Mediacom Ford (Project Wildfire Craftsman Truck mod) Another request, this time for a red base truck with the Mediacom logos. Terry initially wasn't sure what he wanted, but liked the red base I used on the Purina Fords Ford. I wasn't sure how I was going to tackle the scheme, but just started painting to see where the mood would take me. The final product is the result of that process. Which doesn't always work for me, but I think did this time.

Domino's Pizza Chevy (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) Michael requests a Domino's scheme that he intends to run as if it were a second Michael Waltrip entry in the Busch series. I tried to keep the scheme simple, using bold lines and big blocks of color to compliment the Domino's logo. I couldn't find a large enough copy of the Dominos logo, so I've re-created it in several formats for this scheme. The rest of the sponsor logos were courtesy of Brands of the World. Finally, I've added a metallic layer to spice up the red and blue backgrounds. 

The Door Guys Ford (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) This was a unique request, going out to my Brother's boss, Tim Gramlee. My Brother, Dwight, works at The Door Guys and thought it would be neat to surprise his boss with his very own NEXTEL Cup ride. I'm planning on getting a good render of the scheme and Dwight is going to print it in color, frame the picture, and present it to Tim. Once we've done that, Dwight's name is going on the car and he'll get added to my offline set.

Traxxas Toyota (Project Wildfire Craftsman Truck mod) The sponsor on this request opened the door to really go big. Traxxas manufactures radio controlled cars and their paint schemes are bold and bright - a style I tried to replicate on the truck. Nothing fancy on this scheme as far as layer effects, with the majority of the effort spent drawing the logos and graphics on the side panels. But I think the end result reflected the sponsor well and the scheme stands out beautifully on the track.

Reed Construction Data Chevy (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) Sometimes schemes just seem to speak and say how they should be designed. Painted by request, the Reed Construction Data website had a beautiful header and logo, the colors which I used on this scheme. I used two metallic layers over a light blue gradient faded base to get the color variations. The floor plan effect on the hood and rear quarter panels was created using an actual floor plan with the colors reversed and applied using a Lighten layer blend.  

Milagro Silver Tequila Chevy (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) Although this looks like a pretty straight forward scheme, this request was quite a challenge. I couldn't find any good logos to work with or the font. So I ended up re-creating it all from a picture of the tequila bottle at ten times the size. The colors on the bottle are stunning and I used them to build the fade on the scheme. I hope Tim likes it as much as I do. Otherwise, I'm taking it back :)

Pennzoil Chevy (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) Ed requested this scheme to use league racing. He wanted an update on the Pennzoil scheme we've seen in NASCAR. I wanted to bring the red from the logo into the scheme and found the idea for the design on the V8 Supercars site (Repco Valvoline Cummings Team).

Diet Coke Chevy (Project Wildfire Craftsman Truck mod) The second request from this website. Jeff wanted a Chevy truck that looked like the Diet Coke can. I built the scheme from the chrome layer and tried to use the Coke stripe to bring color into the truck. Lastly, the can has a cool half dot pattern on it that I replicated by hand placing the dots and applying a burn effect. 

Miracle Whip Chevy (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) My first request from this website. Nick wanted Miracle Whip as a sponsor, but wasn't particular on the coloring. The logo I found at Brands of the World just naturally lent itself to a white nose and everything feel into place from there.

Michelob Ultra Mustang (Project Wildfire TransAM mod) Painted this by request for a friend, Jerry, who has been a longtime Mustang fan and was really enjoying the TransAM mod. I tried to maintain the colors of the sponsor throughout the scheme and was lucky to find good logos for both Michelob Ultra and Gold's Gym at Brands of the World.

Target Superman Jaguar (Project Wildfire TransAM mod) This is one I painted for myself, carrying the Target sponsorship from the NASCAR ride. I had been gathering images of Superman in hope of recreating Dale Earnhardt Jr's Superman Busch ride, but couldn't locate the correct side panel graphic. So I ended up dumping that idea and using the theme here.

Target Superman Chevy (Project Wildfire Craftsman Truck mod) I needed a truck to go online racing with, so I decided the Target Superman scheme would convert easily to a truck template. Not much got changed, with the majority of the effort in lining up the hood logo and putting on new associate sponsors and contingency stickers. Hopefully I can live up to the concept of this scheme.

VPR Matrix Dodge (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) Another scheme for me, updating the car from a NASCAR Racing 2002 version I run offline. I couldn't find a good logo for VPR Matrix computers, so I've replicated this one. At first glance, this is a plain looking scheme. But if you look closely, there is a hexagon pattern running throughout the side panels that I've used to try and carry the logo across the scheme. The bright greens help this one to really stand out on the track. Still one of my favorites.

Polo Sport Toyota (Project Wildfire Craftsman Truck mod) Painted this truck as a request from Team LightSpeed's forums for Jon Sanford. He'd been running a Polo Sport car for NASCAR Racing 2002 and wanted a truck to league race with. I borrowed the side panel graphic idea from the 2001 Quality Car scheme simply because it seemed a natural way to incorporate the flag into the car.

Air Force Chevy (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) This scheme was a labor of love for me. I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with this car and team at the 2002 Kansas City race, where I ate lunch in the hauler and watched the race from the pit stall. I had never seen this scheme recreated for use in the simulation, not surprising since the team didn't have a great year and lost sponsorship after the season.

The original design for this scheme was created by David Hahn at Graphic Wolf Art and I took the creative liberty to restore the scheme to his vision. Which was changed to small degrees in the version that actually raced in the 2002 season. I created all the graphics for this scheme, minus the Air Force logo, and I'm particularly proud of the slanting Air Force text on the hood and side panels.

Air Force Academy Chevy (Project Wildfire Craftsman Truck mod) Another labor of love scheme, dedicated to my oldest son Collin, who is a freshman at the Air Force Academy. There are some particular items used on this scheme to pay honor to him. The number is his graduation year, the color is his class color, and the Tough Twenty Trolls logo is his squadron at the Air Force Academy. I really enjoyed painting this scheme and Collin has the image as his desktop background on his laptop at the Academy. He's allowed me to drive it offline when I run the trucks, as long as I don't put too many scratches on it.

Rain Dance Dodge (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) This scheme was painted for my teammate, Terry Wagoner, and is an update of one I painted for him last year. He decided to switch manufactures this time around, opting for the Dodge because the front headlights look so menacing (I agree). I think this scheme really looks great on the track and if you look closely, you'll notice a subtle raindrop pattern on the base layer.

Ping Dodge (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) My longtime teammate, Matt Merciez, left the sport in 2003 to hit golf balls. I painted this scheme for my offline set because I missed seeing his car on the track. He doesn't play with Ping clubs, but I do :) and I am proud of the logos, which I replicated for inclusion on this scheme. I sent Matt a copy of this one in hopes that it might relight his interest in simulation racing. No luck yet.  He's still working on that handicap. 

Glock Ford (Project Wildfire Craftsman Truck mod) Jerry gave me the opportunity to give the Glock scheme another shot, this time on a truck. I stayed really close to the design of the car, recycling the base layers and graphics, but ended up reworking the hood logo and numbers. The hope was to give the truck a slightly darker look than the car. Jerry will be racing the truck in his first online league. .

Purina Foods Ford (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) Scott's been a longtime race fan, but hadn't tried simulation racing until he paid me a visit. Now we're working on getting his computer up to speed so he can join the fun. This scheme was painted for him by request and resides as his desktop wallpaper until he can race it himself. In the meantime, he's in my offline set and getting beat handily.

IKEA Dodge (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) I painted this as a version update for my longtime friend and running mate, Ron Anderson (aka Swede). Ron and I go back to the early days on LightSpeed and he raced in our Invitational series. I've been lucky enough to paint several scheme for him, but this one continues to be my favorite. Probably the blue and yellow combination.

Target Chevy (NASCAR Racing 2003 Season) This is my online ride, and pretty much the same design I've been racing since 2001. I initially painted a Target scheme with the number twelve based on Juan Montoya's CART car. Brian Simpson painted the next two versions of this scheme (NASCAR Racing 4 and NASCAR Racing 2002) and revamped my original design, adding the larger shields and lightning - which I loved. This is my version again and my first real attempt at creating lightning - and maybe my last :)

I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit where credit is due and pass on a hearty thanks to Brian Simpson for his outstanding templates. I use them exclusively for my painting and would quite simply be lost without them. Thanks Brian. I'd also like to throw out a thanks to Jaim Freezin, whose painters guide put me on the right track back in 1999. Finally, to all the painters who share their work at Team LightSpeed's forums, I've learned a ton both from seeing what you do and your inputs. Thanks and keep painting!