Tag: Dockside Logistics

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-May 2, 2015

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Dixie Chopper Chevy SS-Same scheme as Cessna/Beechcraft scheme, same A grade.

Jamie McMurray #1 Energizer Eco Advanced Chevy SS-Same as #42 Energizer scheme, same D+ grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 1998 Throwback Ford Fusion-An amazing throwback scheme will always earn an A+.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2007 Gold Throwback Ford Fusion-I’m a big fan of metallic gold, but the white hood and blue border on the numbers takes an A grade down to a B-.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2010 Throwback Ford Fusion-A decent scheme, but the white wheels and the white beer can on the side take an A grade down to a B-.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite/Careers for Veterans Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Miller Lite, but with Careers for Veterans on the quarter panel, same A+ grade.

Brad Keselowski #2 Avaya Ford Fusion-The Penske template doesn’t always work, but with the right color combination it works very well. A+

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevy SS-Green is not always a good color, and with an awful design it gives this scheme an F.

Alex Bowman #7 DOC 360 Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Alex Bowman #7 Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Casey Mears #13 Geico/Squidward Chevy SS-Horrible color scheme, and an extremely over designed scheme will always earn an F.

Greg Biffle #16 Cheez It/Patrick Starr Ford Fusion– Horrible color scheme, and an extremely over designed scheme will always earn an F.

David Ragan #18 Pedigree Toyota Camry-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Joey Logano #22 Snap On Ford Fusion-A great fade gives the car a good look, and the great color scheme earns an A+.

Jeb Burton #26 Estes Toyota Camry-It’s an overdone scheme with too many different shades of yellow, and the whole thing looks overdone. D+.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Sylvania Chevy SS-The orange and yellow scheme is horrid, the design doesn’t work with this color scheme, and the whole thing earns a D-.

Alex Kennedy #33 Honor and Remember Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, the overall design is good, but I think the door numbers are the the wrong colors, and the hood is a bit overdone. B-

Ty Dillon #33 Nexium Chevy SS-My only complaint is that the yellow doesn’t extend all the way to the back, but it’s a minor complaint, it’s still a good scheme. A-

Brett Moffitt #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

David Gilliland #38 The Pete Store Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

David Gilliland #38 Farm Rich Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Landon Cassill #40 Link-Belt Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield/Cheney Brothers Ford Fusion-The scheme would be better without the bright yellow rear. It takes an A+ grade down to a B+

Michael Annett #46 Bene-Fit Chevy SS-Same scheme as Cypress HQ, same F grade.

David Ragan #55 Aaron’s/Spongebob Toyota Camry-I hate cars that look like two different people designed parts of the car, and this is one of them. The quarter panel and sides look like two different people designed them, and it just looks awful. It does have a good color scheme, so I will give it a D-.

Brett Moffitt #55 Aaron’s/Steve Byrnes Tribute Toyota Camry-Same as Aaron’s but with A fitting tribute to a tragic death. A+

Brendan Gaughn #62 Vydox Plus Chevy SS-I like fades, and the color scheme works well, it’s a bit overdone, but it still earns an A.

Brendan Gaughn #62 Low T Central Chevy SS-Good smooth design with a good color scheme earns an A+.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Mountain Dew Baja Blast Chevy SS-The color scheme is decent, but the design is overdone, and awful. I’ll give it a D-.

Michael McDowell #95 WRL Contractors/Thrivent Financial/Larry the Lobster Ford Fusion-I hate cars that look like two different people designed parts of the car, and this is one of them. The quarter panel and sides look like two different people designed them, and it just looks awful. It does have a good color scheme, so I will give it a D-.

Josh Wise #98 Steve Byrnes Tribute Ford Fusion-A fitting tribute to a tragic death. A+

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Tracker-March 29, 2015

By David G. Firestone

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Beechcraft Chevy SS–No Change-A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, but with a new door design.-B+

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevy SS-Special dual scheme for the Daytona 500, black Cessna on the front, fade to red McDonald’s on the back.-A+

Jamie McMurray #1 Sherwin Williams Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, Red, white and blue with a red line down the center, with the top fades blue to white on top, and white to blue on the bottom.-B+

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Dixie Chopper Chevy SS–New sponsor for 2015, same as Cessna/Beechcraft scheme A

Jamie McMurray #1 Energizer Eco Advanced Chevy SS–New sponsor for 2015, same as #42 scheme.  D+

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion–Same basic design as 2014, but with no gold stripe, vintage Miller Crest, or hop designs on the side.-A++

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion–New redesign, similar in design to Joey Logano’s Shell/Pennzoil Ford, black replaces yellow as the primary color.-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Fusion–Redesign from last season, follows the Shell/Pennzoil template.-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2015, blue Penske template on a black background-C-

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Genuine Draft Ford Fusion–Throwback scheme that ran from 1990-1996-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller High Life Ford Fusion–Based on the design that Bobby Allison won the 1983 Sprint Cup Championship.-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite/Penske 25th Anniversary Ford Fusion-Same as Miller Lite scheme but with a special design on the hood.  A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 1998 Throwback Ford Fusion–Based on the 1998 Rusty Wallace scheme, but with some subtle differences.  Different logo on hood and sides, and a layers stripe on the stripes. A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2007 Gold Throwback Ford Fusion–Based loosely on the 2007 gold scheme raced at the Sprint Unlimited and All-Star Race, new hood logo and designs, door and hood numbers covered by blue.  B-

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2010 Throwback Ford Fusion–Based on the Miller Lite scheme from 2010, with some changes to accommodate the Gen 6 car.  B-

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3

Austin Dillon #3 Cheerios Chevy SS–No change-A+

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS–No change-B+

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy SS–No Change-F

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy SS–No Change-A-

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Energy and Water Chevy SS–No change B-

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/WeatherTech Chevy SS-Same scheme as Dow B+

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Budweiser Chevy SS–No change-A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmie Johns Chevy SS–No change-A

Kevin Harvick #4 Outback Steakhouse–No Change-A

Kevin Harvick #4 Ditech Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, blue, and white is the primary color scheme-A+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Chevy SS–No Change-D+

Kasey Kahne #5 Time Warner Cable Chevy SS–No Change-C

Kasey Kahne #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy SS–Complete redesign from last year, black, and dark blue replaces light blue and silver, and the design has been completely revamped.-C+

Kasey Kahne #5 Liftmaster Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, red and white redesign of the Time Warner scheme.-C+

Kasey Kahne #5 Pepsi Chevy SS–No change-B+

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Ford Fusion-New team, new sponsor, red, white and blue is the color scheme.-A+

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7

Alex Bowman #7 Nikko/Toy State Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, Red borders a blue design on the sides and hood.-D-

Alex Bowman #7 Accell Construction Chevy SS–No change.  C-

Alex Bowman #7 DOC 360 Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, all black with DOC 360 logos on front and sides.  A+

Alex Bowman #7 Chevy SS-All black with white numbers.  A+

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #9

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Twisted Tea Ford Fusion–No Change-A

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Camping World/Medallion Bank Ford Fusion-New sponsor set for 2015, a redesign of the Fresh From Florida #43 scheme.-F

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Medallion Bank Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, same as Camping World Scheme, but with a darker green.-F

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Medallion Bank/Mercury Marine Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, same as Camping World Scheme, but with a red, white and blue as a color scheme.-B+

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Lyons Financial Ford Fusion–Redesign of the Medallion Bank scheme, with a Lyons Financial logo on the hood. F

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Nature Blast/Medallion Bank Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, light green and dark green diagonal stripes up the side.  F

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Chevy SS–Same basic design as last year, but the blue ovals on the white are more pronounced.-C

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy Chevy SS–New redesign with more black and less orange.-F

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy/TaxAct Chevy SS-New sponsor combo for the Sprint Unlimited, front of the car retains traditional GoDaddy design, whereas back quarter panel is TaxAct-C-

Danica Patrick #10 TaxAct Chevy SS-One race sponsor, will run at Martinsville in March, red, white and black scheme, with diagonal design up the doors.-C-

JOE GIBBS RACING #11

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry–New redesign with a much simpler front and more design on the sides.-A+

Denny Hamln #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry–Same redesign as FedEx Express-A+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry–Same redesign as FedEx Express-A+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry–Same redesign as FedEx Express-A+

Denny Hamlin #11 SportClips Toyota Camry–New redesign with a new door design-C-

GERMAIN RACING #13

Casey Mears #13 Geico Chevy SS–No Change.-D-

STEWART-HAAS RACING #14

Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy SS–Same color scheme as last year, but with a new design on the side.-C+

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevy SS–Same color scheme as last year, but with a new design on the side.-C+

Tony Stewart #14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil1 Chevy SS–No Change-C+

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Chevy SS–No Change A+

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #15

Clint Bowyer #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry–No Change-B+

Clint Bowyer #15 Peak Toyota Camry–No Change-B

Clint Bowyer #15 Maxwell House Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, blue with orange and white wave designs on bottom.  A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #16

Greg Biffle #16 Cheez Its Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red with a cheese colored stripe and crackers on the side.-A+

Greg Biffle #16 Clean Harbors Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red white and black design-A-

Greg Biffle #16 Ortho Fire Ant Killer Ford Fusion–No change-A-

Greg Biffle #16 Ortho Home Defense Ford Fusion-New sponsor, white design with a red and yellow stripe on the bottom, with a net design on the side.-A

Greg Biffle #16 Ortho Bug-B-Gon Ford Fusion-New sponsor, new design, red, black, and white is the primary color scheme.-A+

Greg Biffle #16 Safety Kleen Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, green, yellow, white, and black with an overly complex design on the sides. F

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford Fusion-New primary sponsor, blue, and white is the color scheme.-A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford Fusion–Same color scheme as 2014, but with a new, simpler side design.-A+

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 NOS Ford Fusion–Same color scheme as 2014, but with an updated design.-B-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Zest Ford Fusion–No Change.-F

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry–No Change-F-

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry-New design for 2015, with a green background and more emphasis on M&M’s Crispy, as well as a new hood logo.-B-

David Ragan #18 Snickers Xtreme Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2015, brown with a series of fades around the Xtreme logo.-D+

JOE GIBBS RACING #19

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley Toyota Camry-New team and new sponsor, yellow, black, and white is the color scheme.-B+

Carl Edwards #19 Aaris Toyota Camry-New team and new sponsor, reddish orange with the Aaris logo used as part of the side stripe.-A

Carl Edwards #19 Comcast Business Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, blue, silver and white, with a stripe that starts on the bottom, covers the car number, and takes over the top at the back.

Carl Edwards #19 SportClips Toyota Camry-New sponsor, same design as Denny Hamlin.-C-

Carl Edwards #19 Subway Toyota Camry–New sponsor for Joe Gibbs, much simpler design.-A+

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley/Cook’s Children’s Hospital Toyota Camry–Slight redesign of the Stanley scheme, with one paitent name from each state on the car. B+

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Matt Kenseth #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-New sponsor, black, green, yellow, and white is the color scheme.-A+

Matt Kenseth #20 Dollar General Toyota Camry–Much simpler than the 2014 scheme, with fewer side designs.-A

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft/Quicklane Ford Fusion–No Change-A+

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion–No change-D

Joey Logano #22 AAA Ford Fusion–The AAA logo has been straightened up in 2015.-D

Joey Logano #22 Southern California AAA Ford Fusion–Redesign of the AAA scheme, with Southern California AAA logo in place of the standard AAA logo.-D

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Platnum Ford Fusion–No Change-F

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader.com Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2015 Ford Fusion-Redesign using the Penske Template. D-

BK RACING #23

J.J. Yeley #23 Dr. Pepper/Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota Camry-New sponsor for the Daytona 500.  Black on top, white on the bottom, red stripe in between,  Dr Pepper style logo on the door number.-B-

JJ Yeley #23 Dr Pepper Toyota Camry–Slight redesign for 2015, car keeps the red on top, new number design, and white on bottom.-B-

J.J. Yeley #23 American Cancer Society Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, white, red and blue with a supplanted design on the blue, and a thunderbolt motif. C-

Alex Bowman #23 Dr. Pepper Throwback Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2015, all red with some sublamnted I’m a Pepper logos and vintage Dr. Pepper and I’m a Pepper logos on the quarter panel. A+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

Jeff Gordon #24 3M Chevy SS-New design for 2015, silver, with red accents and numbers, with a white hood design that extends over the roof and deck-lid.-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta Chevy SS–No Change-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Pepsi Chevy SS-No Change-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS–Much simpler redesign, with new hood logo and same color scheme-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Panasonic Toughbook Chevy SS–No Change-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta/Fix Auto Chevy SS–Same basic Axalta scheme, but with Fix Auto on the side.-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta/Penn State Chevy SS-New scheme for 2015, all blue with a slight blue twist design on the sides. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #25

Chase Elliott #25 NAPA Chevy SS-New sponsor and car number for 2015, blue is the primary sponsor, with a yellow design on the side.-B

BK RACING #26

Jeb Burton #26 Live Deals Ford Fusion-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, will have similar design as JJ Yeley, but with orange, black, and white.-B-

Jeb Burton #26 Maxim Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, white with black lettering.-A+

Jeb Burton #26 Maxim Red Toyota Camry–Red redesign of the white Maxim scheme, with BK Racing letter circle. A-

Jeb Burton #26 Estes Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, black on top, red stripe down the middle, yellow stripes on bottom.  D+

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27

Paul Menard #27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menard’s Chevy SS–No change-A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Serta Chevy SS–Same basic scheme as 2014, but with more blue on the sides than last year.-C+

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Peak Chevy SS–Some slight changes to the stripes, and roof-F

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Duracel Chevy SS–New scheme for 2015, using a black, yellow, and gold version of the Menard’s template.-A+

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Quaker State Chevy SS–No change-C

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/FVP Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, standard Paul Menard Template with silver designs for FVP. -A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Sylvania Chevy SS-Red and yellow version of the Menard’s template.  D-

RAB RACING #29

Justin Marks #29 American Born Moonshine Toyota Camry-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, has a wood finished look, with white lettering.-A+

TMG RACING #30

Ron Horniday #30 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevy SS-New team and sponsor for 2015. Two-tone green design with white lettering and yellow accents.-C-

Ron Horniday #30 Toyota Camry-Matte black with blue and white lettering. A+

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #31

Ryan Newman #31 Cat Chevy SS–Same color scheme, but the car as a whole has been redesigned-A+

Ryan Newman #31 Quicken Loans Chevy SS–No change-A

Ryan Newman #31 Granger Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, green, red and white, with some designs on the side.-B+

Ryan Newman #31 Caterpillar Throwback Chevy SS-Yellow with black stripes up the center and vintage logos.  A+

Ryan Newman #31 Wix Filters Chevy SS–No Change.  F

GO FAS RACING #32

Go FAS Racing #32 Keen Parts Ford Fusion–Simpler redesign and a much simpler color scheme.-B+

Go FAS Racing #32 C&J Energy Services Ford Fusion–Same color scheme, but with a different and much more complex side design-F

Mike Bliss #32 Draft Demons Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red and black diagonal stripes with a fire motif at the bottom.-A

Mike Bliss #32 King Taco Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red, gold and white, with a circular design on the sides, and vintage lettering on the quarter panels and hood.-B+

Mike Bliss #32 Keen Parts/Corvetteparts.net Ford Fusion–New design for 2015, light blue has been eliminated entierly, replaced with black and grey.  Cutting edge design replaced 1960’s design.  F

Mike Bliss #32 Rimrock Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, black with red and green designs on the side.  F

Mike Bliss #32 Texas Tech Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red fade to black with a large Texas Tech logo on the back.  A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING/CIRCLE SPORT RACING #33

Ty Dillon #33 Yuengling Brewery Chevy SS-New sponsor, red, white, and blue is the primary color scheme.-A+

Ty Dillon #33 Cheerios Chevy SS-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, based on Austin Dillon’s Cheerios scheme, but with a Kroger’s logo on the hood.-A

Brian Scott #33 White Tail Lodge Chevy SS–No change.-D-

Alex Kennedy #33 Dream Factory Chevy SS–No Change. B

Michael Annett #33 Pilot/Flying J Chevy SS-This one requires an explanation.  At Atlanta, Michael Annett didn’t get his car through inspection in time, and didn’t get to qualify.   Brian Scott offered his ride to Annett that weekend, and so the car was repainted. -A+

Alex Kennedy #33 Honor and Remember Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, red, yellow, and white, diagonal stripes up the sides, and a flag motif on the hood.  B-

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34

David Ragan #34 KFC Ford Fusion–Redesign for 2015, all white front, KFC style stripes on the back.-A+

David Ragan #34 CSX Ford Fusion–Same basic scheme, though the word bubble on the hood has been replaced with a CSX logo. -A+

David Ragan #34 Southern Belle Seafood Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, blue, white, and red, follows the “Front Row Motorsports Template” with a stripe that curves above and around the door number, that separates the colors of the car.-A+

Chris Buescher #34 A&W Ford Fusion–No Change. A+

Brett Moffitt #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Fusion–No change. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #35

Cole Whitt #35 Speed Stick Gear Ford Fusion–No Change-A

Cole Whitt #35 Rinnai Filters Ford Fusion–Same scheme as 2014, different team.-A+

Cole Whit #35 Sprouts Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red and blue, with a fruit design on the side.-A+

Cole Whitt #35 Ford Fusion-All white with orange and black letters. A+

Cole Whitt #35 Standard Plumbing Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, all white with red oval Standard Plumbing logos.  A+

Cole Whitt #35 Tweaker Energy Shot Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015.  All black with Tweaker Energy Shot logos on sides and hood. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38

David Gilliland #38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Fusion–No change-A

David Gilliland #38 MDS Ford Fusion–Same scheme as 2014, but different team.-A-

David Gilliland #38 The Pete Store Ford Fusion–Almost the same as last year, with a slight change in the curve behind the driver letters.  A+

David Gilliland #38 Farm Rich Ford Fusion–New team for Farm Rich, same scheme as last year. A+

HILLMAN-SMITH MOTORSPORTS #40

Landon Cassill #40 Snap 24-7 Fitness Chevy SS–Slight redesign from last year, with the black quarter panel replaced with red.-A+

Landon Cassill #40 Cars For Sale Chevy SS–No Change-C-

Landon Cassill #40 CRC 1-Tank Renew Chevy SS–No Change.-B-

Landon Cassill #40 Percon Chevy SS-All red with Percon logos on the hood and sides.-A+

Landon Cassill #40 Newton Business Supplies Chevy SS–New team, same scheme. B-

Landon Cassill #40 CRC Knock’er Loose Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, green with red lettering and a black design on the hood and designs. F

Landon Cassill #40 Link-Belt Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, all black with Link-Belt logos on the sides and hood.  A+

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42

Kyle Larson #42 Target Chevy SS– Same basic design as 2014, but with some sponsor changes on the quarter panel.-B-

Kyle Larson #42 White Target Chevy SS–Same basic design as 2014, but with some sponsor changes on the quarter panel.-B-

Kyle Larson #42 Energizer Eco Advanced Chevy SS–New scheme for 2015, different stripe color, fewer logos on the side.-D

Kyle Larson #42 Axe White Chevy SS-All white with silver Target logos, and silver Axe logos.  A

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43

Aric Almoriola #43 Eckrich Ford Fusion–Same basic design, but with a Nathans logo on the rear.-C+

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield Ford Fusion–No change-B+

Aric Almirola #43 Fresh From Florida Ford Fusion–No Change.-F

Aric Almirola #43 STP Ford Fusion–No Change.-A+

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield/Cheney Brothers Ford Fusion–Slight redesign of the Smithfield scheme, with a Cheney Brothers logo.  B+

TEAM XTREME RACING #44

Reed Sorenson #44 Golden Corral Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, same design as 2015 #36.-A

Travis Kvapil #44 Phoenix Warehouse Chevy SS–No Change-F

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #46

Michael Annett #46 Pilot/Flying J Chevy SS-New car number and design. White is the primary color, with red and yellow accents on the sides and front.-A+

Michael Annett #46 Cypress HQ Chevy SS–New team for Cypress in 2015, some slight stripe changes on the quarter panel, and a darker blue.-F

Michael Annett #46 Northland Oil Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, red with black design and white lettering.  D-

Michael Annett #46 Philmor Chevy SS-New Sponsor for 2015, yellow, orange and red, with a series of differing designs on the front, sides and back. F

JTG DAUGHTERY RACING #47

AJ Allmendinger #47 Better Than Bullion Chevy SS-New Sponsor for 2015, all black with a gold stripe running down the side.-A+

AJ Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Best Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-B+

AJ Allmendinger #47 Clorox Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 House Autry Chevy SS-New primary sponsor for 2015,  Red sides, with blue roof and posts.-A+

AJ  Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Chilli Beans Chevy SS-New sponsor, yellow to orange to yellow fade across whole car.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Hungry Jack Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kingsford Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Scott Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Grilling Beans Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger Chevy SS–No change-A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Chevy SS–New design, bears a resemblance to the old Kobalt tools scheme from 2009.-C-

Jimmie Johnson #48 Kobalt Chevy SS–New design, redesigned version of the current Lowe’s scheme.-C-

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes Pro Services Chevy SS-New design for 2015, same as current Lowe’s scheme, but with PRO SERVICES written on hood and quarter panels.-C-

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #51

Justin Allgaier #51 Brandt Chevy SS–Same primary design, but the door number has reversed colors.-A+

Justin Allgaier #51 Switch Hitch/Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevy SS-New sponsor set for 2015, all black with yellow and orange stripes that go around the side of the car.  D-

Justin Allgaier #51 Flipping Ships Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, dark blue, with a fade from top to bottom, and a sublimated wave design, B+

Justin Allgaier #51 Auto-Owners Insurance Chevy SS–New scheme for 2015, redesign of the old scheme.  White has been mostly replaced with dark blue and black.  B+

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #55

Brian Vickers #55 Aaron’s Toyota Camry–Same basic design as last year, the nose has been changed, the main blue is slightly darker, and the gold has been replaced with light blue-A+

Brett Moffitt #55 Aaron’s 60th Anniversary Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2015, colors are reversed, new logo on the hood.-A+

Brian Vickers #55 Janssen Toyota Camry-Blue, yellow, and orange with a wave pattern across the side.-A+

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #62

Brian Scott #62 Shore Lodge Chevy SS-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, Black with white lettering and silver designs.-B-

Brendan Gaughn #62 Diathrive Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, black, with a blue and white arch up the side.  C+

Brendan Gaughn #62 Chevy SS-Black with red and yellow numbers, A+

Brendan Gaughn #62 Vydox Plus Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, white with a blue fade on the hood and roof, with a red oval on the bottom of the quarter panel. A

Brendan Gaughn #62 Low T Central Chevy SS-All black with Low T Central logos on the hood and quarter panels.  A+

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66

Mike Wallace #66 Crazy Vapors/X8 Energy Gum Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, Hood has Crazy Vapors green stripe design, side has X8 abstract design.-F

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row Chevy SS–No Change-A+

BK RACING #83

Johnny Sauter #83 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, green stripes up the hood and roof, white design with Dr Pepper style door numbers.-B-

Matt Dibenedetto #83 Burger King Toyota Camry–Slight redesign for 2015, black takes over as primary color, Dr. Pepper design around door numbers.-B-

Matt Dibenedetto #83 Dr Pepper Toyota Camry-Same as Burger King. B-

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Chevy SS–No Change-B+

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevy SS–No major changes,except a Nationwide logo replaces the National Guard logo.-D-

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Kelly Blue Book Chevy SS–Same basic design but blue has replaced white as the primary color.-B

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Mountain Dew Dewshine Chevy SS-New scheme for 2015, green background with gold lettering and white front bumper.-A+

LEVINE FAMILY RACING #95

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial Ford Fusion–Redesign of last year’s scheme, another example of logo as a stripe pattern.-A

Michael McDowell #95 K-Love Ford Fusion–Template has been redesigned, and the city outline on the rear quarterpanel has been removed.-A

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial Silver Ford Fusion-Redesign of Thrivent Financial scheme, with the logo on the sides removed, and silver replaces the red on the sides. A

PHIL PARSONS RACING #98

Josh Wise #98 Phoenix Construction Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, all white with red lettering, and red and black numbers-A+

Josh Wise #98 Mike Curb 200th Start Ford Fusion-Same as Phoenix Warehouse, but with a different quarter panel and hood design.-A+

Josh Wise #98 Ford Fusion-White with black and red lettering, A+

Josh Wise #98 Steve Byrnes Tribute Ford Fusion-Simple dedication to the memory of Steve Byrnes, who passed away from cancer this season.  A+

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Tracker-April 22, 2015

By David G. Firestone

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #1

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Beechcraft Chevy SS–No Change-A

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, but with a new door design.-B+

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/McDonald’s Chevy SS-Special dual scheme for the Daytona 500, black Cessna on the front, fade to red McDonald’s on the back.-A+

Jamie McMurray #1 Sherwin Williams Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, Red, white and blue with a red line down the center, with the top fades blue to white on top, and white to blue on the bottom.-B+

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Dixie Chopper Chevy SS–New sponsor for 2015, same as Cessna/Beechcraft scheme A

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion–Same basic design as 2014, but with no gold stripe, vintage Miller Crest, or hop designs on the side.-A++

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion–New redesign, similar in design to Joey Logano’s Shell/Pennzoil Ford, black replaces yellow as the primary color.-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Fusion–Redesign from last season, follows the Shell/Pennzoil template.-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2015, blue Penske template on a black background-C-

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Genuine Draft Ford Fusion–Throwback scheme that ran from 1990-1996-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller High Life Ford Fusion–Based on the design that Bobby Allison won the 1983 Sprint Cup Championship.-A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite/Penske 25th Anniversary Ford Fusion-Same as Miller Lite scheme but with a special design on the hood.  A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 1998 Throwback Ford Fusion–Based on the 1998 Rusty Wallace scheme, but with some subtle differences.  Different logo on hood and sides, and a layers stripe on the stripes. A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2007 Gold Throwback Ford Fusion–Based loosely on the 2007 gold scheme raced at the Sprint Unlimited and All-Star Race, new hood logo and designs, door and hood numbers covered by blue.  B-

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite 2010 Throwback Ford Fusion–Based on the Miller Lite scheme from 2010, with some changes to accommodate the Gen 6 car.  B-

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3

Austin Dillon #3 Cheerios Chevy SS–No change-A+

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS–No change-B+

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy SS–No Change-F

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy SS–No Change-A-

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Energy and Water Chevy SS–No change B-

Austin Dillon #3 Dow/WeatherTech Chevy SS-Same scheme as Dow B+

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Budweiser Chevy SS–No change-A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmie Johns Chevy SS–No change-A

Kevin Harvick #4 Outback Steakhouse–No Change-A

Kevin Harvick #4 Ditech Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, blue, and white is the primary color scheme-A+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #5

Kasey Kahne #5 Great Clips Chevy SS–No Change-D+

Kasey Kahne #5 Time Warner Cable Chevy SS–No Change-C

Kasey Kahne #5 Farmers Insurance Chevy SS–Complete redesign from last year, black, and dark blue replaces light blue and silver, and the design has been completely revamped.-C+

Kasey Kahne #5 Liftmaster Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, red and white redesign of the Time Warner scheme.-C+

Kasey Kahne #5 Pepsi Chevy SS–No change-B+

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Ford Fusion-New team, new sponsor, red, white and blue is the color scheme.-A+

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING #7

Alex Bowman #7 Nikko/Toy State Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, Red borders a blue design on the sides and hood.-D-

Alex Bowman #7 Accell Construction Chevy SS–No change.  C-

Alex Bowman #7 DOC 360 Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, all black with DOC 360 logos on front and sides.  A+

Alex Bowman #7 Chevy SS-All black with white numbers.  A+

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #9

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Twisted Tea Ford Fusion–No Change-A

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Camping World/Medallion Bank Ford Fusion-New sponsor set for 2015, a redesign of the Fresh From Florida #43 scheme.-F

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Medallion Bank Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, same as Camping World Scheme, but with a darker green.-F

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Medallion Bank/Mercury Marine Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, same as Camping World Scheme, but with a red, white and blue as a color scheme.-B+

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Lyons Financial Ford Fusion–Redesign of the Medallion Bank scheme, with a Lyons Financial logo on the hood. F

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Nature Blast/Medallion Bank Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, light green and dark green diagonal stripes up the side.  F

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Chevy SS–Same basic design as last year, but the blue ovals on the white are more pronounced.-C

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy Chevy SS–New redesign with more black and less orange.-F

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy/TaxAct Chevy SS-New sponsor combo for the Sprint Unlimited, front of the car retains traditional GoDaddy design, whereas back quarter panel is TaxAct-C-

Danica Patrick #10 TaxAct Chevy SS-One race sponsor, will run at Martinsville in March, red, white and black scheme, with diagonal design up the doors.-C-

JOE GIBBS RACING #11

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry–New redesign with a much simpler front and more design on the sides.-A+

Denny Hamln #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry–Same redesign as FedEx Express-A+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry–Same redesign as FedEx Express-A+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry–Same redesign as FedEx Express-A+

Denny Hamlin #11 SportClips Toyota Camry–New redesign with a new door design-C-

GERMAIN RACING #13

Casey Mears #13 Geico Chevy SS–No Change.-D-

STEWART-HAAS RACING #14

Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy SS–Same color scheme as last year, but with a new design on the side.-C+

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevy SS–Same color scheme as last year, but with a new design on the side.-C+

Tony Stewart #14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil1 Chevy SS–No Change-C+

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1/Rush Truck Centers Chevy SS–No Change A+

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #15

Clint Bowyer #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry–No Change-B+

Clint Bowyer #15 Peak Toyota Camry–No Change-B

Clint Bowyer #15 Maxwell House Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, blue with orange and white wave designs on bottom.  A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #16

Greg Biffle #16 Cheez Its Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red with a cheese colored stripe and crackers on the side.-A+

Greg Biffle #16 Clean Harbors Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red white and black design-A-

Greg Biffle #16 Ortho Fire Ant Killer Ford Fusion–No change-A-

Greg Biffle #16 Ortho Home Defense Ford Fusion-New sponsor, white design with a red and yellow stripe on the bottom, with a net design on the side.-A

Greg Biffle #16 Ortho Bug-B-Gon Ford Fusion-New sponsor, new design, red, black, and white is the primary color scheme.-A+

Greg Biffle #16 Safety Kleen Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, green, yellow, white, and black with an overly complex design on the sides. F

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford Fusion-New primary sponsor, blue, and white is the color scheme.-A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford Fusion–Same color scheme as 2014, but with a new, simpler side design.-A+

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 NOS Ford Fusion–Same color scheme as 2014, but with an updated design.-B-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Zest Ford Fusion–No Change.-F

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry–No Change-F-

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota Camry-New design for 2015, with a green background and more emphasis on M&M’s Crispy, as well as a new hood logo.-B-

David Ragan #18 Snickers Xtreme Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2015, brown with a series of fades around the Xtreme logo.-D+

JOE GIBBS RACING #19

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley Toyota Camry-New team and new sponsor, yellow, black, and white is the color scheme.-B+

Carl Edwards #19 Aaris Toyota Camry-New team and new sponsor, reddish orange with the Aaris logo used as part of the side stripe.-A

Carl Edwards #19 Comcast Business Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, blue, silver and white, with a stripe that starts on the bottom, covers the car number, and takes over the top at the back.

Carl Edwards #19 SportClips Toyota Camry-New sponsor, same design as Denny Hamlin.-C-

Carl Edwards #19 Subway Toyota Camry–New sponsor for Joe Gibbs, much simpler design.-A+

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley/Cook’s Children’s Hospital Toyota Camry–Slight redesign of the Stanley scheme, with one paitent name from each state on the car. B+

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Matt Kenseth #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-New sponsor, black, green, yellow, and white is the color scheme.-A+

Matt Kenseth #20 Dollar General Toyota Camry–Much simpler than the 2014 scheme, with fewer side designs.-A

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft/Quicklane Ford Fusion–No Change-A+

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion–No change-D

Joey Logano #22 AAA Ford Fusion–The AAA logo has been straightened up in 2015.-D

Joey Logano #22 Southern California AAA Ford Fusion–Redesign of the AAA scheme, with Southern California AAA logo in place of the standard AAA logo.-D

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Platnum Ford Fusion–No Change-F

Joey Logano #22 Auto Trader.com Ford Fusion–New scheme for 2015 Ford Fusion-Redesign using the Penske Template. D-

BK RACING #23

J.J. Yeley #23 Dr. Pepper/Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota Camry-New sponsor for the Daytona 500.  Black on top, white on the bottom, red stripe in between,  Dr Pepper style logo on the door number.-B-

JJ Yeley #23 Dr Pepper Toyota Camry–Slight redesign for 2015, car keeps the red on top, new number design, and white on bottom.-B-

J.J. Yeley #23 American Cancer Society Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, white, red and blue with a supplanted design on the blue, and a thunderbolt motif. C-

Alex Bowman #23 Dr. Pepper Throwback Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2015, all red with some sublamnted I’m a Pepper logos and vintage Dr. Pepper and I’m a Pepper logos on the quarter panel. A+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

Jeff Gordon #24 3M Chevy SS-New design for 2015, silver, with red accents and numbers, with a white hood design that extends over the roof and deck-lid.-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta Chevy SS–No Change-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Pepsi Chevy SS-No Change-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy SS–Much simpler redesign, with new hood logo and same color scheme-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Panasonic Toughbook Chevy SS–No Change-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta/Fix Auto Chevy SS–Same basic Axalta scheme, but with Fix Auto on the side.-A+

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta/Penn State Chevy SS-New scheme for 2015, all blue with a slight blue twist design on the sides. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #25

Chase Elliott #25 NAPA Chevy SS-New sponsor and car number for 2015, blue is the primary sponsor, with a yellow design on the side.-B

BK RACING #26

Jeb Burton #26 Live Deals Ford Fusion-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, will have similar design as JJ Yeley, but with orange, black, and white.-B-

Jeb Burton #26 Maxim Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, white with black lettering.-A+

Jeb Burton #26 Maxim Red Toyota Camry–Red redesign of the white Maxim scheme, with BK Racing letter circle. A-

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #27

Paul Menard #27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menard’s Chevy SS–No change-A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Serta Chevy SS–Same basic scheme as 2014, but with more blue on the sides than last year.-C+

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Peak Chevy SS–Some slight changes to the stripes, and roof-F

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Duracel Chevy SS–New scheme for 2015, using a black, yellow, and gold version of the Menard’s template.-A+

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Quaker State Chevy SS–No change-C

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/FVP Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, standard Paul Menard Template with silver designs for FVP. -A

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Sylvania Chevy SS-Red and yellow version of the Menard’s template.  D-

RAB RACING #29

Justin Marks #29 American Born Moonshine Toyota Camry-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, has a wood finished look, with white lettering.-A+

TMG RACING #30

Ron Horniday #30 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevy SS-New team and sponsor for 2015. Two-tone green design with white lettering and yellow accents.-C-

Ron Horniday #30 Toyota Camry-Matte black with blue and white lettering. A+

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #31

Ryan Newman #31 Cat Chevy SS–Same color scheme, but the car as a whole has been redesigned-A+

Ryan Newman #31 Quicken Loans Chevy SS–No change-A

Ryan Newman #31 Granger Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, green, red and white, with some designs on the side.-B+

Ryan Newman #31 Caterpillar Throwback Chevy SS-Yellow with black stripes up the center and vintage logos.  A+

Ryan Newman #31 Wix Filters Chevy SS–No Change.  F

GO FAS RACING #32

Go FAS Racing #32 Keen Parts Ford Fusion–Simpler redesign and a much simpler color scheme.-B+

Go FAS Racing #32 C&J Energy Services Ford Fusion–Same color scheme, but with a different and much more complex side design-F

Mike Bliss #32 Draft Demons Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red and black diagonal stripes with a fire motif at the bottom.-A

Mike Bliss #32 King Taco Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red, gold and white, with a circular design on the sides, and vintage lettering on the quarter panels and hood.-B+

Mike Bliss #32 Keen Parts/Corvetteparts.net Ford Fusion–New design for 2015, light blue has been eliminated entierly, replaced with black and grey.  Cutting edge design replaced 1960’s design.  F

Mike Bliss #32 Rimrock Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, black with red and green designs on the side.  F

Mike Bliss #32 Texas Tech Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red fade to black with a large Texas Tech logo on the back.  A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING/CIRCLE SPORT RACING #33

Ty Dillon #33 Yuengling Brewery Chevy SS-New sponsor, red, white, and blue is the primary color scheme.-A+

Ty Dillon #33 Cheerios Chevy SS-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, based on Austin Dillon’s Cheerios scheme, but with a Kroger’s logo on the hood.-A

Brian Scott #33 White Tail Lodge Chevy SS–No change.-D-

Alex Kennedy #33 Dream Factory Chevy SS–No Change. B

Michael Annett #33 Pilot/Flying J Chevy SS-This one requires an explanation.  At Atlanta, Michael Annett didn’t get his car through inspection in time, and didn’t get to qualify.   Brian Scott offered his ride to Annett that weekend, and so the car was repainted. -A+

Alex Kennedy #33 Honor and Remember Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, red, yellow, and white, diagonal stripes up the sides, and a flag motif on the hood.  B-

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34

David Ragan #34 KFC Ford Fusion–Redesign for 2015, all white front, KFC style stripes on the back.-A+

David Ragan #34 CSX Ford Fusion–Same basic scheme, though the word bubble on the hood has been replaced with a CSX logo. -A+

David Ragan #34 Southern Belle Seafood Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, blue, white, and red, follows the “Front Row Motorsports Template” with a stripe that curves above and around the door number, that separates the colors of the car.-A+

Chris Buescher #34 A&W Ford Fusion–No Change. A+

Brett Moffitt #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Fusion–No change. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #35

Cole Whitt #35 Speed Stick Gear Ford Fusion–No Change-A

Cole Whitt #35 Rinnai Filters Ford Fusion–Same scheme as 2014, different team.-A+

Cole Whit #35 Sprouts Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, red and blue, with a fruit design on the side.-A+

Cole Whitt #35 Ford Fusion-All white with orange and black letters. A+

Cole Whitt #35 Standard Plumbing Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, all white with red oval Standard Plumbing logos.  A+

Cole Whitt #35 Tweaker Energy Shot Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015.  All black with Tweaker Energy Shot logos on sides and hood. A+

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38

David Gilliland #38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Fusion–No change-A

David Gilliland #38 MDS Ford Fusion–Same scheme as 2014, but different team.-A-

HILLMAN-SMITH MOTORSPORTS #40

Landon Cassill #40 Snap 24-7 Fitness Chevy SS–Slight redesign from last year, with the black quarter panel replaced with red.-A+

Landon Cassill #40 Cars For Sale Chevy SS–No Change-C-

Landon Cassill #40 CRC 1-Tank Renew Chevy SS–No Change.-B-

Landon Cassill #40 Percon Chevy SS-All red with Percon logos on the hood and sides.-A+

Landon Cassill #40 Newton Business Supplies Chevy SS–New team, same scheme. B-

Landon Cassill #40 CRC Knock’er Loose Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, green with red lettering and a black design on the hood and designs. F

Landon Cassill #40 Link-Belt Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, all black with Link-Belt logos on the sides and hood.  A+

CHIP GANASSI RACING TEAM #42

Kyle Larson #42 Target Chevy SS– Same basic design as 2014, but with some sponsor changes on the quarter panel.-B-

Kyle Larson #42 White Target Chevy SS–Same basic design as 2014, but with some sponsor changes on the quarter panel.-B-

Kyle Larson #42 Energizer Eco Advanced Chevy SS–New scheme for 2015, different stripe color, fewer logos on the side.-D

Kyle Larson #42 Axe White Chevy SS-All white with silver Target logos, and silver Axe logos.  A

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43

Aric Almoriola #43 Eckrich Ford Fusion–Same basic design, but with a Nathans logo on the rear.-C+

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield Ford Fusion–No change-B+

Aric Almirola #43 Fresh From Florida Ford Fusion–No Change.-F

Aric Almirola #43 STP Ford Fusion–No Change.-A+

Aric Almirola #43 Smithfield/Cheney Brothers Ford Fusion–Slight redesign of the Smithfield scheme, with a Cheney Brothers logo.  B+

TEAM XTREME RACING #44

Reed Sorenson #44 Golden Corral Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, same design as 2015 #36.-A

Travis Kvapil #44 Phoenix Warehouse Chevy SS–No Change-F

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #46

Michael Annett #46 Pilot/Flying J Chevy SS-New car number and design. White is the primary color, with red and yellow accents on the sides and front.-A+

Michael Annett #46 Cypress HQ Chevy SS–New team for Cypress in 2015, some slight stripe changes on the quarter panel, and a darker blue.-F

Michael Annett #46 Northland Oil Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, red with black design and white lettering.  D-

Michael Annett #46 Philmor Chevy SS-New Sponsor for 2015, yellow, orange and red, with a series of differing designs on the front, sides and back. F

JTG DAUGHTERY RACING #47

AJ Allmendinger #47 Better Than Bullion Chevy SS-New Sponsor for 2015, all black with a gold stripe running down the side.-A+

AJ Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Best Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-B+

AJ Allmendinger #47 Clorox Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 House Autry Chevy SS-New primary sponsor for 2015,  Red sides, with blue roof and posts.-A+

AJ  Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Chilli Beans Chevy SS-New sponsor, yellow to orange to yellow fade across whole car.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Hungry Jack Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kingsford Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Scott Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Grilling Beans Chevy SS–Same basic scheme, some logos have changed on the side.-A

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger Chevy SS–No change-A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s Chevy SS–New design, bears a resemblance to the old Kobalt tools scheme from 2009.-C-

Jimmie Johnson #48 Kobalt Chevy SS–New design, redesigned version of the current Lowe’s scheme.-C-

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes Pro Services Chevy SS-New design for 2015, same as current Lowe’s scheme, but with PRO SERVICES written on hood and quarter panels.-C-

HSCOTT MOTORSPORTS #51

Justin Allgaier #51 Brandt Chevy SS–Same primary design, but the door number has reversed colors.-A+

Justin Allgaier #51 Switch Hitch/Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevy SS-New sponsor set for 2015, all black with yellow and orange stripes that go around the side of the car.  D-

Justin Allgaier #51 Flipping Ships Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, dark blue, with a fade from top to bottom, and a sublimated wave design, B+

Justin Allgaier #51 Auto-Owners Insurance Chevy SS–New scheme for 2015, redesign of the old scheme.  White has been mostly replaced with dark blue and black.  B+

MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING #55

Brian Vickers #55 Aaron’s Toyota Camry–Same basic design as last year, the nose has been changed, the main blue is slightly darker, and the gold has been replaced with light blue-A+

Brett Moffitt #55 Aaron’s 60th Anniversary Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2015, colors are reversed, new logo on the hood.-A+

Brian Vickers #55 Janssen Toyota Camry-Blue, yellow, and orange with a wave pattern across the side.-A+

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #62

Brian Scott #62 Shore Lodge Chevy SS-New sponsor for the Daytona 500, Black with white lettering and silver designs.-B-

Brendan Gaughn #62 Diathrive Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, black, with a blue and white arch up the side.  C+

Brendan Gaughn #62 Chevy SS-Black with red and yellow numbers, A+

Brendan Gaughn #62 Vydox Plus Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, white with a blue fade on the hood and roof, with a red oval on the bottom of the quarter panel. A

Brendan Gaughn #62 Low T Central Chevy SS-All black with Low T Central logos on the hood and quarter panels.  A+

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #66

Mike Wallace #66 Crazy Vapors/X8 Energy Gum Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, Hood has Crazy Vapors green stripe design, side has X8 abstract design.-F

FURNITURE ROW RACING #78

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row Chevy SS–No Change-A+

BK RACING #83

Johnny Sauter #83 Dustless Blasting Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2015, green stripes up the hood and roof, white design with Dr Pepper style door numbers.-B-

Matt Dibenedetto #83 Burger King Toyota Camry–Slight redesign for 2015, black takes over as primary color, Dr. Pepper design around door numbers.-B-

Matt Dibenedetto #83 Dr Pepper Toyota Camry-Same as Burger King. B-

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Chevy SS–No Change-B+

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevy SS–No major changes,except a Nationwide logo replaces the National Guard logo.-D-

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Kelly Blue Book Chevy SS–Same basic design but blue has replaced white as the primary color.-B

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Mountain Dew Dewshine Chevy SS-New scheme for 2015, green background with gold lettering and white front bumper.-A+

LEVINE FAMILY RACING #95

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial Ford Fusion–Redesign of last year’s scheme, another example of logo as a stripe pattern.-A

Michael McDowell #95 K-Love Ford Fusion–Template has been redesigned, and the city outline on the rear quarterpanel has been removed.-A

Michael McDowell #95 Thrivent Financial Silver Ford Fusion-Redesign of Thrivent Financial scheme, with the logo on the sides removed, and silver replaces the red on the sides. A

PHIL PARSONS RACING #98

Josh Wise #98 Phoenix Construction Ford Fusion-New sponsor for 2015, all white with red lettering, and red and black numbers-A+

Josh Wise #98 Mike Curb 200th Start Ford Fusion-Same as Phoenix Warehouse, but with a different quarter panel and hood design.-A+

Josh Wise #98 Ford Fusion-White with black and red lettering, A+

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Leaderboard-Week 4, The Grand Finale

By David G. Firestone

The Paint Scheme Ranking Executive Committee meetings have been long, but not too contentious, I can’t stay mad at Alejandro when he shows me his belly, so now we present all 55 NASCAR Sprint Cup teams ranked from first to last on how their paint schemes looked. NR has a different meaning this week. NR now specifically referrs to teams that didn’t exist in 2013. Teams that ran different manufacturers in 2013 will be ranked when it came to last year. So, without further ado,

1-Wood Brothers #21 Rank Last Year:1st of 50 -The Wood Brothers always design great cars, and the Quick Lane scheme uses the blue very well. It all looks good!

2-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Rank Last Year:2nd of 50-Classic, smooth looks with no needless clutter. Jimmie always runs great schemes

3-Michael Waltrip Racing #55 Rank Last Year:3rd of 50-The color schemes are good, and the design schemes work very well.

4-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Rank Last Year:5th of 50-The zebra stripe Interstate Battery scheme wrecks a perfect score for Kyle this year

5-Stewart Haas Racing #4 Rank Last Year:NR-With the exception of Hunt Brothers Pizza, which uses an awful shade of green, Kevin has consistently run a series of great schemes.

6-Team Penske #2 Rank Last Year:18th of 50-The Wurth and Redd’s Apple Ale schemes are a bit over designed, but the white Miller Lite schemes, Alliance Truck Parts, and Detroit Genuine Parts schemes make up for it.

7-Richard Childress Racing #31 Rank Last Year:35th of 50-A lot of great schemes this year, but Wix is overdone, and the Cat/Quicken Loans hybrid looks awful

8-BK Racing #23 Rank Last Year:NR-The Dip Your Car scheme is awful, but the rest of the schemes are very good, and are very attractive.

9-Stewart Haas Racing #41 Rank Last Year: NR-The Slate scheme does not work, but all the other schemes work very well.

10-Roush Fenway Racing #6 Rank Last Year:NR-This would be ranked higher, as it has a somewhat vintage look, but the candy cane on the nose looks odd. It’s still a good scheme.

11-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Rank Last Year:6th of 50-The Ekcrich camouflage scheme doesn’t work, camouflage schemes rarely do. The Charter green is horrible, but the rest of the schemes look really good.

12-Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Rank Last Year:24th of 50-A pink-washing scheme and a terrible shade of green on the WEMO scheme cost this team the 2nd place spot,knocking them down to 5th. They have run a lot of great schemes this season

13-Levine Family Racing #95 Rank Last Year:45th of 50-The TWD schemes look medicore, but could be worse. The template Levine Family Racing switched too this year looks great and the cars look very good too.

14-Furniture Row Racing #78 Rank Last Year:4th of 50-The World Vision scheme needs work, as the color does not support a fade, but the Furniture Row, and Colorado Freedom Memorial work very well.

15-BK Racing #26 Rank Last Year:50th of 50-Bully Hill Vinyards is an over-designed joke with an awful color scheme. The yellow numbers on the Burger King scheme are awful, but the rest of the schemes are good, and defendable.

16-RAB Racing #29 Rank Last Year:NR-Good color scheme, mediocre design scheme.

17-Hendrick Motorsports #88 Rank Last Year:22nd of 50-National Guard, Mountain Dew, Kickstart, and Superman look good, and work well with the new number design, but Michael Baker, Kelly Blue Book, and Nationwide don’t at all.

18-Chip Ganassi Racing #42 Rank Last Year:11th of 50-While Cottonelle, the Silver Scheme, and Energizer work very well, but the rest of their schemes are mediocre at best. The white on the back doesn’t work.

19-Beard Oil Racing #75 Rank Last Year:NR-If the sides had a sponsor, and the stripe at the bottom was eliminated, it would work a lot better.

20-Front Row Motorsports #34 Rank Last Year:28th of 50-The majority of the schemes look great, but the upside down lettering on the hood of the CSX scheme looks odd. The Wendell Scott scheme is amazing!

21-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Rank Last Year:15th of 50-While Bush’s, Clorox, Scott’s, Sullivan/Palatek, Kingsford, and Bush’s Grilling Beans work well,Kroger/USO is overdone, Charter Communications uses a horrid shade of green, and Hungry Jack just looks terrible.

22-Hendrick Motorsports #24 Rank Last Year: 36th of 50-Drive to end Hunger is too overdone, and the upside down D on the hood looks terrible. Their orange scheme is even worse. Panasonic is mediocre at best. Pepsi looks good, and all of the Axalta schemes are really good.

23-Humphery Racing #77 Rank Last Year:NR-Plinker Arms doesn’t look great but it could be worse. That applies to Essex Homes as well. The rest of the schemes look good.

24-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Rank Last Year:31st of 50-The Autisim Speaks scheme works well. The zipper scheme is decent, but odd. Sport Clips is over-designed, but with a good color scheme. The FedEx schemes have decent color schemes, but are over-designed on the front.

25-BK Racing #83 Rank Last Year:7th of 50-Voo Doo Barbecue is an over-designed mess. Dip your car is terrible, as is Zak. Burger King and Borla work well though.

26-Team Penske #12 Rank Last Year:9th of 50-The SKF scheme works very well. The Penske Truck Rental scheme uses a horrible shade of orange, and just looks hideous.

27-Hillman Racing #40 Rank Last Year: NR-When the car doesn’t have a scheme, it looks very good. When it has a sponsor it looks awful.

28-Front Row Motorsports #35 Rank Last Year:27th of 50-The Hefty scheme is a little unorthodox, silver and orange isn’t a great combo, but the design looks good. MDS looks good

29-HScott Motorsports #52 Rank Last Year: NR-The black scheme is good, but the orange Florida Lottery scheme is a trainwreck. Less is more on a paint scheme.

30-HScott Motorsports #51 Rank Last Year:13th of 50-If the car is running a Brandt scheme it looks good, anything else looks terrible.

31-Phil Parsons Racing #98 Rank Last Year: 44th of 50-While I like the Dogecoin,Trench Shoring,iRacing, black Curb Records, and unsponsored black schemes, anything else looks horrendous.

32-Front Row Motorsports #38 Rank Last Year:26th of 50-Most of the schemes are good, but the Love’s Truck Stops, and Love’s Truck Stops Camo schemes are horrific.

33-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Rank Last Year:23rd of 50-Can all be summed up with medicore color schemes and mediocre design schemes

34-Swan Racing #30 Rank Last Year:50th of 50-The only time the car looked good was when it was unsponsored, but compared to last year’s design it looks amazing!

35-Roush Fenway Racing #17 Rank Last Year:16th of 50-Eco-Power has awful shades of green. Pit for a pair is awful even for a pink-washing scheme. Zest has a good color scheme, but awful design scheme,as does Fifth-Third Bank. Their all-star scheme was terrible. Ford Eco-Boost, NOS, and Nationwide work very well.

36-Richard Childress Racing #27 Rank Last Year: 20th of 50-Neon yellow looks terrible, when they use the stripes on the sides it looks even worse. The Pittsburgh Paints scheme looks really good though.

37-BK Racing #93 Rank Last Year:8th of 50-The Support Millitary scheme is the worst, and although Burger King, Dr. Pepper, and Iowa City Chop House do make up for it, it just isn’t enough.

38-CircleSport/Richard Childress Racing #33 Rank Last Year: 47th of 50-

39-Tommy Baldwin Racing #37 Rank Last Year: NR-Accell Construction has a great color scheme, but the design scheme ruins it.

40-Tommy Baldwin Racing #36 Rank Last Year:29th of 50-Another example of a team where when the car is unsponsored, it looks better.

41-Richard Petty Motorsports #9 Rank Last Year:12th of 50-Can all be summed up with Great color schemes but mediocre design schemes. The camo scheme looks bad, but the upside is that the camo is subtle.

42-Team Penske #22 Rank Last Year:41st of 50-The Shell/Pennzoil scheme has a decent color scheme but a bad design scheme. Anything Pennzoil Platnum is awful, as is Auto Trader. The Auto Club scheme has a great color scheme but a bad design scheme.

43-Identity Ventures Racing #87 Rank Last Year:NR-300 is a mess, and Morris,Hardick and Schinder/SmartBen looks too dull.

44-Michael Waltrip Racing #15 Rank Last Year:38th of 50-The Peak scheme is defendable, the color scheme is good, but the rest of the schemes are just awful.

45-Roush Fenway Racing #99 Rank Last Year:34th of 50-Fastenal looks good, but anything else looks terrible.

46-Go FAS Racing #32 Rank Last Year:25th of 50-The Terry Labonte throwback scheme was amazing, but most of their other schemes are over-designed messes.

47-Stewart Haas Racing #14 Rank Last Year:21st of 50-The over designing of the Bass Pro Shops schemes, as well as the use of orange and camo just look horrible. Mobil 1, Rush Truck Centers, and Code 3 look decent, but to some extent have issues. Mobil 1 is over designed, Rush uses too dark a yellow, Code 3 uses too bright a yellow.

48-Tommy Baldwin Racing #7 Rank Last Year:43rd of 50-Allstate Peterbuilt, and Pilot-St Jude Children’s Network work well, as both have good color schemes and design schemes. Anything else just looks awful.

49-Richard Childress Racing #3 Rank Last Year:NR-Cheerios is very good, and has a classic look. Dow schemes have a great color scheme, but have mediocre design. Anything else looks terrible on this car.

50-Germain Racing #13 Rank Last Year:40th of 50-The blue is too bright, as is the yellow. The car is overdesigned, and the whole car looks like a mess. The camo scheme is much worse.

51-Hendrick Motorsports #5 Rank Last Year:46th of 50-The only half decent scheme is Pepsi. Everything else is an over designed mess.

52-Stewart Haas Racing #10 Rank Last Year:37th of 50-The only scheme that doesn’t make my eyes hurt here is Aspen Dental. Terrible shades of orange and green, with ugly design. The pink-washing scheme is terrible.

53-Xxxtreme Motorsports #44 Rank Last Year: 49th of 50-Every single one of their cars is an ugly, over-designed mess that doesn’t look good at all.

54-Roush Fenway Racing #16 Rank Last Year:19th of 50-Every scheme is terrible.

55-Michael Waltrip Racing #66 Rank Last Year:NR-Nothing about any of these schemes is good.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Leaderboard-Week #2-Ford

Ford

By David G. Firestone

Last Week, Chevy teams were ranked. This week, the Paint Scheme Ranking Executive Committee, made up of myself, and Alejandro my black cat have determined how Ford’s teams will be ranked. Alejandro was slightly more useful this week, keeping my leg warm while he slept. As with last week, teams that did not exist or did not run Fords last year will be marked with NR for Not Ranked.

1-Wood Brothers #21 Rank Last Year:1st of 17-The Wood Brothers always design great cars, and the Quick Lane scheme uses the blue very well. It all looks good!

2-Team Penske #2 Rank Last Year:6th of 17-The Wurth and Redd’s Apple Ale schemes are a bit over designed, but the white Miller Lite schemes, Alliance Truck Parts, and Detroit Genuine Parts schemes make up for it.

3-Roush Fenway Racing #6 Rank Last Year:NR-This would be ranked higher, as it has a somewhat vintage look, but the candy cane on the nose looks odd. It’s still a good scheme.

4-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 Rank Last Year:2nd of 17-The Ekcrich camouflage scheme doesn’t work, camouflage schemes rarely do. The Charter green is horrible, but the rest of the schemes look really good.

5-Levine Family Racing #95 Rank Last Year:16th of 17-The TWD schemes look medicore, but could be worse. The template Levine Family Racing switched too this year looks great and the cars look very good too.

6-Front Row Motorsports #34 Rank Last Year:11th of 17-The majority of the schemes look great, but the upside down lettering on the hood of the CSX scheme looks odd. The Wendell Scott scheme is amazing!

7-Humphery Racing #77 Rank Last Year:NR-Plinker Arms doesn’t look great but it could be worse. That applies to Essex Homes as well. The rest of the schemes look good.

8-Front Row Motorsports #35 Rank Last Year:10th of 17-The Hefty scheme is a little unorthodox, silver and orange isn’t a great combo, but the design looks good. MDS looks good.

9-Team Penske #12 Rank Last Year:3rd of 17-The SKF scheme works very well. The Penske Truck Rental scheme uses a horrible shade of orange, and just looks hideous.

10-Phil Parsons Racing #98 Rank Last Year: 15th of 17-While I like the Dogecoin,Trench Shoring,iRacing, black Curb Records, and unsponsored black schemes, anything else looks horrendous.

11-Front Row Motorsports #38 Rank Last Year:9th of 17-Most of the schemes are good, but the Love’s Truck Stops, and Love’s Truck Stops Camo schemes are horrific.

12-Roush Fenway Racing #17 Rank Last Year:5th of 17-Eco-Power has awful shades of green. Pit for a pair is awful even for a pink-washing scheme. Zest has a good color scheme, but awful design scheme,as does Fifth-Third Bank. Their all-star scheme was terrible. Ford Eco-Boost, NOS, and Nationwide work very well.

13-Richard Petty Motorsports #9 Rank Last Year:4th of 17-Can all be summed up with Great color schemes but mediocre design schemes. The camo scheme looks bad, but the upside is that the camo is subtle.

14-Team Penske #22 Rank Last Year:14th of 17-The Shell/Pennzoil scheme has a decent color scheme but a bad design scheme. Anything Pennzoil Platnum is awful, as is Auto Trader. The Auto Club scheme has a great color scheme but a bad design scheme.

15-Roush Fenway Racing #99 Rank Last Year:12th of 17-Fastenal looks good, but anything else looks terrible.

16-Go FAS Racing #32 Rank Last Year:8th of 17-The Terry Labonte throwback scheme was amazing, but most of their other schemes are over-designed messes.

17-Roush Fenway Racing #16 Rank Last Year:7th of 17-Every scheme is terrible.

Ford is in the rearview mirror, but next week we move on to Toyota!

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades October 9-16

By David G. Firestone

I want to clarify something that I stated last week. My rule for pinkwashing is an automatic F. After a few people pointed out to me that almost everyone is wearing a pink ribbon, I’ve made the decision not to factor a pink ribbon into the grades. That said, pink lettering, numbers, or background will still earn an automatic F. Let’s get to the reviews.

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/Beechcraft Chevy SS Pinkwashing is an automatic F

Brad Keselowski #2 Redd’s Wicked Ale Ford Fusion My only complaint is that this isn’t a Miller Genuine Draft scheme. The color scheme is really good, and the design scheme is really good, A+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx One Rate Toyota Camry Um…huh? Someone explain to me what black leather and zippers have to do with FedEx? It’s not a bad design, though I could have done without the green at the bottom, so I’ll give it an A-, but I don’t get why they used that design at all.

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry M&M’s always have great Halloween schemes, and this is no different. Orange and black are always a good scheme, and the design fits both M&M’s and Halloween very well. I’ll give it an A+

Terry Labonte #32 C&J Energy Services Ford Fusion Terry is making his 890th start at Talladega, and this scheme is in honor of that. This is now, officially, my all-time favorite throwback scheme. The driver side is designed to look like his Kellogg’s scheme when he won the 1996 Sprint Cup Championship, and the passenger side is designed to look like his 1984 Championship winning Piedmont Airlines scheme. I couldn’t say anything bad about this if my life depended on is, A+

David Ragan #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Fusion The all white look works well, as does the red curved stripe down the sides. The color scheme is really good, and I give it an A+

Landon Cassill #40 Thunder Coal Chevy SS Between the paint scheme grades for last week, and the race at Charlotte, Cassill picked up Thunder Coal as a sponsor. The logo works well on a white background, and the car has a clean, smooth look that earns an A+

Kyle Larson #42 Energizer Chevy SS Same scheme as last year, same D grade

Michael Waltrip #66 My AFib Story Toyota Camry Ok, this one needs some explaining. Michael Waltrip suffers from Atrial fibrillation or AFib, an abnormal heart rhythm. He is working with The American Heart Association to inform people about AFib, and this scheme features pictures of those who have shared their stories about dealing with the disease, and I have to give this an A+ for that. It also doesn’t hurt that the color and design schemes are really good too!

Michael McDowell #95 Jordan Truck Sales Ford Fusion Pinkwashing earns an automatic F. It should be noted that this is the first time a team has put a Twitter handle on the side of their car.

Josh Wise #98 Provident Metals Ford Fusion A much more scaled down version of the paint scheme, which is much smoother and better looking. It has a great color scheme, so I’ll give it a B+.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades and Clarification of a Term

By David G. Firestone

I have been neglecting the Paint Scheme grades for the last few weeks, so after this brief post, we will focus on those this week.  I want to clarify a term that I use regularly.  I use the word “overdesigned” and what it basically means is that the paint scheme has design for design sake.  The scheme has design that serves no real purpose, and was just added needlessly.  Most things we own are, to a certain extent, over designed, mainly to prevent damage from regular use.  But when a car uses needless design in a paint scheme, more often than not, it looks awful.

The other news items I wanted to get to are from Formula 1.  I’m not an F1 fan per se, but I felt that these deserved some time on the DSB.  First there was a major shift in how cars are numbered in F1.  It used to be that were ever the driver finished in the previous season is what his car number was.  Now the change has been made and instead it is that the drivers pick a number and then use that for their entire careers.  Sky Sports covered the driver’s number choices in full, and I’m now a Daniel Ricardo fan!  The 2014 F1 helmet designs have been released and the designs speak for themselves.  This last item is about the man who is in charge of painting Lewis Hamilton’s Silver Arrow for the German-based Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team, my favorite team appearance wise in F1.  Now we move on to…

Paint Scheme Reviews

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy SS For many years, green was considered an unlucky color in auto racing. That said, this is a decent scheme. The green used is very good, and the overall design is good. The green around the vent on the side is needless, but this scheme still works. A-

Austin Dillon #3 Bad Boy Buggies/Realtree Chevy SS I’m seriously considering giving any camo paint scheme an automatic F because not one that I have seen in the last 5 years looks good at all. This scheme is just awful. The white/camo scheme is hideous and I’m embarrassed to have to grade it. F

Greg Biffle #16 Red Cross Give Blood/3M Ford Fusion One of Greg’s best schemes he has ever run. I can’t say anything bad. It has a simple yet attractive design, and a great color scheme. A+

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Zest Ford Fusion Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same B Grade

Jeff Gordon #24 Texas A&M Engineering Chevy SS Decent color scheme, but the side design is odd. It has a little too much design. The crooked Texas A&M logo looks odd here too. Still it is a decent design and earns a C+

Paul Menard #27 Menards/Quaker State Chevy SS Quaker State has a great shade of green, and it should be the dominant color of the car. The yellow base with green accents looks awkward. I’ll give it a C

Parker Kligerman #30 Swan Racing Toyota Camry Simple design and a great color scheme earns an A+

Parker Kligerman #30 Swan Racing Toyota Camry Simple design and a great color scheme earns an A+

Travis Kvapil #32 Ask More Get More Ford Fusion Yellow, white and black is a great color scheme. Overall design is great and the car has a great look to it. A+

Travis Kvapil #32 Ask More Get More Ford Fusion Two different schemes in two weeks is unusual and for whatever reason, the new car was a bit over designed. It still has a decent look and earns a B+

Timmy Hill #33 Circle Sport Chevy SS Simple design and a great color scheme earns an A+

David Ragan #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion Overall design and color schemes are good, and the only complaint is that the Taco Bell logo should be in color as opposed to black and white.  A+

David Ragan #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Fusion  The car looks great, with a great color scheme and great design scheme…A+

David Ragan #34 Farm Rich Ford Fusion  Good color scheme and I love the rolling hills effect…A+

Reed Sorenson #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevy SS Simple design and a great color scheme earns an A+

David Gilliland #38 Long John Silvers Ford Fusion Great design, great color scheme, great look, A+

Landon Cassill #40 Nabi Tablet Chevy SS Good color scheme, but the the car, like the Nabi Tablet is overdesigned, and earns a C

Landon Cassill #40 CRC Industries / K&W FiberLock Chevy SS A very simple design, though the yellowish-green is unattractive. If the green was darker it would work better. C+

Kyle Larson #42 Clorox Chevy SS AJ Allemdinger has a good Clorox scheme, this is an awful scheme . Why did they choose that shade of yellow instead of white? I can’t give this a passing grade. F

Aric Almirola #43 Farmland Ford Fusion Simple design and a great color scheme earns an A+

JJ Yeley #44 Phoenix Warehouse Chevy SS My first thought when I saw this scheme was it looked like the color scheme from the 1994-1995 NBA All-Star Game jerseys which is a decent color scheme. But to say the car is overdesigned is an understatement. This scheme is awful. Not even a great color scheme can help this car pass. F

AJ Allmendinger #47 Bush’s Grilling Beans Chevy SS  Great color scheme and a simple design earns an A+

Justin Allgaier #51 SEM Chevy SS Simple design, great color scheme, looks great, A+

Brian Vickers #55 Xarelto Toytoa Camry Good simple design with a great color scheme earns an A.

Jeff Burton #66 Toyota Toyota Camry The stripe down the side is much too big, and the hood design looks odd. The color scheme is good, but the overall design is a D+

Joe Nemechek #87 SmartBen Toyota Camry Simple design, great color scheme, looks great, A+

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Mountain Dew Kickstart Chevy SS The black and green color scheme is good, and the side is a bit overdeisgned. If the green stripes were scaled back, it would work better. It is work a B- grade.

Michael McDowell #95 WRL Contractors Ford Fusion Levine Family Racing continues to get back into my good graces with another A scheme with great design and a great color scheme.

Carl Edwards #99 Kelloggs/Cheez Its Ford Fusion Too many colors, and the car is overdesigned. F

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

By David G. Firestone

The focus group of one has had its meetings, and has made its decisions.  Here are all 50 teams that ran the Sprint Cup this year ranked first to last on their paint schemes:

#1-Wood Brothers #21-A classic design scheme that just seems to get better with age. The Henry Ford design combines classic and modern elements for an amazing look.

#2-Hendrick Motorsports #48 Jimmie Johnson went with a very classic look, with a day scheme and a night scheme, which worked very well. Johnson did not have a bad look all year.

#3-Michael Waltrip Racing #55 Simple traditional designs. That is the secret to their success on the leaderboard. Color schemes are great as well. Nothing wrong with these schemes.

#4-Furniture Row Racing #78 When it came down to picking a number 1 for Chevy, for both the Paint Schemie and the Leaderboard, I had to flip a coin to pick a number 1, and Johnson won. Kurt Busch ran a series of very solid schemes, not a lot to comment on and it always looks good.

#5-Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Like Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch on the Chevy side, the Toyota winner for both the Paint Schemie and Leaderboard was decided by a coin flip. More modern than the 55, all these schemes are good, with amazing paint schemes and really good design.

#6-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 This team combines classic and modern looks, and uses Petty Blue very effectively. The Transportation Impact scheme was not good at all, and kept the 43 team out of the top spot.  Extra Credit for the Maurice Petty Tribute Scheme.

#7-BK Racing #83 Great designs all around, but the hood needs work. Why is it black when the rest of the car is red?

#8-BK Racing #93 See Above, but the Old Dominion scheme drags it down.

#9-Penske Racing #12-Though only raced for one race, the SKF design worked very well. A great color and great design scheme. If this had been raced for multiple races, I would have ranked it higher, but it is still a solid scheme.

#10-Richard Childress Racing #29 The Bad Boy Buggies scheme is bad, and the Rheem/Budweiser combo scheme is awful, but aside from those, Kevin Harvick has had a very good season, paint scheme wise

#11-Earnhardt Ganassi Racing #42 Get rid of the Axe Apollo scheme and the Camouflage scheme, and Juan Pablo Montoya would have the top spot.

#12-Richard Petty Motorsports #9 This set earned a place in the top 5 because it improved by a lot over the course of the season. It has a great color scheme, but the early schemes were not great, but since Stanley redesigned their logo, and made some changes to the car, it is a very nice set.

#13-Phoenix Racing/Turner Scott #51 Guy Roofing and Hendrick Cars are hideous, but apart from that, they have run a great set of paint schemes. Bonus points given for the Neil Bonnett throwback scheme.

#14-Michael Waltrip Racing #56 The Get Back and Give Back scheme is horrid, but the rest of the schemes are really good.

#15-JTG Daugherty Racing #47 Most of what they ran this year was great, but the Bushes Baked Beans car has an odd overall design, and a weird color scheme. The Clorox scheme has a bad color scheme, as does the Charter scheme, as does the Wounded Warrior Project scheme.

#16-Roush Fenway Racing #17 A pinkwashing scheme as well as the Valvoline NexGen scheme kick Ricky Stenhouse Jr. out of the top spot. Sad thing too, as Ricky had a very solid year when it comes to paint schemes

#17-Joe Gibbs Racing #81 Alert Energy is awful. Double Mint is awesome.

#18-Penske Racing #2 While I miss the beer colored wheels from last year, Keselowski has had a decent year, the color scheme is great, though there is too much white on the car. The Redd’s Apple Ale scheme was great, but the Fan Mosaic and Patriotic schemes need some work.

#19-Roush Fenway Racing #16 Greg Biffle had a lot of great schemes, but he had a number of awful ones , including a pinkwashing scheme as well. Get rid of the pinkwashing scheme, the Scotchguard, give blood, and Megulars schemes, and he would be in the top 5.

#20-Richard Childress Racing #27 The yellow is too bright, but other than that, the schemes are really good.

#21-Stewart Haas Racing #14 Some of these schemes are good, others not so much.

#22Hendrick Motorsports #88 Dale Jr. runs good schemes most of the time, but Soldiers of Steel, Orange Amp Energy, and Camouflage are just brutal. Additional points lost for a pinkwashing scheme.

#23-Joe Gibbs Racing #20 If the Dollar General was more plain, and did not have the orange back, I would love to give Matt Kenseth a higher spot, and a pinkwashing scheme does not help.

#24-Earnhardt Ganassi Racing #1 Bad Boy Buggies is even worse here, and the Bass Pro Shop schemes are awful. A number of good schemes here as well.

#25-FAS Lane Racing #32 The Oxy Water scheme, and the gray scale C&J Energy Services schemes do not work, but the rest of the schemes they ran do

#26-Front Row Motorsports #38 The template they run works very well when the color scheme matches that of the sponsor. When it doesn’t match, it looks awful.

#27-Front Row Motorsports #35, See above

#28-Front Row Motorsports #34, See above, aside from the CSX scheme, which looks great, and the Peanut Patch scheme which looks awful.

#29-Tommy Baldwin Racing #36 This team looks better without a primary sponsor than they do with one.

#30-Max Q Motorsports #37 Simple, yet attractive. Would be higher if they ran more races.

#31-Joe Gibbs Racing #11 The Jason Leffler tribute scheme and the FedEx delivery manager schemes are great, but the rest are just awful. I miss the Gen 5 schemes

#32-Nemco Racing #87 The word that can best describe this set is dull. Not bad, but not spectacular.

#33-Circle Team Sport #40 Interstate Moving is really good. Moon Shine Attitude Attire is really awful, and their pinkwashing scheme is even worse.

#34-Roush Fenway Racing #99 Geek Squad and Fastenal work well, the rest…not so much.

#35-Richard Childress Racing #31 A few good schemes but most of them are mediocre at best.

#36-Hendrick Motorsports #24 See Above

#37-Stewart Haas Racing #10 Worst shades of yellow in NASCAR, and the pinkwashing scheme is so much worse.

#38-Michael Waltrip Racing #15 Clint has consistently run cars with great color schemes, but awful designs. Except for Duck Dynasty, and pinkwashing, which are just hideous.

#39-Humphrey Smith Racing #19 Another car that just looks better without a primary sponsor.

#40-Germain Racing #13 Nothing really wrong, but nothing really right with these schemes.

#41-Penske Racing #22 Red and yellow is a really great color scheme, but the design is all wrong. This design gets even worse with the AAA scheme, which has an even better color scheme. The Pennzoil scheme is good, but not good enough to save the set.

#42-Stewart Haas Racing #39 I have to give them credit, their schemes are mostly awful, but at least they are creative.

#43-Tommy Baldwin Racing #7 Worst. Door. Number. Ever. The rest of the car isn’t good either, and a pinkwashing scheme doesn’t help.

#44-Phil Parsons Racing# 98 The schemes come in one of two food groups, bland or awful. Great colors, but the designs are horrid.

#45-Levine Family Racing #95 Worst template in NASCAR.

#46-Hendrick Motorsports #5 Innovation can be a bad thing. This, for example is what happens when you let Karl Benjamin design your cars.

#47-Circle Sport/RCR #33 It amazes me how two different teams can use the same car number, and both can put awful designs on their cars. Special credit for the Honey Nut Cheerios scheme, which is just horrific.

#48-Xxxtreme Motorsports #44 Yuck.

#49-Hamilton-Means Racing #52 Paulie Harraka had a great scheme, but Brian Keselowski…not so much.

#50-Swan Racing #30/26 Please tell me this is an experiment on how to make the worst paint scheme in history? Is Swan Racing competing with Travis Pastrana for the most obnoxious paint scheme in NASCAR?

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Leaderboard Part 1-Ford

By David G. Firestone

I started ranking all the teams last week, with the Paint Schemie Awards, and I figured I would continue this week with the Paint Scheme Leaderboard. The concept is that over the next 4 weeks, I will rank all the drivers by team. The rules are the same as the Paint Schemies, and I will rank the teams, first by Manufacturer, and then by all the teams running the Sprint Cup Series. A random drawing has Ford going first, followed by Chevy next week, and then Toyota the following week. The last week, will be all 50 teams that ran in the Sprint Cup Series this year.

So, without further ado, let’s look at how Ford’s NASCAR teams fared in the paint scheme world this year:

#1-Wood Brothers #21-A classic design scheme that just seems to get better with age. The Henry Ford design combines classic and modern elements for an amazing look.

#2-Richard Petty Motorsports #43 This team combines classic and modern looks, and uses Petty Blue very effectively. The Transportation Impact scheme was not good at all, and kept the 43 team out of the top spot.  Extra Credit for the Maurice Petty Tribute Scheme.

#3 Penske Racing #12-Though only raced for one race, the SKF design worked very well. A great color and great design scheme. If this had been raced for multiple races, I would have ranked it higher, but it is still a solid scheme.

#4 Richard Petty Motorsports #9 This set earned a place in the top 5 because it improved by a lot over the course of the season. It has a great color scheme, but the early schemes were not great, but since Stanley redesigned their logo, and made some changes to the car, it is a very nice set.

#5 Roush Fenway Racing #17 A pinkwashing scheme as well as the Valvoline NexGen scheme kick Ricky Stenhouse Jr. out of the top spot. Sad thing too, as Ricky had a very solid year when it comes to paint schemes.

#6 Penske Racing #2 While I miss the beer colored wheels from last year, Keselowski has had a decent year, the color scheme is great, though there is too much white on the car. The Redd’s Apple Ale scheme was great, but the Fan Mosaic, pinkwashing, and Patriotic schemes need some work.

#7 Roush Fenway Racing #16 Greg Biffle had a lot of great schemes, but he had a number of awful ones as well. Get rid of the pinkwashing scheme, the Scotchguard, give blood, and Megulars schemes, and he would be in the top 5.

#8 FAS Lane Racing #32 The Oxy Water scheme, and the gray scale C&J Energy Services schemes do not work, but the rest of the schemes they ran do.

#9 Front Row Motorsports #38 The template they run works very well when the color scheme matches that of the sponsor. When it doesn’t match, it looks awful.

#10 Front Row Motorsports #35, See above

#11 Front Row Motorsports #34, See above, aside from the CSX scheme, which looks great, and the Peanut Patch scheme which looks awful.

#12 Roush Fenway Racing #99 Geek Squad and Fastenal work well, the rest…not so much.

#13 Germain Racing #13 Nothing really wrong, but nothing really right with these schemes.

#14 Penske Racing #22 Red and yellow is a really great color scheme, but the design is all wrong. This design gets even worse with the AAA scheme, which has an even better color scheme. The Pennzoil scheme is good, but not good enough to save the set.

#15 Phil Parsons Racing# 98 The schemes come in one of two food groups, bland or awful. Great colors, but the designs are horrid.

#16 Levine Family Racing #95 Worst template in NASCAR.

#17 Xxxtreme Motorsports #44 Yuck.

Next Week, the Chevy Leaderboard!