The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-May 13, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Worldwide Express Throwback Chevy Camaro-I love Dale Jarrett, and I love a Dale Jarrett Throwback! This gets an A!

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light #Break4Busch Ford Mustang-The car is a little too cluttered. Getting rid of the corn would take this to at least a B+ if not an A-, but this gets a B.

Brad Keselowski #6 King’s Hawaiian/Guardians of the Galaxy Ford Mustang-I loves me a good fade, and the fade from orange to a space motif looks amazing! A

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods Throwback Ford Mustang-I’m kind of shocked this hasn’t been thrown back to more, but it’s still a good solid look. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Dutch Boy Throwback Ford Mustang-That shade of blue and shade of gold works well with the Menard’s colors, and the design scheme works well too. A.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-The red is really pointless here, and the green designs, as well as the shade do NOT look good. This gets a B, since it isn’t too over designed.

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Body Guard Ford Mustang-The gray and blue looked great. The gray and orange, not so much. This went from an A- down to a B.

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Throwback Ford Mustang-Yes! Yes! A thousand times YES! This is a damn good throwback of a damn good car from a dammed good driver in Mark Donohue! I can’t give this anything less than an A, and this is a top contender for throwback of the year!

Bubba Wallace #23 Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will ALWAYS earn an A.

William Byron #24 Axalta Throwback Chevy Camaro-Even if this doesn’t change colors, this is still a great looking car, and it does take me back! This is another contender for best throwback of the year! A

Tyler Reddick #45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry-For a company with two really good base colors, red and yellow, McDonald’s is really keen on using gray for some reason, and I have to say, it just doesn’t work. McDonald’s should stick to their simple, yet effective and iconic colors. Since this isn’t over designed, this gets a D.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Country Crock Throwback Chevy Camaro-Where the #1 had more authentic logos, this is not as good, and the grilled cheese sandwich just doesn’t work as well. If this wasn’t a throwback, this would get an A, but the inaccuracies take it to a B+

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Throwback Chevy Camaro-I never really liked any non plain black Texaco Havoline schemes at the time, but they’ve grown on me, and this is a rather faithful throwback, so this gets an A in my book!

BJ McLeod #78 Camden Medical Center Chevy Camaro-A good color scheme combined with a mediocre design scheme will earn a C.

Daniel Suarez #99 Quaker State Throwback Chevy Camaro-This might be one of the most perfect throwback schemes, something which Justin Marks and Trackhouse do very well. Design, color, theme, and sponsor all come together to create another contender for best throwback of the year. A

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-May 6, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Great Stuff Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Richmond, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers/Realtree Ford Mustang-The black works well with the camo, the green, not so much. The good and bad cancel each other out, and this gets a C.

Corey LaJoie #7 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Brennan Poole #15 Millennium Jet Card Ford Mustang-A good color scheme with a bad design color scheme gets a C

Christopher Bell #20 Mac Tools Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Throwback Toyota Camry-I like the look, the car is well designed, and this gets an A.

Justin Haley #31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Justin Haley #31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection/World Autism Month Chevy Camaro-The way the puzzle pieces are forced looks really odd, and it takes the scheme down to a C.

Michael McDowell #34 A&W Root Beer Float Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Todd Gilliland #36 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-Simple, bold, and perfect, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #41 Mohawk Northeast Ford Mustang-I like the color scheme here, but the car is a tad too over designed. This gets a B+

Erik Jones #43 STP Chevy Camaro-At the time of writing, this is my favorite throwback so far! This is a great look, and earns an A.

Tyler Reddick #45 Ronald McDonald House Toyota Camry-Get rid of the black rear, and this scheme will get a solid A, this gets an A-.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Icy Hot Chevy Camaro-The shades of blue work well, and the design is great, so this gets an A.

Daniel Suarez #99 Pitbull/Freeway Insurance Chevy Camaro-The new look isn’t great, and I think that the car is over designed, so this gets a D.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-April 15, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light #Break4Busch Ford Mustang-I like the idea, but this isn’t well done. The dirt looks off, and it’s over designed. It’s not awful, so this gets a C.

Ryan Blaney #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang-I hate picture motifs, and this would be much better without it. With the mosaic, this gets an F.

JJ Yeley #15 Public SQ Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #51, same B+ grade.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Gain Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 McDonald’s/Dr. Pepper Toyota Camry-I hate this look, it’s not great, the random white areas are just awful, and I can’t say anything good. F

Justin Haley #31 Tide Chevy Camaro-These new designs are too much. They don’t look good, and it takes a B scheme down to a D, I do like Tide as a car sponsor.

Erik Jones #43 Club Wyndham Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme and earn an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Irish Spring Body Wash Chevy Camaro-This is a better look with the cleaned up sides. This goes from a C to a B

Austin Hill #62 Realtree Chevy Camaro-As much as I hate camo, this isn’t bad. The lack of orange helps, and this gets a C.

Anthony Alfredo #78 Dude Wipes Chevy Camaro-I like the look here, the color scheme is good, and the car looks great. A

BJ McLeod #78 GUNK Chevy Camaro-I would like this with smaller logos. The giant GUNK logo is so visually distracting, that it takes an A grade down to a B+

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-April 8, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

JJ Yeley #15 CW & Sons Infrastructure Ford Mustang-Good color scheme with a great design scheme will always earn an A.

Harrison Burton #21 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Stage Front Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Tyler Reddick #45 SiriusXM Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Kraft Mac & Cheese Chevy Camaro-I think that the car is a bit too over designed, but this isn’t bad. B

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-May 6, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Great Stuff Ford Mustang-Same scheme as Richmond, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers/Realtree Ford Mustang-The black works well with the camo, the green, not so much. The good and bad cancel each other out, and this gets a C.

Corey LaJoie #7 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A- grade.

Brennan Poole #15 Millennium Jet Card Ford Mustang-A good color scheme with a bad design color scheme gets a C

Christopher Bell #20 Mac Tools Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Throwback Toyota Camry-I like the look, the car is well designed, and this gets an A.

Justin Haley #31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Justin Haley #31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection/World Autism Month Chevy Camaro-The way the puzzle pieces are forced looks really odd, and it takes the scheme down to a C.

Michael McDowell #34 A&W Root Beer Float Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Todd Gilliland #36 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-Simple, bold, and perfect, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #41 Mohawk Northeast Ford Mustang-I like the color scheme here, but the car is a tad too over designed. This gets a B+

Erik Jones #43 STP Chevy Camaro-At the time of writing, this is my favorite throwback so far! This is a great look, and earns an A.

Tyler Reddick #45 Ronald McDonald House Toyota Camry-Get rid of the black rear, and this scheme will get a solid A, this gets an A-.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Icy Hot Chevy CamaroDaniel Suarez #99 Pitbull/Freeway Insurance Chevy Camaro-The new look isn’t great, and I think that the car is over designed, so this gets a D.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-March 18, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Moose Fraternity Chevy Camaro-Nothing really wrong with these new changes, still a bold look with a great color scheme. A

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 BetMGM Chevy Camaro-It’s amazing how getting rid of clutter makes the scheme so much better! A

Aric Almirola #10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang-No real change here. A

Denny Hamlin #11 SHINGRIX Toyota Camry-I like the color scheme, you can’t go wrong with red and white. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Socios.com Ford Mustang-I like this look, the blue and green work really well with each other, and the design scheme is great. A

William Byron #24 Valvoline Chevy Camaro-Too many stripes, too over done, this gets a B.

Tyler Reddick #45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will ALWAYS get an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Thomas English Muffins and Bagels Chevy Camaro-It’s amazing how cleaning up the sides makes a car look better! A

Alex Bowman 48 Ally/Best Friends Chevy Camaro-This is not a good look, the orange stripes look forced, and this is just awful! F

Ty Gibbs #54 He Get us Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will ALWAYS get an A.

Ty Dillon #77 Mutoh/General Formulations Chevy Camaro-The design is decent, but could be toned down more. B+

BJ McLeod #78 Circle B Diecast Chevy Camaro-Horrible color scheme combined with a terrible design scheme will ALWAYS earn an F

BJ McLeod #78 Superior Logistics Chevy Camaro-The new design is a bit more cluttered and over designed from last year. B+

Kimi Räikkönen #91 ONX Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-March 4, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Behr Dynasty Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford Mustang-The darker blue works well here, and the scheme looks great. A

Kyle Busch #8 Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro-I like the shade of blue, and the white and red designs work well. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Wurth Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

JJ Yeley #15 ActOne Group Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Farmsmart Chevy Camaro-Great color scheme with a bad design scheme will always earn a C.

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Harrison Burton #21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang-Less can be a lot more, and with these new designs, it’s a bit too much, this gets a B+ down from an A-

Bubba Wallace #23 Leidos Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

Michael McDowell #34 Horizon Lobby Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Todd Gilliland #38 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang-The new white on front scheme isn’t an upgrade or a downgrade, so it gets a C.

Erik Jones #43 U.S. Air Force Chevy Camaro-The Thunderbird scheme looks great, it translates to a race car well. This gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Cottonelle Chevy Camaro-This much more blue scheme isn’t an upgrade or a downgrade, so it gets a C.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Ralph’s/Tree Top Applesauce Chevy Camaro-Horrible color scheme paired with a bad design scheme will always earn an F.

Ty Dillon #77 Nations Guard Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same D grade.

Daniel Suarez #99 Freeway Insurance Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 11, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Jockey Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ross Chastain #1 Worldwide Express/Advent Health Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ross Chastain #1 Advent Health Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Austin Cindric #2 Freightliner/eCascadia Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Get Bioethanol Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Brad Keselowski #6 King’s Hawaiian Ford Mustang-The cleaned up look is much better than last year. A

Corey LaJoie #7 Animal Control Chevy Camaro-A smooth look, and a great color scheme, earns an A.

Kyle Busch #8 3Chi Chevy Camaro-A very rare instance of a great scheme being made better! A

Chase Elliott #9 Hooters Chevy Camaro-Black is a good base color for a race car, and the orange designs work well. A

Chase Elliott #9 Kelly Blue Book Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry-The new look is a bit of a downgrade from last year, I think the new designs are a tad over done. A-

Denny Hamlin #11 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menards/Great Lakes Flooring Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

JJ Yeley #15 CW & Sons Infrastructure Ford Mustang-The color scheme is good, and I like the design, so this gets an A.

AJ Allmendinger #16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy Camaro-Good shade of green, nice designs, and the car looks great. A

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Christopher Bell #20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #11, same F grade.

Bubba Wallace #23 DoorDash Toyota Camry-While I like the new shade of red, the design needs some work, as it is very much a downgrade from last year. C

Justin Haley #31 Cirkul Chevy Camaro-Good shade of green, nice designs, and the car looks great. A

Noah Gragson #42 Sunseeker Resort Chevy Camaro-I like the new red slightly more than last year. D-

Erik Jones #43 Allegiant Chevy Camaro-Nothing really changes here. A

Tyler Reddick #45 MoneyLion Toyota Camry-Nothing really changes here either. C-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Food4Less/Velveeta Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Cody Ware #51 Biohaven Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year’s Nurtec, same A grade.

Ty Gibbs #54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #11, same F grade.

Austin Hill #62 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ty Dillon #77 NASCAR Fan Rewards Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme, but the design scheme is over designed. B

B.J. McLeod #78 Celsius Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-September 17, 2022

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Snap On Ford Mustang-I like the look, it isn’t over done, and the logo fade is a good look. A

Corey LaJoie #7 Circle B Diecast/Neosho School District Wildcat Nation Chevy Camaro-A good color scheme, with an awful color scheme will always earn a C.

Aric Almirola #10 Farmland Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang-I like the color scheme, but that can’t save this over designed dump a scheme. D-

JJ Yeley #15 Jacob Companies/Parts Plus Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, not over designed, this gets an A.

Harrison Burton #21 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ty Gibbs #23 Monster Energy Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #45, same A grade.

Ty Gibbs #23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry-Same scheme as #45, same D grade.

Michael McDowell #34 WISE-EV Ford Mustang-Toning this down doesn’t help that much. F

Ty Dillon #42 Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor Chevy Camaro-PASTELS HAVE NO PLACE IN NASCAR! Sometimes you have to pick a design scheme that can enhance the color scheme, but this isn’t it. F

Bubba Wallace #45 Root Insurance Toyota Camry-I like the look, really well done, not over designed, and this is a good look. A

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-September 3, 2022

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #12, same A grade.

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Route 66 Ford Mustang-I like the look, the car isn’t over designed, and this looks great. A

Daniel Hemric #16 Cirkul Chevy Camaro-Not over designed, and has a great color scheme, what else is there to say? A

Justin Haley #31 Celsius Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #78, same A grade.

Ty Dillon #42 Thorntons Chevy Camaro-The green isn’t needed, and the car is somewhat over designed. I’ll give this a C.

Erik Jones #43 Morgan Law Firm Chevy Camaro-his has too many different design elements, and none of them work with each other. This is a bona fide mess, and it gets an F.

Mike Rockenfeller #77 Nations Guard Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #7, same D grade.

B.J. McLeod #78 NASCAR Rivals Ford Mustang-I love a good fade, and this works well. A