When Nineteenth Is as Good as a Win

Mike Pagano, owner of PaganoPhoto – Photos by Mike Pagano in Cedar Brook, N.J. (pictured right), poses for a photo with NASCAR star Greg Biffle (center), and wife Gayle Pagano (left) on pit road prior to the start of the Sept. 26 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 race at Dover International Speedway.

Greg Biffle probably wasn't too thrilled with his finish at Dover, but 19th was just enough to give small business owner Mike Pagano a win.

Pagano was one of two finalists in the "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot" sweepstakes.  He's the owner of Pagano Photos - Photos by Mike Pagano in Cedar Brook, NJ and as part of the contest, his business logo was featured on The Biff's No. 16 3M Ford.

And all Pagano needed to win the "Official Small Business" title was for Biffle to beat Tony Stewart (whose car sported the logo of Pagano's competition - Rose Berger, owner of Professional Cleaning Services in Greer, SC).

In the end, Biffle beat Stewart by a mere two spots.  But it might as well have been a runaway as far as Pagano was concerned. 

"This entire week with Office Depot has been amazing and winning the 'Official Small Business of NASCAR title is just icing on the cake," said Pagano after the race. "This has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a real honor for my small business."

As finalists, both Pagano and Berger received a $10 thousand small business makeover from Office Depot and a VIP weekend at Dover International Speedway.

If Biffle had won Sunday's race, Pagano would have walked away with a cool $1 million. But who's counting?

Said Biffle, “As a small business owner myself, I wanted to do a great job for Mike. I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t help him get the big $1 million prize, but I know he’ll put the $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot to great use.”