Patrick Staropoli’s NASCAR career has taken an unexpected turn back to the spotlight, as he embarks on his first full-time season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Big Machine Racing. After nearly a decade away from the scene, the Florida native and accomplished vitreoretinal surgeon is pursuing his lifelong dream of competing at the highest level in motorsports, fueled by a passion that never faded.
Early Success and Sudden Hiatus in Staropoli’s NASCAR Path
In 2013, Patrick Staropoli made headlines in the racing world by clinching the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge. This victory earned him a development contract with Michael Waltrip Racing and part-time seats in what was then known as the K&N Pro Series East and West—now ARCA Menards Series East and West—competing for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. The following year, he achieved a standout win at Irwindale Speedway in the West series.
However, the momentum came to a halt after the 2015 season when Michael Waltrip Racing shuttered. With the dissolution of the team, Staropoli’s budding NASCAR opportunity evaporated. He managed a single appearance at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2016 for SS GreenLight Racing, but then, he disappeared from the national racing scene for almost ten years.
Pursuing Medicine: A New Challenge After Racing
With the loss of a regular NASCAR seat, Staropoli shifted focus to his academic pursuits, resuming medical school. His hard work paid off as he became a vitreoretinal surgeon in Houston, Texas, treating patients with complex eye conditions at Retina Consultants of Texas. Despite this demanding new career, his passion for racing never waned.
Last year, Staropoli reemerged in national racing, making select starts in the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Now, he steps away from medicine for the 2024 season, committing fully to his role with Big Machine Racing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
A Lifelong Dream Realized with Big Machine Racing
Reflecting on his long journey back to NASCAR’s national stage, Staropoli described the significance of this chance:
“Man, it’s what I’ve been telling everyone. It’s been a dream come true to have this opportunity to compete full time in this series, drive for Big Machine Racing with the SYFOVRE Chevrolet. It’s what I’ve been working toward my entire life, my entire driving career to get a shot like this, and I’m just really excited to be out here. We’re kicking off the season strong.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
The Florida native emphasized the professionalism and ambition within the Big Machine Racing team, stating that the desire for excellence runs deep through every member. Working with a new group in a full-time role, Staropoli has found it rewarding to build chemistry and focus efforts exclusively on one team and car.
The Role of Team and Mentorship
The 2024 season offers Staropoli a support system well-versed in competitive racing, including team owner Scott Borchetta. About his relationship with Borchetta, Staropoli said:
“Yeah, definitely an interesting guy. I got to meet him in person for the first time last week at Daytona, but obviously we’ve talked a bunch over the last couple of months. I’m super appreciative to Scott for giving me this opportunity, for believing in me. He has a history of picking great race car drivers and artists, and I hope to follow suit in that direction and do really well with his No. 48 Chevy this year.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
Staropoli is also benefiting from the experience of crew chief Patrick Donahue, whose approach is rooted in decades of NASCAR experience. Witnessing Donahue’s instincts and technical knowledge has been impactful for the returning driver.
“Yeah, Donahue’s great, man. Anytime you have a chance to work with a Rainbow Warrior, I mean, it’s a cool deal. I grew up watching this sport and falling in love with it in the ’90s, when the No. 24 car (Jeff Gordon) was at its peak, and you could tell that Patrick took a lot of the lessons he learned back then working with Ray [Evernham] and applies them throughout the years, working with all of his different drivers and how he runs this team. It’s cool to be around it, to see his thought process.”
“Oftentimes before I’m even able to say what the car is doing, he’s either watching it on the track or when we’re simming, he can see it from the other room. He’s like, ‘This is what you feel, isn’t it?’ And he’s right every time. So having someone with that depth of experience for me to lean on, since I’m relatively inexperienced in these cars at this point, has been super helpful.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
Navigating a Competitive Field and Filling Big Shoes
This season, Staropoli takes over the No. 48 car, previously driven by accomplished competitors Parker Kligerman and Nick Sanchez. The challenge is not lost on him, as he recognizes both the pressure and privilege of inheriting such a seat:
“Yeah, definitely both great race car drivers and a lot to learn from. And I think watching back tapes from the last several seasons of how this car’s performed, I’ve learned a lot just from even watching what they did on track. It’s cool to be in a position where you have an opportunity to be in a ride that runs up front and that performs well and you know that that potential is there and the equipment’s there and then the knowledge of the team.”
“So that was my whole goal this year, is just to kind of plug into Big Machine Racing, learn what they do, get in the seat and then execute on the level that they’re used to. It’s pressure, but it’s a welcome pressure. It’s something that you always want as a race car driver to be in a position to do that.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
Competing alongside names like Brett Moffitt and learning from footage featuring Jeff Gordon‘s historic runs has served as valuable preparation for the season ahead.
Enduring Through Setbacks—and Keeping the Dream Alive
Staropoli’s journey is marked by resilience, as he navigated the absence of sponsorship and shifting opportunities. When asked about the pause in his career after the Michael Waltrip Racing chapter closed, he emphasized the role both luck and persistence played:
“Yeah, it was complicated, multiple factors. At that time, I did take a year off from medical school to go racing, because at that time, it was a once-in a-lifetime opportunity. I did win that K&N race out in Irwindale, which was huge. And I thought we were well positioned with Michael Waltrip Racing back in the day. Brett Moffitt was the other development driver. There was a general game plan and general path. Like everything in this sport, it goes up and down, sponsorship and opportunities. When MWR kind of ceased to exist at that point, that was sort of the end of that path for me, but I never gave up. So that’s a lesson to everybody out there, never give up on your dreams.”
He shared an ethos that persisted through ten years away from national racing, never letting rejection stop him:
“Yeah, I mean, there were plenty of days. It’s 10 long years, hoping that you can make it back into one of these series. Every day when you’re working toward that, you’re asking people for whether it’s sponsorship or it’s a ride or funding or using kind of the friendships and connections that you have to try to get your foot back in the door. It’s a lot of no’s before that one yes, and all it takes is is that one yes and you go out there and perform, and that leads to more opportunities. It’s a long winding path, but it eventually led back here.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
Encouraging others chasing big aspirations, he concluded:
“When they tell you no 100 times, the 101st time can be a yes. So keep digging.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
Balancing Medicine and Motorsport Commitments
Returning to full-time racing has required Staropoli to step back from his medical duties temporarily. He is currently on sabbatical from his position at Retina Consultants of Texas to focus on this NASCAR opportunity, grateful for the understanding of his colleagues and patients.
“So last year was balancing both, and that was a juggling act. This year, given the full-time schedule, we’re 16 weeks straight here to kick off the year, I’m taking a little bit of a sabbatical. So I’m pausing my practicing from now essentially through November, and I’m really thankful to all my partners at Retina Consultants of Texas out in Houston. We’re a big group. We share a lot of patients, and they’re kind of stepping up and helping me out this year while I’m taking some time off.”
“It’s cool though. My partners, all the patients out there have really rallied behind this. It’s nice to walk into a clinic day and have people talk about the racing that you did in the prior weekend. So it makes it fun. I am, obviously, missing my time out there, but I’m excited to get back in the fall.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
His role as a vitreoretinal surgeon involves treating retinal tears, detachments, and conditions such as macular degeneration. Now, Staropoli’s racing presence also serves to promote public awareness for eye health, aligning his medical expertise with a larger cause.
“I’m a vitreoretinal surgeon. It’s a big fancy word, basically just means that anything that goes wrong inside of an eye is what we fix. So people with retinal tears, detachments, diabetes can affect the eye very profoundly, people with trauma. Anything like that, I have been trained to take care of it.”
“One of the main things that we treat as well is macular degeneration, which is something that happens as you get older. What we’re doing with the SYFOVRE car is trying to raise some awareness for macular degeneration, and hopefully we’re going to accomplish that on a big level here.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
The Demands of Racing Versus Medicine
Staropoli draws unique inspiration from both his careers, recognizing both the similarities and contrasts between them. He weighed in on the distinctive challenges:
“That’s a good question, man. They’re hard in their own ways. What’s unique about racing, or any professional sport, it’s competition. When you’re trying to take care of someone, you’re going to spend as much time as you need to and be as meticulous as you need to to do the best job possible. And when you’re out here, it’s about being as fast as possible, and you got 37 other people trying to do it faster than you. So you don’t really have that same sense of competition in medicine, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less difficult. So they’re challenging in their own ways. I’m a pretty competitive person, so I like that challenge. Definitely stepping up to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this year is a big leap, but a challenge that I’m ready for.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
Education, Motivation, and Balancing Priorities
Excellence in both school and racing has long been a requirement in Staropoli’s life. He credits the commitment to academics as a foundation which enabled both his university and racing careers:
“The deal with my parents and all my car owners, everyone I’ve driven for growing up was that I had to do good in school if I wanted to race, and I really wanted to race. So that was a big motivating factor for me. And then I think as the success started coming in school, I realized this is a path that I could follow. I could be the first person in my family to go to college. I can have like a different route in in life. And as many people want to become a racecar driver, professional in any sport, it’s difficult to make it there.”
“So I knew the chances of this happening, and I knew the chances that if I worked hard in school, there’s an endpoint that I could get to. So they were both motivating factors for me. I juggled them both for a very long time and will continue to do so.”
– Patrick Staropoli, Race Car Driver
Looking Ahead: A Season Brimming With Potential
Patrick Staropoli’s NASCAR comeback is a testament to perseverance, adaptability, and relentless ambition. The 2024 season, the first time he’s committed full-time to national-level stock car racing since his early career, represents the convergence of his two worlds: motorsports and medicine. With the support of Big Machine Racing, owner Scott Borchetta, and a wealth of mentors and partners, Staropoli’s journey stands out both for its challenges and its hope. As he competes in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, the motorsports community—and his patients in Texas—will be watching closely, eager to see how this unique chapter unfolds in his remarkable story.
