Patrick Charles Staropoli Bio
Patrick Charles Staropoli (born November 10, 1989) is an American retina surgeon and professional stock car racing driver. He last competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Sam Hunt Racing, the NASCAR Truck Series for Cook Racing Technologies, and the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports. Staropoli is one of the most distinctive figures in motorsports, having built parallel careers in medicine and racing while maintaining a genuine competitive edge in each.
Born and raised in Plantation, Florida, Staropoli started competing in go-karts at the age of 13, following a family deeply embedded in racing. His father and grandfather were both racers, and he attended his first race at just six months old. Rather than pursuing racing full-time out of high school, he followed an academic path that ultimately led him to Harvard University, then to the University of Miami’s medical school, and finally to a career as an ophthalmologist specializing in retinal surgery.
Early Life and Background
Patrick Charles Staropoli was born on November 10, 1989, in Plantation, Florida, where he was raised alongside his sister Devon. He is the son of Nick Staropoli Jr. and Arlene Staropoli. He attended Plantation High School, graduating in 2008 as the valedictorian of his class. While at Plantation High School, he served as vice president of the National Honor Society branch, competed in rocket competitions, and volunteered as a spokesman for an anti-drug organization.
Staropoli was inspired by racing from an early age, attending races since he was six months old with his father and grandfather, both former racers. When he was 13, he started racing go-karts in Naples, Florida. After one year, he moved into the Pure Stocks division, an entry-level stock car racing class. He eventually progressed to the Super Late Models division, driving for his family’s race team — a step he earned by maintaining straight A grades throughout grade school. In 2010, Staropoli was diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Path to NASCAR
After high school, Staropoli attended Harvard University, initially majoring in engineering with the goal of becoming a NASCAR or Formula One team engineer. During his sophomore year, he switched majors to neurobiology after attending a neurobiology panel that broadened his career outlook. While at Harvard, he joined a club focused on conducting eye exams for disadvantaged communities. He graduated from Harvard in 2012 with summa cum laude honors, setting the foundation for his future in medicine.
Following his time at Harvard, Staropoli attended the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, where he graduated with an MD in 2017, specializing in ophthalmology. A key catalyst for his pursuit of medicine was a near-fatal racing accident involving his father at Hialeah Speedway in 2001, which Staropoli has cited as the moment he decided to enter the medical field. He currently works as a retina surgeon at the Retina Consultants of Texas. In 2024, he launched Driving to Fight Blindness, an awareness campaign focused on retinal diseases. Staropoli has said he believes the skills of being a race car driver and a physician translate directly into each other. His favorite driver is Jeff Gordon.
Patrick Charles Staropoli Career
Early Career (2013–2016)
Staropoli’s national racing career began in 2013, when he was invited to compete in the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, a competition organized by Michael Waltrip Racing and its owner Michael Waltrip. Out of 10 finalists, Staropoli won the competition, earning a part-time ride in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West with Bill McAnally Racing. He made his debut for the team in the K&N Pro Series West at Spokane County Raceway, finishing in fifth place.
In 2014, Staropoli signed on for a five-race deal with Bill McAnally Racing to compete in both the K&N Pro Series East and West divisions. That March, he earned his first career victory, winning at Irwindale Speedway in the West Series. He also earned one additional top-five finish in the 2014 West Series season and three top-ten finishes in the East Series, with a best finish of sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway. In 2015, he made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Daytona International Speedway for Empire Racing. That same year, a sponsorship deal failed to materialize, leading him to take a brief hiatus from NASCAR to focus on medical school. He made one more Truck Series start in 2016 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in a partnership entry between Young’s Motorsports and SS-Green Light Racing, finishing 31st. From 2017 through 2024, Staropoli stepped away from national NASCAR competition to focus on his medical career, competing only occasionally in late model and modified divisions.
2025 NASCAR Return
In 2025, Staropoli returned to NASCAR national competition after a nine-year absence. He made his season debut in the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix Raceway on March 7, driving for Venturini Motorsports. He finished in eighth place after recovering from an early spin, immediately demonstrating his competitive form upon returning. Three weeks later, Staropoli made his return to the NASCAR Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 20th in the No. 84 Toyota Tundra for Cook Racing Technologies. The day after his Truck Series start at Martinsville, he made his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the same venue, driving the No. 24 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing and finishing 16th.
Patrick Charles Staropoli Career Wins
Staropoli’s career victories span regional and national stock car series, with his most significant win coming in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in 2014. His résumé also includes multiple top-ten finishes across the K&N Pro Series East and West divisions, an ARCA Menards Series debut top-ten finish at Phoenix in 2025, and a competitive return to NASCAR national-series competition in 2025 across three different series simultaneously.
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Highlights
Staropoli’s first and most prominent career victory came at Irwindale Speedway in March 2014, during his five-race K&N Pro Series West campaign with Bill McAnally Racing. He earned one additional top-five finish in that West Series season. In the K&N Pro Series East, he recorded three top-ten finishes in 2014, with a best result of sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway. His debut season in the K&N Pro Series West at Spokane County Raceway in 2013 also produced a strong fifth-place finish, signaling competitive potential from his first national start.
Other Wins and Performances
In the 2025 ARCA Menards Series, Staropoli delivered a top-ten result in his season debut at Phoenix Raceway, finishing eighth despite recovering from an early-race spin. This result highlighted his ability to compete effectively after a lengthy hiatus from national NASCAR competition and demonstrated that his racecraft remained sharp across a nine-year gap.
Patrick Charles Staropoli Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Staropoli was born to Nick Staropoli Jr. and Arlene Staropoli in Plantation, Florida. His father and grandfather were both racing competitors, providing a direct motorsports lineage that influenced him from infancy. He also has a sister named Devon. His family supported his early progression through go-karts, Pure Stocks, and eventually Super Late Model competition through his family’s own race team.
Personal Life
Outside of racing, Staropoli practices as a retina surgeon at the Retina Consultants of Texas. He earned his MD from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami in 2017. In 2024, he launched Driving to Fight Blindness, an awareness campaign dedicated to retinal diseases. He has spoken publicly about how the skills required in surgery and racing reinforce each other, describing himself as a better physician because he is a race car driver, and vice versa. He was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2010 and manages the condition alongside his professional and racing commitments.
2025 Season Performance
Staropoli’s 2025 season marked his return to national NASCAR competition after a nine-year absence spent primarily focused on his ophthalmology career. The season began in the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix Raceway, where he delivered a top-ten finish in his Venturini Motorsports debut, recovering from an early spin to finish eighth. Three weeks later, he made his Truck Series return at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 84 Toyota for Cook Racing Technologies, finishing 20th. The following day, he made his first career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville, driving the No. 24 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing and finishing 16th.
Competing part-time across three series in a single season requires careful scheduling and physical preparation, both of which Staropoli has managed alongside his full-time medical career. His immediate top-ten result in ARCA and consecutive respectable finishes at Martinsville suggest his racecraft remains sharp after nearly a decade away from national NASCAR competition. With additional ARCA, Truck Series, and Xfinity Series starts expected throughout the remainder of 2025, Staropoli’s season continues to represent one of the most remarkable dual-career stories in contemporary American motorsports.
