Ranking the Best Paint Schemes in NASCAR so Far in 2015
What is it about paint schemes? Every week we get a preview of what these 3,500-poind, 700-horsepower cars will look like come Sunday, and what for?
What’s the big deal? Well, for some companies, it’s simply a way to get maximum visibility for four hours or so every week. For others, it’s about sending a message. Then there are some that are just plain fun.
Prior to the Michigan race, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who drove a slick Mountain Dew Amp design (not on this list), added an extra layer of texture to the importance of paint scheme.
He said in RJ Kraft’s NASCAR.com story, "And I enjoy being involved in that part of it. I want to like the car that I'm driving. I want to like the way it looks, and that sort of is a bit of a motivating factor behind driving the race car in the first place, is to be able to design it and paint it yourself."
So there’s that too.
Read on for some of the coolest, slickest, pre-wreck car designs so far in 2015.
10. Kevin Harvick's Folds of Honor No. 4 at Sonoma
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Kevin Harvick’s Folds of Honor paint scheme for his trip around Sonoma is patriotic and honors fallen veterans.
NASCAR is the best sport at honoring veterans and appealing to a fanbase that likely provides many of our country’s military personnel. Many of the tracks are in the South where several prominent military bases call home.
The aesthetic is tight and clean and carries with it a respectful tone for fallen vets.
9. Denny Hamlin's No. 11 FedEx Cares at Dover
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Something similar can be said for Denny Hamlin’s FedEx Cares wrap when he won the pole at FedEx 400 Dover this spring.
His primarily purple paint scheme stood for Autism Speaks.
"It's so special, especially during FedEx 400 weekend," Hamlin said in Jay Pennell’s FoxSports.com story. "Our FedEx Cares car is about the employees and the 70,000 hours they spend volunteering all over the world to help people in need."
This was a weekend that his No. 11 car honored something more than just a race.
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s Zestfully Clean No. 17
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 17 Zest car is easy to spot in the middle of the pack because that’s where Stenhouse spends most of his time during a race.
He averages a finish of 25.8, and that bright, clean, paint scheme allows fans to see just how average his Roush-Fenway No. 17 Ford really is.
Great soap though, great soap.
7. Kyle Busch's No. 18 Skittles at Charlotte
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Kyle Busch made his triumphant return to racing at Charlotte after suffering a gruesome set of leg injuries following an equally gruesome crash at Daytona International Speedway.
The Skittles design was a delicious way to welcome him back to the garage. All he needs is a Marshawn Lynch Fat Head, and it will complete this sticky-sweet motif.
Busch is in a bit of trouble to make the Chase this year. He has the one win (Sonoma), but he needs to finish high in the following nine races to crack the top 30. Only then will he be Chase-eligible.
6. Greg Biffle's Cheez-It/Patrick Star No. 16 at Kansas
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Behold the first of three paint schemes from the spring race at Kansas: the Spongebob Squarepants 400.
Greg Biffle sported the least charismatic of the three on this slider, but it’s still a kickin’ design paying tribute to the ample-framed best friend of Mr. Squarepants.
“It was a bit of an up-and-down night for us,” said Biffle in a Roush-Fenway Racing release.
Sounds like Patrick’s modus operandi.
5. Casey Mears' Squidward No. 13 at Kansas
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Casey Mears normally sports the Geico gecko on his No. 13 car, but in Kansas he rocked a full-on Squidward, yet another Spongebob character.
Squidward’s countenance is one of perpetual and everlasting disgust. He’s angry with the world, is antisocial and simply hates life in Bikini Bottom. So maybe Squidward should have emblazoned a driver with a sunnier resume.
Mears has just one top 10 this year and finished 19th at the Kansas race. If attitude is half the game, Squidward did nothing but weigh Mears down.
4. Brad Keselowski's All-Star Miller Lite No. 2
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It’s mildly surprising that beer companies are allowed to sponsor cars. In some ways it sends a mixed message about the mixture of alcohol consumption and the operation of motor vehicles.
If you’re going to do it, at least make it look cool. The No. 2 car rocked it in the All-Star race.
Brad Keselowski’s car sometimes gets the Redd’s Apple Ale design, and that too is a great wrap. This classic scheme takes the day in 2015 so far.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dew Shine No. 88 at Bristol
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There’s moonshine (a painful experience), and there’s Dew Shine, a clear version of Mountain Dew (which can also be a painful experience).
Mountain Dew is owned by Pepsi Co., and Pepsi tried this clear beverage gimmick back in the early '90s with Pepsi Clear. It was positively inane unless you wanted to look through your beverage at the refracted image on the other side.
Dew Shine at least makes a little more sense. It appeals to a more backwoods individual who may make some backyard moonshine on his Tennessee estate.
Junior crushed this paint scheme at Bristol but could only manage a 16th-place finish.
2. Carl Edwards' As-of-Yet Unseen Minions No. 19 at Kentucky
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This one’s pretty B.A.
It’s sinister.
It’s evil.
It’s diabolical.
It’s Minions! It’s so bad to its yellow core that it hasn’t even been officially released yet. Thanks to Jayski.com, we have an image of what Carl Edwards car will look like this weekend at Kentucky.
Edwards hasn’t had one of his more successful seasons to date, but he does have a win, so that grants him access to the coveted Chase.
Now with Minions on his side ready to help in his quest for Sprint Cup domination, he could earn a second win and get some momentum heading into the summer.
1. The Spongebob Squarepants No. 55
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David Ragan never looked so…absorbent in Kansas. The third and final Spongebob paint scheme goes to the namesake: Mr. Sponge-Robert Squarepants himself.
It was a kickin’ design to throw Nickelodeon’s flagship mascot on the car. The colors worked well, and it was simply a fun car to watch go ’round in circles.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as that: It’s fun to look at.
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