Eleveight Design started out the 2018 race season in a big way, taking home two awards for best appearing cars at the 2018 Northeast Motorsports Expo in Augusta, Maine.
Eleveight is a small full-service graphic design company located in Rochester, New Hampshire. The company is owned and operated by Connor McDougal, who is a driver himself. Connor, his younger brother Tanner and his father Steve are all involved in the racing scene. Tanner is making his way through the ranks at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway while Connor and Steve plan to race here and there at Lee USA Speedway in 2018.
Steve McDougal’s #2 purple and orange Street Stock car caught people’s attention from a mile away all weekend at the expo. Describing the paint scheme on Eleveight Design’s Facebook page, Connor says, “Capping off the car is a wild orange, black and white scheme from the tail to the nose, which ties into the purple perfect”. The #2 car won an award for the ‘Best Appearing Super Street’ on day #1 of the three day event. Steve is excited for the opportunity to get behind the wheel, saying that it will be “really cool” to be able to race alongside his son.
Joey “Rust Bucket” Doyon’s car was hands-down the most unique car at the entire expo, showcasing a paint scheme intended to make the Speedway 95 Late Model look like it was just dragged out of a scrapyard. The rust-colored brown and orange car is classic, featuring old-school numbering and a graphic made to look like a classic car door handle on each side of the racecar. For added effect, fake moss was placed underneath the car at the expo, creating a highly talked about display. The “Rust Bucket” car received the award for the ‘Best Appearing Late Model’ at the show.
Connor also took on the task of designing cars for two new division rookies: Bryce Mains and 16-year-old Zach Nicholson. Bryce Mains is no stranger to competition, coming off of a successful season at Oxford Plains Speedway in the Street Stock division. He’s moving into a PASS Super Late Model in 2018, another car that Connor designed. Mains’ new ride for 2018 features a simple yet eye-catching white, blue and yellow design on the #77 car.
16-year-old Zach Nicholson is making big changes in 2018, moving from the Wildcats division at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway to a Late Model Sportsman at Lee Motor Speedway.
Knowing that Connor does unique, quality work, the Nicholson family approached him to design their new car for 2018. Zach says his only wish was for stars to be incorporated into his new paint scheme. According to Zach, the design came out better than he could have ever anticipated. Nicholson’s sharp-looking #21 ride features a blend of eye-catching red, yellow, white and blue, making it sure to stand out on the track in 2018.
Connor’s personal Street Stock was also on display, showcasing a retro orange and blue paint scheme on his #8 car. Over the course of the weekend, he handed out free throwback hats to anyone that approached him wearing a throwback tee and sporting an old-school mustache. Although he plans on focusing mainly on his business in 2018, he’s excited about racing at the New England Short Track Showdown on June 24th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
McDougal provided all of his drivers with an Eleveight Design stand-up banner to showcase next to their cars at the show, with each banner featuring the driver’s number and colors from their paint scheme. Eleveight Design doesn’t stop at just banners and race car wraps, though.
What started as a business that Connor started on his own in 2015 has grown into something bigger and better. In addition to race car wraps and banner creation, Connor creates decals, logos, posters, signs, apparel and more. He doesn’t limit himself to racecars, also providing work for other small businesses in need of his graphic design services.
McDougal has an online portfolio on his website, showcasing all of his latest work. In addition to the drivers at the expo, Connor has also done previous work for drivers like Dave Charest and Charlie Sanborn, who are two big names at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway.
2018 has only just begun and Eleveight Design is already showcasing some of the most appealing race cars of the upcoming season. With 4 more months ahead of us before race season begins, I can only imagine that we will be seeing more eye-catching paint schemes from the graphic design company coming out of the woodwork.
Keep up the great work, Connor! We look forward to seeing what else you come up with in 2018!
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