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

By David G. Firestone

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota Camry-White could work here, but there is a bit too much blue and orange for it to work effectively. The designs are a bit much, but not too over done. This new scheme is not an improvement, nor is it worse, so I’ll give it the same B+ grade that the last scheme got.

Chris Buescher #37 Kleenex Wet Wipes Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Jamie McMurray #40 Advent Health Chevy Camaro-Too many bad colors, check. Colors that don’t work together, check. Pointlessly over designed, check. F grade, check.

Daniel Suarez #41 Haas Automotion Ford Mustang-Red with a fade to black works. Red with a fade to black, gray and dark gray camouflage doesn’t work. Camouflage doesn’t work on race cars. It never has, and it never will. This change is so bad, it take s an A scheme down to an F.

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Plan B Sales Chevy Camaro-Plan B Sales seems to enjoy bad schemes, so much so that they outsourced their new #43 design to an independent designer by way of a Twitter contest. This result is a pointlessly over designed mess, that has way too much going on. Not even a good color scheme can save this. F

Ryan Preece #47 Kroger Chevy Camaro-The patriotic design works well, and the color scheme is great, so I’m going to give this an A.

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Dumont Jets Toyota Camry-Cleaning up the side design a bit doesn’t really make any change warranting the changing of the grade. As such, I will give this the same B- it got last year.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Tracker-January 30, 2018

By David G. Firestone

STAR COM RACING #00

Landon Cassill #00 StarCom Fiber Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, Yellow, white, black and silver with numerous stripes and designs on sides. D+

CHIP GANASSI RACING #1

Kurt Busch #1 Monster Energy Chevy CamaroNo change. A

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford MustangNo change. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, black with red, white, and silver wave pattern. B+

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Gold Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2019, gold with black and red stripe on bottom. A

Austin Dillon #3 AAA Chevy CamaroNo change. A

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, black has been removed entierly, white roof, light and dark green waves across sides. A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Ford MustangNo change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy Johns Ford MustangNew scheme for 2018, similar to 2018 scheme, but with added stripes on sides. A-

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford FusionNew scheme for 2019, black with gray flames. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2019, green sides, white hood and roof, curve designs on sides. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford MustangNo change. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Ford FusionNew scheme for 2019, orange with hot dog motif across whole car. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #8

Daniel Hemric #8 Bass Pro Shops/CAT Gold Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2019, same as #3 gold. A

Daniel Hemric #8 Liberty National Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, much more toned down. A

Daniel Hemric #8 Caterpillar Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, yellow front, fades to honeycomb on black rear. A

Daniel Hemric #8 ALSCO Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2019, white with light green on sides and hood. B+

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #9

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Chevy CamaroNo change. B+

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dew Chevy CamaroNo change. A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #10

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods Ford MustangNew scheme for 2019, slash patterns have been expanded. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #11

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2019, white with orange and blue designs on sides. B+

TEAM PENSKE #12

Ryan Blaney #12 PPG Ford MustangNo change. A

GERMAIN RACING #13

Ty Dillon #13 Twisted Tea Chevy CamaroNo change. A

STEWART-HAAS RACING #14

Clint Bowyer #14 Peak Ford MustangNew sponsor for 2019, black, and blue with curve elements. C

Clint Bowyer #14 Blue Def Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2018, same as 2019 Peak, but white replaces black. C

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Ford MustangNo change. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford MustangNo change. B-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Ford MustangNew scheme for 2019, black added to sides, along with hourglass design. B-

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota CamryNo change. A

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota CamryNo change. F

JOE GIBBS RACING #19

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota CamryNo change. C-

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Erik Jones #20 Craftsman Toyota CamryNo change. A

Erik Jones #20 DeWalt Toyota CamryNo change. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy CamaroNo change. A

William Byron #24 UniFirst Chevy CamaroNo change. B-.

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy CamaroNo change. A

William Byron #24 Hertz Chevy CamaroNo change. A

GO FAS RACING #32

Corey Lajoie #32 Keen Parts/Corvette Parts Ford MustangNew scheme for 2019, black with red and silver stripes on sides. B-

Corey LaJoie #32 Schluter Systems Ford MustangNew scheme for 2019, orange with black designs. A

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #37

Chris Buescher #37 Kleenex Wet Wipes Chevy CamaroNo change. B+

CHIP GANASSI RACING #40

Jamie McMurray #40 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, toned down version of 2018 scheme. A

Jamie McMurray #40 Advent Health Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2019, green, blue, pink, and silver with cutting edge design on sides. F

STEWART-HAAS RACING #41

Daniel Suarez #41 Haas Automotion Ford MustangNew scheme for 2019, red front, black camo rear. F

CHIP GANASSI RACING #42

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, redesign of the 2018 scheme. A

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Air Force Chevy CamaroNo change. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Plan B Sales Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019,dark blue, Petty blue, silver, and white with designs on sides. F

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #47

Ryan Preece #47 Kroger Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2018, patriotic motif across whole car. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2019, black with blue designs on wheel well. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88

Alex Bowman #88 LLumar Window Film Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, white front and top, orange and red rear, wave pattern in between. C

Alex Bowman #88 Valvoline Chevy CamaroNo change. A

Alex Bowman #88 Nationwide Chevy CamaroNew scheme for 2019, blue hood and roof, white side, blue stripe across bottom. A

LEAVINE FAMILY RACING #95

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Procore Chevy Toyota CamryNo change. F

Matt DiBenedetto #95 Dumont Jets Toyota CamryNew scheme for 2019, some slight changes from 2018. B-

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 28, 2015

By David G. Firestone

Kyle Larson #42 Target Plain Chevy SS-I really hope the plaid thing is done with, because these cars are brutal to look at. D-

Ryan Preece #98 Mowhawk/East West Marine Chevy SS-The sponsorship destroys an otherwise solid scheme, taking it from an A to a B+.

With that, my winter sabbatical begins. I will occasionally update the tracker and grades, but for the most part, I’m going to decompress, and enjoy the holiday season. The paint scheme leaderboard will go ahead as planned. I want to thank you for another successful year, and see you in 2016!

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-November 14, 2015

We have a 2016 paint scheme…

Danica Patrick #10 TaxAct Chevy SS-This is a good look, I like the large X behind the door numbers, and the color scheme is really good too. A+

Casey Mears #13 Geico Chevy SS-Much improved design from 2015, much smoother and simpler look. I give it an A+.

Casey Mears #13 Geico Millitary Chevy SS-While I support the troops, I grade tribute schemes on the same scale as any other scheme. In this case, this does not look good. It’s the Geico design, but with a black and camo motif. It looks forced, and awkward. F

Now on to the 2015 schemes…

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Plastic Additives Chevy SS-I like the design here. The plastic particle design does look good, and combined with a great color scheme earns an A+.

Austin Dillon #3 Bad Boy Buggies Chevy SS– Same scheme as last year, same F grade.

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy Tribute Chevy SS-It’s a decent tribute, but a tribute based on an F scheme.

Greg Biffle #16 Jardiance Ford Fusion-Yellow, white, and teal doesn’t work, and the design is over done. As a result, it earns an F.

JJ Yeley #23 Overture Toyota Camry-I HATE ORANGE AND BLUE! I will scream that from the mountains! The design might work if it were a fade, then I could give it a C, but the zigzag design is horrible, and I can’t give it better than an F.

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta/Service King Chevy SS-Same as Axalta, same A+ grade.

Ryan Newman #31 CAT Command Chevy SS-This is one of the few designs that works perfectly. I love the look, it’s unique, and the circular design on the rear wheel is great. I give it an A+.

Kyle Fowler #32 Corvette Parts Pink Ford Fusion-Pinkwashing is an automatic F. Thank God October is over!

Joey Gase #32 Zak Ford Fusion-Great color and design schemes will always earn an A.+

Joey Gase #32 R Factor 2 Ford Fusion-Not even a great color scheme can save this over designed mess of a paint scheme from a passing grade. F

Brett Moffitt #34 Visit Dallas Ford Fusion-Great color and design schemes will always earn an A.

Cole Whitt #35 Moen Ford Fusion-One of the few schemes where it has a great color scheme and a great design scheme, but for some reason, they don’t work together. Still, I will give it a B+.

Landon Cassill #40 Fiberlock Chevy SS-Too many contrasting shades of green, the shamrock motif is awful, and the whole car is overdone. I can’t give this scheme anything but an F.

Landon Cassill #40 Chevy SS-The color scheme is good, but the side design is a bit overdone. I’ll give it a B+.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Fry’s Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same A+ grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes Patriotic Chevy SS-A tad overdone, but a really good patriotic scheme. B+

Justin Allgaier #51 Texas Lottery Chevy SS-This was a bit of a bold attempt, and it worked quite well. I like the stripe design on the sides, it’s bold, and the color scheme works well too. I give it an A+

Michael McDowell #95 TWD Ford FusionThe design is bit overdone, nothing really bad, and the color scheme works well too. I give it a B+.

Ryan Preece #98 Xyience Energy Ford Fusion-Green, silver, and orange don’t work as a color scheme, and the car is so over designed, it is just hideous. F

Ryan Preece #98 Vydrox Plus Ford Fusion-Same scheme as #62, same A grade.

The Driver Suit Blog-Paint Scheme Grades-September 26, 2015

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s/Cessna Chevy SS-Same as Daytona scheme, but reversed, same A+ grade.

Jamie McMurray #1 FlirMPX Chevy SS-Bit of a stretch with the color scheme, however, the great design scheme works well, and the scheme as a whole is great. A+

Alex Bowman #7 Road Rippers Chevy SS-Same as Toy State scheme, same D- grade.

Sam Hornish Jr. #9 Lowes Foods Ford Fusion-I’m not a fan of most shades of green used on race cars these days, but the darker the better. This is a shade of green that works quite well, and the scheme is good too, so it earns an A+

Danica Patrick #10 GoDaddy Pink Chevy SS-It’s that time of year again, pinkwashing time. The whole idea of putting pink on everything during the month of October has run its course, so I will continue to fail any scheme that follows, like this scheme. F

Jeff Gordon #24 Ride With Jeff Chevy SS-557 people paid $124 to have their name put on the hood of Jeff’s car and this solid A+ scheme is the result.

Jeff Gordon #24 Axalta Final Race Chevy SS-I’m glad Axalta decided to do something unique for Jeff Gordon’s final full-time race at Homestead. Originally, it was going to be the same Axalta scheme he ran all season, but this one works well too. I have to give it an A+

Josh Wise #32 Beer Frost/Skuttle Tight Ford Fusion-This is a nod to the Tide Ride throwback, and I hope they don’t change it! That is a great shade of orange, the numbers look great, and the scheme earns an A+.

Cole Whitt #35 Taco Bell Ford Fusion-The Taco Bell scheme worked well on the #34 last year, and it works well on the #35 this year. A+

Kyle Larson #42 Linksys Plaid Chevy SS-Target is going all in on plaid this year, since apparently, it’s the next big thing in fashion. That said, this car needs work. The tan plaid is too light, and the design is mediocre at best. I like the color scheme, so I’ll give it a B-.

AJ Allmendinger #47 Food For Less Chevy SS-Same scheme as Kroger, same A+ grade.

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes/Hitachi Chevy SS-New sponsor for 2015, same as Lowe’s. B-

David Ragan #55 Aaron’s Partners Of The Year Toyota Camry-Same scheme as Aaron’s, but with their partners of the year on the hood. A+

Ryan Preece #98 Chevy SS-Now if I really have to explain why this is a great scheme, you probably haven’t been paying attention. This is as perfect a throwback as can be! A+