Monster Energy NASCAR Cup – Page 11

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-March 17, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Plaid Ford Fusion-The plaid look is a great look, and the color scheme is good. It’s an all around great scheme. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Carlisle Tools Ford Fusion-The Penske template works well or horribly dependng pn the color scheme. Gold and white works well. This scheme is a good look, and I can’t say anything bad about it. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Body Armor Ford Fusion-If the black stripe were removed, and the triangles toned down, I would be more willing to give this a higher grade, but all things considered, it gets a B+.

Clint Bowyer #14 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

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

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Sweet Heat Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Dutch Boy Ford Fusion-I’m beginning to think that this new Menard’s template is the best template in NASCAR history. I’ve yet to see a bad scheme using this template. This is another example of a great Menard’s scheme. A

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Crowdfunded Ford Fusion-It’s a smooth, simple look, and the sponsorship was acquired through crowdfunding. All in all, I’ll give it an A.

Michael McDoewll #34 K-Love Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #37 Scott Towels Chevy Camaro-It’s a decent color scheme, but the side designs look somewhat over designed, but it’s not horrible. It’s a decent look, and I’ll give it a B+.

David Ragan#38 MDS Ford Fusion-A smooth, simple look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Kurt Busch #41 Mobil 1/Haas CNC Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Farmer John Chevy Camaro-It’s a good color scheme, and it’s unique, and it is a good look. A

Timmy Hill #51 Chevy Camaro-That’s an old school scheme, with a great color scheme. I can’t give this scheme anything less than an A.

DJ Kennington #96 Northern Provincial Pipelines LTD Toyota Camry–No change. A

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-March 10, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna/DC Solar Chevy Camaro-The color scheme works very well with this design scheme, and the car looks great. A

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Silastic Silicone Elastomers Chevy Camaro-The white motif works, and the design is a good look. No complaints here. A

Trevor Bayne #6 Ford EcoBoost Ford Fusion-New Ford EcoBoost schemes could best be described as “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” There is nothing wrong and nothing right with this scheme. B+

Clint Bowyer #14 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion-Silver works well, especially with his scheme. It’s a really great scheme. A

Clint Boyer #14 CSU One Cure Ford Fusion-The new cleaner look is an upgrade. The color scheme works well too. It’s a nice new look! A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Pennzoil Ford Fusion-Plain yellow would work much better. Pennzoil has a great shade of yellow. The silver and white design is gaudy, and it takes away from what could have been a great scheme. Still, it’s not terrible, so I’ll give it a B-.

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Daniel Suarez #19 Coca Cola Toyota Camry-Coca Cola has a really great shade of red, and the simple, smooth design works very well. No complaints here. A

Erik Jones #20 SportClips Toyota Camry–New sponsor for 2018, same as 2017 #11. C-

Chris Buescher #37 Natural Light Chevy Camaro-The 2018 Natural Light scheme is a downgrade. Last year’s scheme was a great look. This is over designed. It went from an A down to a B-.

Kurt Busch #41 State Water Heaters Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Kurt Busch #41 Monster Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kurt Busch #41 Haas/Monster Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kurt Busch #41 Haas Automation Ford Fusion-Red to black fade works well, and the smooth and simple design works very well. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Chevy Camaro-The shade of blue is really good, and the design works well. It’s a great scheme. A

Joey Gase #55 Nevada Donor Network Chevy Camaro-If the orange and blue side designs were toned down, this scheme would earn a solid A, but they aren’t, so this scheme gets an A-.

Kasey Kahne #95 WRL Contractors Chevy Camaro-The dark blue works well, but the light blue patches are pointless, and don’t look good. It’s still a decent scheme, so I’ll give it a B+.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-March 3, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy Camaro-The design could be tweaked just a little, the yellow on the quarter panels needs to go. Other than that, it’s a great scheme. A-

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Bruce Halle Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Discount Tire, same A grade.

Clint Bowyer #14 Haas CNC Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ross Chastain #15 Low T Center Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Ford Ford Fusion-Ford really takes pride in over designing their paint schemes, and this is another example. There is too much going on here, and it just looks like a mess. I’ll give it an F.

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers Almond Toyota Camry-It’s a horribly over designed scheme, that looks non nonsensical. It just looks horrible, and I can’t give it anything but an F

Paul Menard #21 Menard’s/Moen Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Menard’s, same A grade.

Gray Gaulding #23 Toyota Camry-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Can Am/Wholey Ford Fusion-The new scheme is just as big of a mess as the old scheme, and the Wholey logo on the sides does nothing to help the scheme. It is just awful, and I give it an F.

Chris Buescher #37 Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevy Camaro-Black with red and yellow fire works very well as a paint scheme, and this car looks good. A

David Ragan #38 FR8 Auctions Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Clover/First Data Chevy Camaro-Why they got rid of the fade isn’t known, but this new scheme is not great. It is a definitive downgrade, and this new scheme went from an A down to a B-.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 NASCAR Racing Experience Ford Fusion-It’s a nice throwback inspired scheme, with a great color scheme, and I can’t say anything bad about it, it earns an A.

Cole Custer #51 Haas CNC Ford Fusion-Switching the primary colors can work well, or it can be a disaster. This scheme is a great look, and it gets an A.

Harrison Rhodes #51 Davis Roofing Chevy Camaro-Vertical stripes can work well, and this is a perfect example. The color scheme works well, and the design is not over done. It’s a great look. A

Mark Smith #72 Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Alex Bowman #88 Llumar Window Film Chevy Camaro-The green and red designs are decent, but if it was just a solid color it would work well. That’s really my only complaint. I’ll give it a B+

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore/Habitat for Humanity Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as Procore, same F grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 24, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy Camaro-Replacing blue with black works well, and this scheme works well. This is a great looking scheme. A

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare 25th Anniversary Ford Fusion-Same scheme as Advocare, same A grade.

Ryan Blaney #12 Peak/Menard’s Ford Fusion-The 2018 Menard’s template works well, and this scheme looks good. This shade of yellow is also good. No complaints here! A

Paul Menard #21 OmniCraft Auto Parts Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Gray Gaulding #23 EarthWater Toyota Camry-A new over designed mess for 2018. The color scheme doesn’t work, and the car is over designed, and it looks awful. F

Justin Marks #51 Harry’s Razors Chevy Camaro-While the color scheme is decent, and the design is decent, they don’t work with each other. They aren’t bad by themselves, but as a combo, it doesn’t look good. C+

Corey LaJoie #72 Schluter Systems Chevy Camaro-I still hate the waffle board scheme, but replacing the white side designs with a solid black works better, and takes a D- up to a C-.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 17, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Matt DiBenedetto #32 The Hurricane Heist Ford Fusion-The dark blue thunderstorm motif works very well, and the car has a great look. I give it an A.

Kyle Larson #42 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-This is an over designed car, with a decent color scheme. Seriously, how can the DC Solar designers take an already over designed car and over design it even more? The only thing keeping this grade above water is a good color scheme. D-

Mark Thompson #66 Phoenix Air Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 10, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jeffery Earnhardt #00 VRX Racing Simulators Chevy Camaro-I like the blue and silver color scheme, it works well with the white. I don’t like the side designs, I think they are overdone. All things considered, I give it a C.

Danica Patrick #7 GoDaddy/Warriors By Danica Chevy Camaro-The green design is smooth, but I don’t like the black rear. It takes away from the overall look. It’s a minor complaint, and the scheme earns an A-.

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dew Chevy Camaro-It’s a great look, with a great color scheme, and it earns an A.

Erik Jones #20 Circle K Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as last year, same A grade.

Landon Cassill #34 Love’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Chris Buescher #37 Kleenex Chevy Camaro-Another silver, blue, and white color scheme that is over designed to the point of being ridiculous. It just doesn’t look good from a design perspective. The color scheme is good, so I’ll give it a C.

David Ragan #38 Speedco Ford Fusion-The shade of blue and the shade of yellow work very well, and the design works very well too. It’s worth an A.

Justin Marks #51 Keens Buildings Chevy Camaro-The scheme is too over designed, and while the color scheme is decent, it’s just a mess, and it gets a D+.

Kasey Kahne #95 Procore Chevy Camaro-Reversing the black and white does nothing to fix this scheme. F

DJ Kennington #96 Lordco Toyota Camry-Same basic scheme as last year, same C- grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-February 3, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Blaney #12 PPG Ford Fusion-The color scheme looks good and the paint drip motif works well. All in all, a great scheme.A

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Ford Fusion-The removal of the white works very well, and the rest of the color scheme works very well too. Not a bad look at all.A

Daniel Suarez #19 Arris Ruckus Toyota Camry-The smooth look, combined with a great shade of orange, and good logos will always earn an A.

Erik Jones #20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry-The vertical black fade to red works very well, and the smooth look and great color scheme earns an A.

Michael McDowell #34 Love’s Truck Stops/Speedco Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Michael McDowell #34 K-Love Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-January 27, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-The color scheme is good, but the design scheme is cluttered. If cleaned up, it could work much better. B-

Chase Elliott #9 Kelly Blue Book Chevy Camaro-Reversing the colors from last year could have worked, but the design is a bit cluttered. The design scheme could work with a red car, but it isn’t as good as a blue scheme. All things considered, I give it a C.

David Ragan #38 Shriner’s Children’s Hospital Ford Fusion-The shades of red and blue are good, and the stripe looks good too. It’s an all around good look, and earns an A.

Kyle Larson #42 DC Solar Chevy Camaro-See Jamie McMurray above. B-

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 STP Chevy Camaro-My one complaint about this scheme is the silver on the borders. The silver is tacky, and takes an A scheme down to an A-.

David Gilliland #92 Carquest/Black’s Tire Ford Fusion-The wave motif could work with a different color scheme, and whatever those yellow things on the wave are, they are visually distracting. It could be better, but this scheme earns a C-.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-January 20, 2018

By David G. Firestone

Ryan Blaney #12 Dex Imaging Ford Fusion-The Penske Template works well with red and white. Red as the primary color works well too. It’s an all-around great scheme, and earns an A.

William Byron #24 UniFirst Chevy Camaro-The scheme is clunkier than last year, the side designs could be cleaned up a bit. Still, it’s not horrible, so I’ll give it a B-.

Brendan Gaughan #62 Beard Oil/South Point Chevy Camaro-The car has a great color scheme, and the design scheme looks really good too. A

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-January 13, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna Chevy Camaro-Love the black and dark blue, the design scheme works, and the car looks great! A

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy Camaro-They took a great design, and just needlessly over designed it. The wave form could work, but it just doesn’t. It’s not horrible, so I’ll give it a C-.

Daniel Suarez #19 Peak Toyota Camry-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford Fusion-It has a great color scheme, and the design scheme looks really good here. Nothing bad to say. A