By David G. Firestone
The throwback race is behind us. You know what that means. I’m going to rank all of the 2019 throwback schemes. As in previous years, the top ranked scheme will be the winner of the Paint Scheme for Best Throwback Scheme. Let’s get going!
1. Austin Dillon #3 DOW Salutes Veterans Chevy Camaro-Black and gold works well, especially on a throwback. This is a great scheme, with a great color scheme, and I can’t give this less than an A.
2. Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Throwback Ford Mustang-The Miller scheme had a unique look, and while I preferred the standard Miller Genuine Draft scheme, this is still a great scheme. A
3. William Byron #24 City Chevrolet/Hendrick Autoguard Chevy Camaro–Cole’s City Chevrolet Lumina is my favorite car in Days Of Thunder. This is a great replica, and it looks really good. This is getting an A.
4. BJ McLeod #51 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro-An underrated NASCAR movie with a lot of great cars, this is a faithful replica of the #7 Chicken Pit/Zenon Ford Thunderbird. This is an amazing look, and I give it an A.
5. Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Throwback Chevy Camaro-You could put all of Bill Elliott’s pre-1999 schemes in a hat, pick one out at random, and be guaranteed to pick a great scheme. 1981 was a great scheme, and this faithful throwback is an amazing representation. I love this scheme! A
6. Landon Cassill #00 StarCom Fiber Throwback Chevy Camaro-I always love metallic siver, and the Coors Light look is a great look. I also like the design as a whole. This is getting an A.
7. Alex Bowman #88 Axalta Throwback Chevy Camaro-The Tim Richmond Folgers scheme was a great scheme, and it’s nice that Axalta is doing a faithful throwback. This is a great look. A
8. Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Throwback Chevy Camaro-Dale’s Olympic scheme was a great scheme. This somewhat faithful replica looks really good, and I can’t really say anything bad. A
9. William Byron #24 City Chevrolet/Hendrick Autoguard Chevy Camaro–Cole’s City Chevrolet Lumina is my favorite car in Days Of Thunder. This is a great replica, and it looks really good. This is getting an A.
10. JJ Yeley #52 Jacob Companies Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about it. A
11. David Ragan #38 Thanks DW Ford Mustang-Darrell’s chrome scheme was a bold look that would look just as awesome today. While I think that metallic silver isn’t chrome, I do love this look, and I think this scheme is great. A
12. Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Throwback Toyota Camry-Darrell’s 1990’s Parts America scheme was a great scheme. It looked amazing, and still holds up today! This is a great throwback scheme, and I can’t give this less than an A!
13. Ricky Stenhouse #17 Fastenal Throwback Ford Mustang-Darrell’s 1990’s Parts America scheme was a great scheme. It looked amazing, and still holds up today! This is a great throwback scheme, and I can’t give this less than an A!
14. Matt DiBenedetto #95 Procore Thanks DW Throwback Toyota Camry–Faithful 1970’s schemes always look awesome, and this is no exception. This is an amazing look, and I love everything about this scheme! A
15. Erik Jones #20 SportClips Throwback Toyota Camry-This is a smooth, simple look, and it’s a great look. The black works, the red works, and the scheme works. A
16. Garrett Smithley #54 AQRE Throwback Chevy Camaro-Not the scheme I was expecting, but this is a good look, and it’s a faithful replica. I give this an A.
17. Daniel Hemric #8 Caterpillar Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is a great scheme, not just because it looks awesome, but because I like how throwbacks are evolving in NASCAR. It used to be that throwbacks were either old schemes, or based on old schemes. Nowadays, everything from cans to trucks are being used. This example is based on an old Caterpillar tractor from the 1920’s. This looks amazing! A
18. David Ragan #38 Shriners Hospitals for Children Throwback Ford Mustang–David Pearson’s 1969 Torino Cobra is a great look, and this is a great throwback. I can’t give this less than an A.
19. Ryan Preece #47 Kroger Throwback Chevy Camaro–I love this throwback! The shade of red works, the design looks great, and the car just looks awesome. I love good throwbacks, and this is a good throwback. A
20. Michael McDowell #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Mustang-This was a very unique scheme back in the day, and I like this faithful representation. This is a good look, and I like the silver door numbers. A
21. Ryan Blaney #12 Pennzoil Throwback Ford Mustang-Mike’s old Pennzoil scheme was simple, it was attractive, and it worked. This faithful replica works well, and earns an A.
22. Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Throwback Throwback Chevy Camaro-This is so much better than his current Ally scheme, and it’s a faithful replica. This is a great scheme. A
23. Paul Menard #21 Motorcraft Throwback Ford Mustang–Glen’s 1956 Ford Fairlane had a great look, and this faithful replica is a great look. This is an amazing look, and I can’t give this less than an A.
24. Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Throwback Toyota Camry-The white design is a unique look, and it’s a good throwback. I like this, and I’m giving it an A.
25. Corey LaJoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Throwback Ford Mustang-Jarrett’s Nestle scheme is an interesting throwback choice, but it’s well done, very faithful, and earns an A as a result.
26. Matt Tifft #36 Hilker Glass Throwback Ford Mustang-This is a bold look that isn’t over done. It’s also a faithful throwback. This is a great look, and I give it an A.
27. Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Throwback Toyota Camry-I’m not always a fan of Bass Pro Shops throwbacks, some are better than others. That being said, this scheme is a good look, with a great color scheme. This scheme gets an A.
28. Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Victory Junction Throwback Chevy Camaro–Spree was never one of my favorite sponsors. That said, after some time, I do see what they were doing with their scheme. This is a faithful representation of the old Spree scheme, and It works very well. A
29. Daniel Suarez #41 Haas Throwback Ford Mustang-The third Tony Stewart Championship throwback scheme is based on his 2005 Home Depot scheme, which is the best of the three. It’s faithful, and it has a great look, and that will always earn an A.
30. Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Throwback Ford Mustang-For Tony Stewart’s Hall of Fame election, Stewart-Haas Racing’s cars are being painted in the colors of Tony’s Cup Championship schemes. The first from 2002, is based on Tony’s Home Depot. It’s a faithful replica, so that’s good, and I do like the Home Depot’s shade of orange. All things considered, this gets an A.
31 Clint Bowyer #14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang-This second Tony Stewart Throwback is based on his 2011 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy. Like the #10, it’s a faithful replica, with correct colors. I liked the design back then, and I like this now, so this gets an A.
32. Paul Menard #21 Quaker State/Menards Steve Kinser Throwback Ford Mustang–It’s a good throwback, with a great design, and that will always earn an A.
33. Matt DiBenedetto #95 Toyota Throwback Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, it has a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.
34. Reed Sorenson #77 Motor Racing Network Throwback Chevy Camaro-A fauxback, but a good one. Blue and gold works well, and the design is simple. I give this an A.
35. Kurt Busch #1 Star Nursery Throwback Chevy Camaro-My only complaint is the forced black spot for the Monster Energy logo. Other than that, this is a really great throwback. A-
36. Kurt Busch #1 Chevrolet Accessories Throwback Chevy Camaro-The black Monster Energy area looks out of place. This is visually distracting and takes away. The scheme looks good, but the black takes it from an A to an A-.
37. Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer/Velveeta Throwback Ford Mustang-Full disclosure, I loved the old Mark Martin Valvoline design. This new version with Oscar Meyer and Velveeta colors is not as great. The red, white, and blue design works well. Red, green and white doesn’t work as well. It’s still decent, so I’ll give it a B+.
38. Kyle Larson #42 Clover Throwback Chevy Camaro-I never liked the green Kodiak scheme, I always preferred the white scheme. This is a faithful replication, but it doesn’t pop as much as some of the others. I’ll give this a B.
39. Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Throwback Ford Mustang-I was not a fan of the Harvick Shell/Pennzoil scheme, and I’m not a fan of this throwback. There are other Shell schemes that could work, but this is just a meh scheme. I’ll give it a C.
Next week, I revisit an older article.
