The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 31, 2024

By David G. Firestone

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

Josh Berry #4 eero Ford Mustang-Bold look, good color scheme, great look, gets an A.

Brad Keselowski #6 King’s Hawaiian Soft Pretzel Bites Ford Mustang-Great color scheme, awful design scheme, this gets a C.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Cares Toyota Camry-Blue on white works, white on blue works. The two together clash, and give the car an odd look. C

Shane van Gisbergen #16 Safety Culture Chevy Camaro-Not only is the design scheme horrific,the yellow really makes it stick out more. This gets an F.

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota Camry-Smooth look, great color scheme, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #41 TrueWerk Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, but the diagonal stripe design, while bold, doesn’t look good. All things considered, this gets a C.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Biggie Muffins/CapriSun Chevy Camaro-Too many contrasting designs, pastel is not for race cars, and the whole thing is a jumbled mess. F

Justin Haley #51 Beef a Roo Ford Mustang-Nothing wrong with this design. A

Ty Gibbs #54 Reagan the Movie Toyota Camry-Far too over designed. F

Daniel Suárez #99 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 3, 2024

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Country Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look, but over designed somewhat. B+

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Peach Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Boot Barn Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Austin Dillon #3 SENIX Chevy Camaro-Good color scheme with a bad design scheme will always earn a C.

Josh Berry #4 Panini/Caitlin Clark Ford Mustang-Too over designed to be good. F

Brad Keselowski #6 Elk Grove Manufacturing and Technology Expo Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 Garner Trucking Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 Party in Paris Chevy Camaro-Too many designs, and too many colors gives this scheme a jumbled look.

Denny Hamlin #11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Ideal Garage Doors Ford Mustang-The template works with the right colors, and this is the right color. A

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

AJ Allmendinger #13 Benesch Law Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Chase Briscoe #14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang-New look is just as good as the previous look. A

Chase Briscoe #14 Mahindra Tractors Patriotic Ford Mustang-Good color scheme and awful design scheme will earn a C.

Cody Ware #15 Zeam Ford Mustang-Pastel doesn’t work on race cars, and the car has a really confusing design. This gets an F in my book.

Shane van Gisbergen #16 Wendy’s Saucy Nuggs Chevy Camaro-I love boneless buffalo wings, and I love this scheme. A

AJ Allmendinger #16 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme, but the car is a tad over designed. B

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Patriotic Ford Mustang-Smooth, bold, patriotic, nothing wrong here! A

Christopher Bell #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry-I really like the concrete motif, and the car looks good. A

Christopher Bell #20 CRAFTSMAN Racing for a Miracle Toyota Camry-It’s a smooth look, the motif works, and it isn’t over designed. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota Camry-I HATE CAMO ON RACE CARS!!!! F

Bubba Wallace #23 McDonald’s/JUJUTSU KAISEN Toyota Camry-Not an amine guy, but this scheme looks good. A

William Byron #24 Relay Payments Chevy Camaro-Could do without the green, and the car is a bit over designed. B+

Ty Dillon #33 Titan Risk Solution Chevy Camaro-A bold look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Michael McDowell #34 Chicago White Sox Ford Mustang-Good look, no complaints. A

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

Todd Gilliland #38 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-I love the color, and the drip motif is bringing back some Scott Hall vibes, so this gets an A.

Todd Gilliland #38 C.H. REED Ford Mustang-Good color and awful design will always get a C.

Todd Gilliland #38 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Ford Mustang-Smooth, simple, bold, perfect. A

John H. Nemechek #42 Massey Motor Freight Toyota Camry-Red and silver work, and the car has a nice design, so this gets an A.

J.J. Yeley #44 Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Chevy Camaro-Another smooth look with a great color scheme. A

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-Are these a new design of shoe? I hope so! This would work well! Even if, not, this is awesome, and it gets an A!

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Artesano Hawaiian/Oscar Mayer Chevy Camaro-I love the Hawaiian motif, and this gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Mariano’s/Colgate Optic White Chevy Camaro-Great shades of red and white, smooth look, this gets an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Sugarlands Sippin’ Cream Chevy Camaro-In addition to the pastel designs, the fact that there is light text on a light background makes this hard to see. F

Ricky Stenhouse #47 Kroger/Kleenex 100 Years/Donors Choose Chevy Camaro-A good, simple look, not over done, this gets an A.

Alex Bowman #48 Ally Financial Nashville Chevy Camaro-Still looks like crap, just with a Nashville theme. F

Ty Dillon #50 AmeriVet Securities Chevy Camaro-You can’t go wrong with an American Flag motif. A

Chad Finchum #66 Cooper&Hunter/Land Loan TN Ford Mustang-Like the color scheme, getting tired of waves, so this gets a C

Josh Bilicki #66 Purekick Hydration Ford Mustang-This would work much better with white and black on yellow, or white and yellow on black. C

Zane Smith #71 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Bryan Chevy Camaro-This look is a great look, not over done, and with a great color scheme. A

Daniel Suarez #99 Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge Chevy Camaro-It’s amazing how much cleaning up a scheme can work. This scheme went from an F to an A.

Daniel Suárez #99 Jockey/Folds of Honor Chevy Camaro-This is a great look, and the car is perfect! A

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-May 27, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Austin Cindric #2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 TD Bank Chevy Camaro-The white is wholly pointless, the car looks awful. If the car was green or red this would be an A, but this is a C.

Kyle Busch #8 Thorntons Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same C grade.

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

Chase Briscoe #14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Ford Mustang-Reversing the colors really works here. The car has a great look, and I think this is amazing! A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia Sportswear Toyota Camry-I like the water motif, it works surprising well for race cars. The black rear looks good, it isn’t over done. This gets an A.

Michael McDowell #34 Fr8 Auctions Throwback Ford Mustang-Yet another contender for best paint scheme of the year! I loved the old Mark Martin Folgers Coffee scheme from back in the day, and I love this now! This gets an A.

Todd Gilliland #38 Boot Barn Ford Mustang-Getting rid of the paint chips would work much better, but it isn’t awful so this gets a B.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Coke Zero Chevy Camaro-Not a bad look, but the black is definitely a better look. A-

Daniel Suarez #99 Trackhouse Motorplex Chevy Camaro-I like the black and purple, but holy hell is this over designed! I can’t give this anything but a D, so I won’t.

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 Camaro–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-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.