #14-Sparco

Brennan Poole #15-Sparco

Justin Haley #16-Sparco

Chris Buescher #17-Sparco

Kyle Busch #18-Adidas

Martin Truex, Jr. #19-Impact!

Erik Jones #20-Simpson

Matt DiBenedetto #21-Puma

Joey Logano #22-Puma

William Byron #24-Alpinestars

Gray Gaulding #27-?

Reed Sorenson #27/74/77-Simpson

Corey LaJoie #32-Simpson

Michael McDowell #34-Sparco

David Ragan #36-Simpson

Ryan Preece #37-Sparco

John Hunter Nemechek #38-Sparco

Cole Custer #41-Simpson

Matt Kenseth #42-Sparco

Kyle Larson #42-Sparco

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43-Sparco

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. #47-Sparco

Jimmie Johnson #48-Alpinestars

Justin Allgaier #48-?

Chad Finchum #49-Simpson

James Davison #51/53/77-HRX

Austin Theriault #52-?

B.J. McLeod #52/78-Simpson

David Starr #53-Simpson

Brendan Gaughan #62-Sparco

Timmy Hill #66-Simpson

Stanton Barrett #77-?

Justin Haley #77-Sparco

Alex Bowman #88-Alpinestars

Christopher Bell #95-Alpinestars

Daniel Suarez #96-Alpinestars

NTT INDYCAR RACING SERIES

Josef Newgarden #1-Puma

Helio Castroneves #3-Sparco

Charlie Kimball #4-Sparco

Patrico O’Ward #5-Sparco

Oliver Askew #7-Sparco

Marcus Ericsson #8-Sparco

Scott Dixon #9-Sparco

Felix Rosenqvist #10-Sparco

Will Power #12-Puma

Sebastien Bourdais #14-Sparco

Tony Kanaan #14-Sparco

Dalton Kellett #14/41-Sparco

Graham Rahal #15-Sparco

Santino Ferrucci #18-Impact

Ed Carpenter #20-Sparco

Connor Daly #20-Sparco

Rinus Veekay #21-Sparco

Simon Pagenaud #22-Puma

Sage Karem #24-Impact

Zach Veach #26-OMP

Alexander Rossi #27-OMP

Ryan Hunter-Reay #28-OMP

James Hinchcliffe #26/29-Sparco

Takuma Sato #30-Sparco

Felipe Nasr #31-OMP

Spencer Pigot #45-Sparco

James Davison #51-HRX

Alex Palou #55-Sparco

Max Chilton #59-Sparco

Jack Harvey #60-Sparco

Fernando Alonso #66-Sparco

JR Hildebrand #67-Sparco

Ben Hanley- #81-Adidas

Colon Herta #88-Sparco

Marco Andretti #98-OMP

FORMULA 1

Daniel Ricciardo #3-Alpinestars

Lando Norris #4-Sparco

Sebastian Vettel #5-Puma

Nicholas Latifi #6-Alpinestars

Kimi Räikkönen #7-Sparco

Romain Grosjean #8-Alpinestars

Pierre Gasly #10-Alpinestars

Sergio Perez #11-Alpinestars

Charles Leclerc #16-Puma

Lance Stroll #18-Alpinestars

Kevin Magnussen #20-Alpinestars

Alexander Albon #23-Puma

Daniil Kvyat #26-Alpinestars

Esteban Ocon #31-Alpinestars

Max Verstappen #33-Puma

Lewis Hamilton #44-Puma

Carlos Sainz #55-Sparco

George Russell #63-Alpinestars

Valtteri Bottas #77-Puma

Antonio Giovinazzi #99-Sparco

NHRA MELLO YELLO TOP FUEL

Arthur Allen-Taylor

Justin Ashley-Impact!

Antron Brown-Impact!

Lee Callaway-Impact!

Pat Dakin-?

Kim Davidson-Simpson

Cameron Ferre-Stand 21

Doug Foley-Sparco

Brittany Force-Simpson

Joey Haas-DJ

Lex Joon-Simpson

Doug Kalitta-Stand 21

Chris Karamesines-Simpson

Kebin Kinsley-Taylor

Shawn Langdon-Simpson

Cory McClenathan-Impact!

James Maroney-Taylor

Terry McMillen-Stand 21

Clay Millican-Alliance

Joe Morrison-DJ

Luigi Novelli-?

Scott Palmer-RJ

Todd Paton-?

Austin Prock-Simpson

Leah Pruett-Impact!

Shawn Reed-Stand 21

Tony Schumacher-Impact!

Billy Torrence-Impact!

Steve Torrence-Impact!

Terry Totten-Taylor

Brandon Welch-Impact!

Kyle Wurtzel-?

T.J. Zizzo-Simpson

NHRA MELLO YELLO FUNNY CAR

Blake Alexander-Stand 21

Jack Beckman-Impact!

Bob Bode-?

Jim Campbell-DJ

Ron Capps-Impact

Dale Creasy-?

Alexis DeJoria-Simpson

Gary Densham-DJ

Steven Densham-DJ

Jeff Diehl-Simpson

John Force-Simpson

Chad Green-?

Matt Hagan-Impact!

Terry Haddock-?

Robert Hight-Simpson

Tommy Johnson Jr.-Impact

Paul Lee-Simpson

Jonnie Lindberg-Stand 21

Mike McIntire-Taylor

Alex Miladinovich-Taylor

Chris Morel-?

Cruz Pedregon-Simpson

Dave Richards-Simpson

Justin Schriefer-?

Bob Tasca III-Stand 21

JR Todd-Simpson

Dan Wilkerson-?

Tim Wilkerson-Simpson

Jack Wyatt-?

NHRA MELLO YELLO PRO STOCK

Greg Anderson-Simpson

Bob Benza-?

Bo Butner-Simpson

Jeg Coughlin Jr.-Sparco

Troy Coughlin Jr-Sparco

Cristian Cuadra-Simpson

Fernando Cuadra-Impact!

Fernando Cuadra Jr-Impact!

Kenny Delco-Sparco

Erica Enders-Sparco

John Gaydosh -?

Joey Grose-DJ

Steve Graham-Sparco

Matt Hartford-Impact!

Tom Huggins-?

Kyle Koretsky-Impact!

Deric Kramer-Sparco

Alex Laughlin-Sparco

Jason Line-Impact!

Bruno Massel-Simpson

Chris McGaha-Impact!

Mason McGaha-Impact!

Alan Prusiensky-Simpson

Robert River-?

Marty Robertson-Simpson

Val Smeland-Sparco

Aaron Stanfield-?

Richie Stevens-?

Baron Stroupe-?

Suit totals:

Sparco-54-26.6%
Simpson-32-15.7%
Undetermined-27-13.3%
Impact-23-11.3%
Alpinestars-19-9.3%
Puma-13-6.4%
Stand 21-7-3.4%
DJ-6-2.9%
Taylor-6-2.9%
OMP-5-2.4%
HRX-3-1.4%
Adidas-2-0.9%
Tri Star-2-0.9%
Alliance-1-0.4%
G Force-1-0.4%
Jordan Branded/Simpson Made-1-0.4%
K1-1-0.4%
RJ-1-0.4%
Suit total:203

Next week, The 2020 Paint Schemie Awards!

The Driver Suit Blog-The Final Paint Scheme Grades of 2020-November 14, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Quin Houff #00 UNITS Moving and Portable Storage Chevy Camaro-This design is over designed a bit. It’s not horrible, and it has a good color scheme. I’ll give it an B+.

Brad Keselowski #2 Wabash National/Thank A Trucker Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Wabash National, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light #FACEATTHERACE Ford Mustang-It’s a really good scheme, and the car has a really good look. A

Garrett Smithley #7 Victory Lane Quick Oil Change/Kendall Oil Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #53, same F grade.

Tyler Reddick #8 Chevrolet Accessories Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, yellow door numbers in honor of Jimmie Johnson. B-

The yellow door numbers are a downgrade, and they take a B+ scheme down to a B-.

Aric Almirola #10 Go Bowling Throwback Ford Mustang-It’s a great looking throwback, and I love the door numbers. A

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota Camry-Same scheme as FedEx, same B+ grade.

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

Clint Bowyer #14 Clint Bowyer Tribute Ford Mustang-The wood grain motif works well, and the car has a great look. This is a great scheme, and it gets an A.

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Ford Mustang-This is a massive upgrade from previous schemes. This looks great, the car looks smooth, and the scheme gets an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Joey Logano #22 PPG Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #2, same A grade.

JJ Yeley #27 Figgers Wireless Ford Mustang-Another case of a bad design scheme with a great color scheme. They cancel each other out, and this gets a C.

JJ Yeley #27 Ford Mustang-A smooth look, with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

JJ Yeley #27 Red Rock Secured Ford Mustang-I don’t like the white hood here. I think it is visually distracting. I give this an A-

Corey LaJoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang-Even a great color scheme can’t save this over designed mess from getting an F.

Chris Buescher #37 Kroger Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #47, same A grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Chevy Camaro-I like the new look. This is a much smoother look, and the car looks great. A

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-Silver is such an improvement here. The Ally scheme works well with silver, and the car earns an A.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Throwback Chevy Camaro-The Richard Petty motif would work, the Dale Earnhardt motif would work, the two together just look odd. Add in the odd door numbers, and I will give it a C.

Joey Gase #51 Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Joey Gase #51 Donate Life Texas Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Donate Life Virginia, same F grade.

Joey Gase #51 PageKC Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Page Construction, same B grade.

James Davison #53 Virginia International Raceway Ford Mustang-Another case of a bad design scheme with a great color scheme. They cancel each other out, and this gets a C.

Joey Gase #53 Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

James Davison #53 Hopegivers International Ford Mustang-Another example of a scheme with nothing wrong, and nothing right. It’s just meh, and gets a C.

Timmy Hill #66 CrashClaimsR.us Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Pit Boss Grills, same A grade.

Garrett Smithley #77 DECK Leadership Chevy Camaro-The scheme is way too over designed, and the red is pointless. The scheme has a decent color scheme, and isn’t horrifically over designed, so I’ll give it a B-

Alex Bowman #88 ChevyGoods.com Chevy Camaro-Same as Adam’s Polishes, same A grade.

Alex Bowman #88 Truck Hero/Chevy Group Chevy Camaro-The clashing yellow door numbers are a downgrade, and they take a A scheme down to a B+.

Daniel Suarez #96 T-Ten Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Toyota, same B- grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Collecting Race Car Waste?

By David G. Firestone

In racing, like any other sporting event, when the fans and athletes leave, there is a lot of waste left. However, unlike most other sports, the debris left has some collector value. There are a number of things, car part, sheet metal, and even rubber that collectors want.

While every other part is custom made, and proprietary, lug nuts are pretty standard, and discarded after the race by teams. Collectors love these. These examples came after a Pocono race weekend from 2013. These all show varying amounts of wear.

When it comes to debris, examples of items include chassis pieces, tape, and claig, or rubber from tires. All are exampled here.

That was a short one, so now we move on to…

TAILGATING TIME!

Fall and winter are upon us, so for a great seasonal recipe, I present:

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

8 Servings

Ingredients:

Bars:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup salad oil

4 beaten eggs

1 cup cooked pumpkin

Frosting:

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1 pound box powdered sugar

Instructions:

1-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2-Combine flour, spices, and salt.

3-In separate bowl, mix sugar, oil, eggs and pumpkin.

4-Pour into well greased 9×3″ baking pan.

5-Bake for 20 minutes.

6-In separate bowl, combine frosting ingredients, and mix until smooth.

7-Cut into bars, and top with frosting.

Next week, we see who wore what brand of firesuit in 2020.