Tag: ricky stenhouse jr

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-August 1, 2026

By David G. Firestone

Ross Chastain #1 Busch Light Flavor Showdown Chevy Camaro-I like the unique fade, it looks good, and I give this an A.

Austin Cindric #2 PPG Patriotic Ford Mustang-I like the American flag motif. It works well. A

Austin Cindric #2 Freightliner Throwback Ford Mustang-This is now my favorite throwback! I was always a fan of the simple black schemes! A

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Veterans Science Chevy Camaro-Too many designs and too many colors. f

Austin Dillon #3 Titan Risk Solutions Chevy Camaro-Not bad, but a downgrade from last year. A-

Austin Dillon #3 BREZTRI Chevy Camaro-I rarely comment on this, but the silver 3 looks odd with the color scheme, and takes an A down to an A-.

Noah Gragson #4 A&W Root Beer Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B grade.

Brad Keselowski #6 Travel Centers of America Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Daniel Suarez #7 Modo Casino Chevy Camaro-The blue skull motif works well, I can’t complain, this gets an A.

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Desi9n to Drive Chevy Camaro-Not bad at all. A

Chase Elliott #9 LLumar Window Film Chevy Camaro-This cleaner look is a better look, and it goes from an A- to an A.

Ty Dillon #10 Sea Best Seafood Chevy Camaro-For a seafood sponsor this is a much better scheme. The color and design work. A

Ty Dillon #10 BREZTRI Chevy Camaro-Same issue as the #3, the orange #10 looks odd on the black and silver. A-

Ryan Blaney #12 BodyArmor Flash I.V. Ford Mustang-I like a good fade, and this is a good fade. This gets an A.

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

AJ Allmendinger #16 Campers Inn RV Chevy Camaro-The red and black would work, the white tree motif would work, but together, it’s just meh. C

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Heinz Ketchup/Artesano Brioche Buns Ford Mustang-You can’t go wrong with red and a burger! A

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Coca-Cola Patriotic Ford Mustang-Too many designs to work. F

Chris Buescher #17 Kroger/Minute Rice Ford Mustang-Not bad, but a massive downgrade from last year. B+

Chase Briscoe #19 Free Bird Southern Spring Water Toyota Camry-Perfect look, great color scheme, this gets an A!

Chase Briscoe #19 Wix Filters Toyota Camry-Too ugly and over designed to get anything but an F.

Christopher Bell #20 Saia Freight + Logistics Patriotic Toyota Camry-I get what they are going for, but this could be improved with some more consistency. It’s not bad, so it gets a B.

Josh Berry #21 eero Ford Patriotic Mustang-This should be the new eero scheme, as it looks so much better than the plain blue scheme. A

Joey Logano #22 Hunt Brothers Patriotic Ford Mustang-Not really that much of an improvement. D

Bubba Wallace #23 Upper Deck Space Jam 30th Anniversary Toyota Camry-I love the space motif, it works well, and isn’t over done. A

Bubba Wallace #23 Columbia PFG/Academy Sport Toyota Camry-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

William Byron #24 Anduril Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Better color scheme than an A grade earns an A grade.

Austin Hill #33 Bank OZK Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A- grade.

Austin Hill #33 FICO Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as #8, same A grade.

Todd Gilliland #34 Gener8tor Skills Accelerator Patriotic Ford Mustang-Good color scheme, mediocre design scheme, this gets a C.

Todd Gilliland #34 Ruedbusch Development and Construction Ford Mustang-Good look, I like the cubes, and it’s not over designed. A

Zane Smith #38 Vermeer Midwest Ford Mustang-Getting rid of the patriotic stripe would elevate this to an A, this gets a B.

Zane Smith #38 Losi RC Ford Mustang-Good color scheme and awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Cole Custer #41 Haas/Standard Nuclear Ford Mustang-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Cole Custer #41 Sysco/Smoke Pit Ford Mustang-Not great, but a much better color scheme. B

Cole Custer #41 Air Lift Ford Mustang-A smooth look, a great color scheme, and this gets an A.

John Hunter Nemechek #42 Raid/Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-The color scheme is the only thing giving this scheme anything higher than an F. D-

Erik Jones #43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry-Not bad, but a downgrade from the green scheme. C

Tyler Reddick #45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry-The bottom design could be cleaned up for an A, but this gets a B.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Clemco Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Brazier Lumber Company Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Cody Ware #51 Super.com Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the fireworks would elevate this scheme to an A, but this gets a B.

Cody Ware #51 Sky Fund Aviation Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2026, black and white. AIt’s a smooth look with a great color scheme, and that will always earn an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Mariano’s/Athletic Brewing Ford Mustang-Getting rid of the yellow would elevate this to an A. A-

Ryan Preece #60 SimpleTire Ford Mustang-A good look, orange and black are a good color scheme, this gets an A.

Ryan Preece #60 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #6, same C grade.

Ryan Preece #60 Thornton’s Ford Mustang-Good color scheme plus awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Chad Finchum #66 Truan Ford Mustang-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Corey Heim #67 Shield AI Toyota Camry-Good color scheme plus awful design scheme will always earn a C

Corey Heim #67 Field and Stream Toyota Camry-Good color scheme plus awful design scheme will always earn a C.

Michael McDowell #71 Delaware Life Patriotic Chevy Camaro-Not a great color scheme, white should replace gray. I also think that the car is a bit over designed. This gets a C.

Michael McDowell #71 NEFCO Chevy Camaro-Getting rid of the white, and just going orange and blue would elevate this scheme to an A, this gets a B.

Carson Hocevar #77 Zeigler Auto Group Patriotic Chevy Camaro-The patriotic elements don’t really work, and this is a terrible look. F

BJ McLeod #78 Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Shane van Gisbergen #97 SuperFile Chevy Camaro-Too over designed to get anything higher than an F.

Daniel Suarez #97 Wendy’s Chevy Camaro-The red elevates this from an F to a D.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-April 1, 2023

By David G. Firestone

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme, and that will ALWAYS earn an A.

Brad Keselowski #6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Corey LaJoie #7 OpTic Gaming Chevy Camaro-The paint splatter motif could be better, but the giant logo along with it is just horrible, and I can’t give this higher than an F.

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

Bubba Wallace #23 MoneyLion Toyota Camry-This is even worse than last year, and that fade helps NOTHING! F

Noah Gragson #42 Black Riffle Coffee Resort Chevy Camaro-The small stripes alone would get an A, but this looks so awful, it gets taken down to a C.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger/Blue Buffalo Chevy Camaro-I get the use of blue, but there are too many blues here. Add in that the front is a bit over designed, and this gets a C.

Cody Ware #51 Public SQ Ford Mustang-If the black on the front was replaced with the fade, this would get an A, it’s still good enough to get a B+

Jimmie Johnson #84 Club Wyndham Chevy Camaro-It’s a smooth look, not over designed, and it gets an A.

Daniel Suarez #99 Quaker State Chevy Camaro-This color scheme works a little better than the Freeway Insurance color scheme. B-

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 2, 2019

By David G. Firestone

Landon Cassill #00 Sea Deck/Units Moving and Portable Storage Chevy Camaro-I like the color scheme, and the design scheme is good. I can’t give this scheme anything less than an A.

Kurt Busch #1 Global Poker Chevy Camaro-Camo doesn’t look good on a race car. This color scheme doesn’t work with the camo. The car doesn’t look good, so I give it an F

Ryan Newman #6 Blue Bird Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dew Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Ross Chastain #15 Harrah’s North Kansas City Chevy Camaro-A smooth look with a great color scheme will always earn an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr #17 Fifth Third Bank Pink Ford Mustang-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

BJ McLeod #51 Jacob Companies Pink Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

Garrett Smithley #52 RichMarFlorist.com Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

JJ Yeley #53 Gotta Kill It To Heal It Chevy Camaro-Pinkwashing is an automatic F.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-May 20, 2017

By David G. Firestone.

Brad Keselowski #2 Elite Support/Freightliner Ford Fusion-The Penske template works well with this color scheme, it has a good look, and I give it an A

Trevor Bayne #6 Roush Performance Ford Fusion-Same scheme as 2016 #16, same A grade.

Reed Sorenson #15 Harrah’s Casino Chevy SS-It’s a smooth look, with a good color scheme, and with the silver accents removed, it still looks good. I give it an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Little Hug Drinks Ford Fusion-It’s an over designed mess, with a bad color scheme. It reminds me of the old Dale Earnhardt Peter Max scheme from 2000, and that is not a comparrosn I should make. It gets an F, and I’m being generous!

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

Matt DiBenedetto #32 Incredible Bank Ford Fusion-When used separately, green and a checkered flag motif can work well, when combined, you have this ugly mess of a scheme. It’s not attractive, and it isn’t a good look. F

Landon Cassill #34 A&W Ford Fusion-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

David Ragan #38 Overton’s Ford Fusion-The darker blue with a cloud motif works very well, and the car isn’t overdone. I don’t know why I like sky motifs on race cars, but I do. I give it an A.

AJ Allmendnger #47 Dillon’s Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger’s, same A grade.

Timmy Hill #51 Lilly Trucking Chevy SS-A white car with white door numbers can be an iffy prospect, but this scheme pulls it off well. The stripe design on the sides needs some work, but it isn’t horrible. All things considered, this scheme gets a B+.

Carl Long #66 Poker Palace Chevy SS-Carl just can’t catch a break. For the first time since 2009, Carl is running in the Cup series, and NASCAR tells him he can’t run his hood sponsor due to it being Marijuana related. Even if the logo was present, it’s still and ugly design, with a bad shade of green, and a otherwise awful color scheme. Still, I’ll give him some pity, and give him a D-.

Cole Whitt #72 Bad Boy Mowers Chevy SS-The black works, the orange doesn’t and the cutting edge design is meh at best. All thing totalled, I give this a C-.

Michael McDowell #95 Tommy Williams Drywall Chevy SS-The drywall motif works very well, with a great color scheme to boot. It’s an all around attractive car. I give it an A.

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

By David G. Firestone

Brad Keselowski #2 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Fusion-The Penske template can be very temperamental when it comes to color schemes, this is not a good color scheme. The yellowish-green just doesn’t work, and the whole car just looks bad. The black is the only thing that is good, which gives this scheme a D.

Austin Dillon #3 Intellifresh Chevy SS-Same scheme as Dow Energy and Water, same C grade.

Joey Gase #15 Sparks Energy Toyota Camry-The paint splatter is a bold look, and the color scheme works well. It has a good look, and earns an A

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Back Ford Fusion-I like the color scheme here, but I think the design scheme is a little over done. It’s not too bad. I also think the lighter blue could be a little lighter. All in all, it’s a B- scheme.

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Patriotic Toyota Camry-I like the Skittles motif, and the patriotic motif works well here too. It’s not too over done, and I like the look. I give it an A.

Chris Buescher #37 Velveeta Chevy SS-Yellow can be a finicky color as a primary, but this is a good shade of yellow, and the car design is good. All in all, it’s an A grade.

Chris Buescher #37 Kingsford Chevy SS-Same scheme as 2015 #47, same A grade.

David Ragan #38 Ford Fusion-I like the gold numbers on white, and the smooth look and good color scheme earn an A.

Kyle Larson #42 Coca Cola Chevy SS-The frosty can motif works very well, and the overall car has a great look. I give it an A.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Kroger Checklist/Coffee Mate/Nature Valley Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same A grade.

Reed Sorenson #55 Xchange of America Chevy SS-Same scheme as #15,, same A grade.

Brendan Gaughan #75 Beard Oil Chevy SS-Same scheme as Beard Oil, but with logos on the sides, same A grade.

Erik Jones #77 Toyota Care Toyota Camry-I hate this look! The 5-Hour Energy with Toyota logos was bad, but this over designed mess of a car has too many stripes, and too many curves. It’s not a good look, and I’m giving it the F it deserves.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Nationwide Childrens Chevy SS-The white looks good, and I really like the use of multi-colored stripes and butterflies. This look works very well. It’s good, and not over designed. A

Michael McDowell #95 Winn Dixie Chevy SS-It has a smooth look, and a great color scheme. I like the stripes in the back. I’m going to give this an A.

DJ Kennington #96 Triad CNC Chevy SS-I like the stripes, and the subtle triangle logos as well. I do think it is a bit over designed though, and the scheme could be a little more subtle. I’ll give it a B+, all things considered.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-April 22, 2017

By David G. Firestone

Jamie McMurray #1 Sherwin Williams/3M Pro Chevy SS-While it has the same basic design as last year’s Sherwin Williams Emerald, but I don’t like the addition of the diamond plate. It takes a C design to a C-

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Genuine Draft Ford Fusion-Our first Bristol throwback is one of my favortes, the Rusty Wallace Miller Genuine Draft design. It worked well a few years ago, it stil works well. I give it an A.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Energy and Water Chevy SS-The blue water motif works well, the black outline…not so much. Get rid of the black outline, and just have the water motif. It’s not a terrible scheme, and it deserves a C.

JJ Yeley #7 Accell Construction Chevy SS-Same scheme as 2015, but with a black hood, and the black hood is an upgrade, and takes the scheme from a C- to a C.

Reed Sorenson #15 Xchange of America Chevy SS-It’s a smooth look, with a great color scheme. It earns an A.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Ford EcoBoost Ford Fusion-While I like the fact the design has been toned down, it’s still over designed, just less over designed. Good color scheme, but that can’t save this scheme from earning a D-.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.#17 Go Bowling Ford Fusion-Definitly a downgrade, from red, white, and blue to black, red and white. The design scheme could be better if it were a bowling lane motif. Still, it’s not terrible, and I give this a B-.

Matt Kenseth #20 Toyota Toyota Camry-The color scheme could work it it was either gray or white, but the combination just doesn’t work. Add a design that doesn’t work well with the color scheme, and you have an F scheme.

Chase Elliott #24 Little Ceasers/Mountain Dew Chevy SS-The orange scheme works well, I like the fact that the door number matches the orange. Add in a good design scheme, and you have an A scheme.

Paul Menard #27 Menard’s/Dutch Boy Chevy SS-This might be one of the only templates that works with every color. The blue works well with the template. I also like that the chipped paint motif is gone. A

Chris Buescher #37 Scott Products/Kingsford Chevy SS-Same scheme as Cottonelle, same A grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe’s/Hitachi Chevy-Same scheme as Lowe’s, same F grade.

Timmy Hill #51 Fenton Motors Chevy SS-Same scheme as Bubba Burgers, same A grade.

Derrike Cope #55 Low T Center Toyota Camry-Black, red, and green, with black as the primary color is an iffy choice, and the polka dot motif doesn’t work well here. It’s just not a good scheme. F

Cole Whitt #72 RTIC Coolers Chevy SS-I like the lighter blue, and the carbon fiber hood works very well too. Even the #72 works well with this scheme. I give it an A.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Axalta/Philadelphia Eagles Chevy SS-The color scheme isn’t great, the black doesn’t work. The design is unoriginal, and doesn’t work with the color scheme, but it’s not horrible. I will give it a C-.