NASCAR Paint Schemes of the Week: Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway

This weekend the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway will give us more short track action in the NASCAR Cup Series. That also comes with some new and beautiful paint schemes.

Richmond is a track that has produced a lot of great races. The Gen 7 car doesn’t put on great short track races, but maybe that is starting to change. Do not expect to see Bristol-level tire wear, but maybe we get a little more than the last two years.

I still don’t have a ton of hope for the racing to be improved. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward to Easter Night racing at one of NASCAR’s iconic venues. Let’s get into these paint schemes and hand out grades.

Kyle Busch No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevy

Nicotine, legal cannabis, and bourbon – that’s how Kyle Busch is racing in 2024 with his various sponsors. We are getting our first look at the Rebel paint scheme and it’s strong.

Black race cars are fun, mean, and with this sponsor, it looks great. Would like to see more detail behind the B-pillar, but oh well. 7.5/10.

Noah Gragson No. 10 Superior Essex Ford

Noah Gragson and Stewart-Haas Racing fooled all of us to start the year. No one expected Gragson to have sponsors outside of Rush Trucking Centers and Haas Tooling.

Now Gragson has debuted another new paint scheme and this one is great. The digital aspect makes this unique and I think it will look cool on the track. 8/10.

Ty Dillon No. 16 Chevrolet Accessories Chevy

Ty Dillon is driving for Kaulig Racing this weekend and four other times this season. It does not look like he brought much if any sponsorship to the table, either.

This might be an expensive ride for Dillon, but at least it looks good. Basic, yes, but I can’t deny good design and aesthetics when I see it. 8/10.

Daniel Hemric No. 31 LA Golf Chevy

The LA Golf paint scheme is really interesting. The golf ball dimples are a nice touch and they have more or less utilized all of the door space here.

Daniel Hemric is trying to find his footing in the NASCAR Cup Series this season. He has three top-20 finishes this season, but has faltered in the last few weeks. Good looking car for Richmond, though. 8/10.

Michael McDowell No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford

Long John Silver’s returns to the No. 34 car. This is a sponsorship that usually pops up around this time of the season for Front Row Motorsports.

I like the yellow and blue, the chrome numbers on the side – it’s a strong design. McDowell has been having quite the season, will he have speed at Richmond this week, too? 8.5/10.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No. 47 Kroger/NOS Energy Chevy

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is bringing NOS Energy back to the track. I love this design because the wrap goes all the way to the bottom of the car. This I agree with Dale Jr. on, wrap the side skirts.

Orange and blue look too damn good on a race car and this car is no different. Stenhouse is looking to find his groove this season after a strong 2023. 9/10.

Justin Haley No. 51 Walmart Health and Wellness Ford

How about Justin Haley getting Walmart back into NASCAR? This is not only a nice paint scheme, but a big sponsor for Rick Ware Racing as well.

Blue, yellow, white – what more do you want? The car looks a lot better than many of the RWR schemes. A good start to the year for Haley in that equipment. 7.5/10.

Daniel Suárez No. 99 Quaker State Chevy

The Atlanta three-wide winner, Daniel Suárez has some of the best paint schemes in all of NASCAR. This Quaker State scheme might be the best of his schemes, too.

Quaker State is an iconic brand and with the gold chrome 99 the 2024 edition of this car is just about perfect. Strong start to the year for this Trackhouse team. 9.5/10.

NASCAR heading to Richmond

This weekend is going to start the nitty-gritty of the season. Richmond, Martinsville, Texas, Talladega, Dover – that is a five-week stretch to rival almost any in the sport. So far this season, the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs Racing and Chevys of Hendrick have been the cars to beat.

Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin are the favorites ahead of qualifying. Bell has shown speed at Phoenix, Las Vegas, COTA, and pretty much everywhere. He feels poised to have a breakout season if he can finish races strong week in and out. Who will win the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond?