Cagnazzi Racing website

To  support a team rebranding effort and attract more sponsorship support, Mooresville-based NHRA Pro Stock drag racing team Cagnazzi Racing hired MMI to design and develop their new website at cagnazziracing.com.  The two-time NHRA Pro Stock Championship winning team needed a site that reflected the caliber and success of the family-owned team.  While simple and functional in its layout, the new website’s design motif reflects the hard-working Italian heritage that the Cagnazzi family is known for.

R/C car grid

MMI worked with Kyle Busch and NOS Energy Drink to put on a special R/C (radio-control) racing event at Charlotte Motor Speedway entitled Rowdy R/C All Stars presented by NOS Energy Drink. Busch, aka Rowdy, invited out some of his NASCAR colleagues to join him and some of the top R/C racers in America from Team Associated.  Joining Busch were  Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Speed, Michael McDowell, TJ Bell, Matt DiBenedetto, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Bobby Labonte and NASCAR crew chief, Dave Rogers. Busch took the Celebrity class victory by easily maneuvering his NOS-sponsored 1:10 scale No. 18 Team Associated R/C truck through the 50 ft. by 100 ft. dirt and asphalt off-road track that featured double jumps, hairpin turns, moguls, and a steep dirt berm that led into a 2 ft. high kicker jump.  Busch turned his short course electric truck just like the professionals, making minimal mistakes, to out-run runner-up Scott Speed. He later  tested his skills against one of the best in the world, Team Associated driver Ryan Maifield, driving a 1:8 scale nitro buggy in the pro demonstration race.

Driver X column @ ESPN.com

Driver X of ESPN.com/ESPN Magazine fame posted a ESPN.com column entitled “NASCAR’s Man Behind the Scenes” about MMI founder Cary Agajanian in response to another Player X column about deal makers in their sport (NBA).  Although it has been several weeks from the post, no driver has stepped forward to claim responsibility.  It is the assumption around the MMI offices that Cary knows, but won’t tell.  It takes a man behind the scenes to know, Driver X would likely say.

Double Checkers for Denny Hamlin (c) Getty Images

MMI driver clients made their mothers’ proud at Darlington Raceway (SC) on Mother’s Day weekend, placing the top two finishers in the Sprint Cup race and the top five finishers in the Nationwide race.  Both races were won by Denny Hamlin, who edged out Jamie McMurray in the Cup race and JGR teammate Kyle Busch in the earlier Nationwide race.

TRAC award plaque

MMI’s Cary Agajanian got a surprise at his week’s annual The Racing Attorney Conference (TRAC) when they presented him with an award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Motorsports Law.  Cary, along with MMI’s Bill Anthony, attended and spoke at the conference this week at the Ritz-Carlton in Uptown Charlotte.  It came as no surprise to the audience, however, as Cary has long been credited as one of the first recognized attorneys focused on motorsports and protecting the interests of the industry from all aspects (tracks, promoters, driver, sanctioning bodies, etc.).

Jimmie Johnson & Kasey Kahne chat

Kasey Kahne announced today his signing to drive for Hendrick Motorsports in the future.  As the top free agent this season, Kasey was as highly sought after a driver in recent memory.  Typically the “Silly Season” of driver signings and changes take place later in the season, but Kasey was eager to establish his future plans and focus on racing for the remainder of the long NASCAR season.  Marty Smith, who broke the story on ESPN.com, was the first also to get a one-on-one with Kasey to discuss his decision. Click here to watch video of interview. Many agree this is a great resting place for Kahne. Read this opinion piece by NASCAR.com writer David Caraviello.

Gittin atop Long Beach podium

Vaughn Gittin Jr. took the top podium spot at the first Formula D event of the 2010 season and did his new sponsor — Monster Energy Drink – proud by beating all the rival energy drink drivers.  Check out the Long Beach photo gallery of Wreckedmagazine.com. The win capped a big week that included a Vaughn Gittin/Team Falken launch party at Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory in Los Angeles that drew an exclusive crowd of 500 plus to kick off the new relationship with Monster.  Read all about it at Speedhunters.com.  MMI put the sponsorship deal and the launch party together on behalf of Gittin.

NOS Energy Drink launched its first ever national TV during the Martinsville NASCAR Sprint Cup race. The ad campaign features Drifting Champion and MMI client Chris Forsberg in a “day in the life” shoot that ends in a stunt that Forsberg actually successfully performed on his first full attempt. The campaign will run a total of 13 times throughout the year all during Sprint Cup races.

Sports Illustrated, Feb. 19, 1973

An official copy of the Sports Illustrated article on J.C. Agajanian from February 19, 1973 made its way to the MMI offices.  The “Gin Rummy and Racing Cars” feature story describes the rise of J.C. Agajanian to a racing magnate on the national and Southern California racing scenes. Download it for a fun read.