An Early Look At The Best Schemes of 2026 in the Cup Series

While not every scheme has been revealed for the upcoming 2026 season, many have, and some of them are genuinely great. So let’s get ahead of ourselves and rank some of the best schemes revealed so far. From the top to the midpack and even the backmarkers!

Noah Gragson’s No. 4 MillerTech Ford

The blue and yellow Ford is truly electrifying to look at and will hopefully be lightning-fast on the track. Now that I got the puns out of the way, I can talk about you. The lightning motif stands out without being overbearing, and it’s not too bright. The spots that appear on the car are very well thought out.

Another thing that’s very well thought out is the colors. It’s primarily dark blue with some black, balanced by the lightning motif. As if the lightning itself is lighting up the dull black car. Making the black spots feel way less random than they otherwise would’ve.

SVGs and Connor Zilisch’s No. 97 and No. 88 Red Bull Chevys

Like last year, the Red Bull scheme primarily is a single shade of dark blue that’s easy on the eye. The Red Bull logo is prominent and central on the car. The Red Bull is charging towards the numbers 88 and 97 on the car’s side.

Or in the case of Zilisch, awkwardly there by the tires for no reason. While in front of SVG’s car, a stripe of red on the front bumper was also for no reason. But what makes it a significant improvement over last year’s Red Bull scheme? SVG’s 88 has a streak of blue running through its scheme, and Zilisch’s 97 has a streak of red running through his.

This adds character to the basic design the Red Bull cars had last year, as the bright blue and red streak makes it stand out more than the pure dark blue of the previous year. Taking advantage of that dark body and the red-and-blue play on their distinct driving styles and personalities.

With the aggressive SVG having the red streak on his scheme for his more aggressive driving, and Zilisch having the blue streak for his more calm and calculated style.

RFK’s Bodyguard: Ford

All three of the RFK Fords will be running a Bodyguard scheme for 2026, and thank goodness for that, because it is a looker. Bias because orange is my favorite color, but man, whoever made the Bodyguard scheme did a great job.

The primary color is orange, covering most of the hood and the entire roof. Plus, the side numbers are orange, with the side of the car being predominantly black. The little orange on it is looking like it’s peeling off because of how fast the vehicle is going.

The orange also colors the classic RFK three lines on the sides of all their cars. The bright orange and the dark black perfectly balance each other out while standing out from the usual.

The sponsors and the peeling-off motif perfectly balance the hood with most of it being the bright orange of Bodyguard. But on top, the orange peel is back, balancing itself out with the black of Fastenal.

No. 24 All-Pro Chevy

It’s the same scheme as last year, but hey, I don’t have a lot of picks, and if it isn’t broken, why fix it? So the 24 team ran back the same red, black, and white scheme as last year. And it’s sure to become a classic in years to come.

The red, which primarily forms the scheme, is creatively balanced with the black and white curved stripes, which run along the back of the car. And subtly goes all the way around on the top and takes up some of the bottom.Reminiscent of the Jeff Gordon Dupont 200-year scheme. Thanks a bunch for reading!