For the past decade, Cooper Bogetti has helped bring drag racing into the mainstream through the power of social media. From event video coverage to hosting his own podcast, the now 30-year-old has turned his hobby into a highly successful career.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #191, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November / December of 2024.]
In 2014, Bogetti joined Garrett Mitchell – better known as “Cleetus McFarland” – working for Kyle Loftis at 1320Video, going to tracks around the country and providing content for their YouTube and social media pages. As Mitchell took on more responsibilities with the company, he in turn delegated more responsibilities to Bogetti.
One of their biggest accomplishments was taking 1320’s Instagram account from less than 100,000 followers to over one million within two years. That success, along with incredibly popular videos on YouTube, allowed Bogetti and Mitchell to eventually branch off on their own – with a push from Loftis himself.
“Kyle is one of the best people of all time,” says Bogetti. “It’s unreal to hear from your boss at the time, ‘Yeah, you guys should go off and do your own thing.’ At no point did he feel that we were in competition with him. We started on the Cleetus stuff at the same time we were still working for 1320Video. At no point did we have to fully jump ship and hope for the best. We were able to slowly transition in and out all at the same time.”
In the beginning, it was just a two-man operation. But as their social media content began to explode and the team grew in excess of 30 individuals, Bogetti felt like he had accomplished his goal, and in 2020, once again set out on a new venture – this time his own YouTube channel, Bogetti Studios, where he would have free rein to create content based on his own interests.
Bogetti truly found his niche within the drag racing community with his foray into long-form interviews. With nearly six million views and over 140 videos currently available on his podcast, Bogetti is able to share the stories of some of drag racing’s most popular personalities.
“That’s always been my thing,” Bogetti says. “I really enjoy talking to people. If you see me at the track, I’ll be riding around talking to everyone. And I saw that there was a bit of a gap in the market. You don’t see many podcasts in the automotive sector, especially ones that are actually about drag racing. It just felt like I was solving a problem that I felt was there. That’s how businesses tend to work, right? You see a problem and you try to solve it for yourself. So it’s really a niche that I wanted to do.”
Bogetti’s technological prowess has allowed him to turn his passion into a full-time job.
With a diverse number of social media platforms – including multiple YouTube channels, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook accounts – he is able to generate enough revenue to provide for his family. He has also intentionally refrained from running social media accounts for other businesses, allowing him to maintain his own perspective without any corporate influence.
“I just want to make sure that I leave as much of an impact and driving force forward for the industry as possible,” says Bogetti. “That was part of the goal with starting the podcast. I felt like I was only doing something for myself when I was making YouTube videos, and I wanted to be able to build a platform where I can also do something for others.
“If I can build a platform that can amplify other voices, I think I’m doing something right,” Bogetti continues. “And if I can help drag racing in general grow, that in turn helps me grow and helps other people doing similar things grow and just bring more attention and money into the industry. Isn’t that what we all need?”
This story was originally published on February 7, 2025. 
