Patrick Staropoli Takes Rheumatology Exam, then Top-Three on the Same Day

Posted on by
ARCA Racing driver, Patrick Staropoli, at 9 pm ET. Photo courtesy of Patrick Staropoli

ARCA Racing driver, Patrick Staropoli, at 9 pm ET. Photo courtesy of Patrick Staropoli

ARCA Racing driver, Patrick Staropoli, is our next guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, January 19, 2014 at 9 pm ET.  Call 714-202-9918 with any questions or comments during the LIVE broadcast.

 

In trying to give new meaning to the term “double duty”, Patrick Staropoli went from taking a rheumatology exam at the University of Miami at 9 am this past Friday to making a beeline for Daytona ARCA testing, with Empire Racing in the afternoon. Despite getting on-track with only an hour left in the session, Staropoli still ended up top-three on the speed charts.

Staropoli, whose speed was 187.126 mph in the No. 82 Ford Fusion, made it to the test just in time to join his teammates Sean Corr (first) and Austin Hill (second) in the top-three finishers.
“It was an eventful day,” Staropoli said. “Drove down at the last second. I had an exam in Miami this morning. Drove up right after that…got here about 3:30. Everyone was drafting at that point. That last run…wow…it was the best run all day. We came down with a different car this time…had the Ilmor motor in it. It pulled a little better, but all three of Empire’s cars were great. I want to thank American RF for helping me get here. I learn more every time I go out there…I’m really excited for the race.”

While plans for 2015 are still undetermined, Staropoli says he is thankful for the strong pre-season runs he and his team have had so far. Stay tuned for more news about Staropoli’s 2015 season.

Thirty-seven drivers posted time and speed during the one-day test cut short by three hours in the morning due to wet track conditions. Despite all night rains, cars were on track by noon and went all the way, without pause, up through 5 p.m. There were no on-track incidents.

The 63rd season for the ARCA Racing Series will kick off at Speedweeks at Daytona with its first practice session Thursday, February 12 from 4:00-6 p.m. ET with the second and last practice session following Friday morning, February 13 at 9:30. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell will take place at 3:30 Friday afternoon, which is done in group sessions. The Lucas Oil 200, which serves as the preamble for NASCAR’s Sprint Unlimited, will get the green flag at 4:15 Saturday, February 14.

ARCAracing.com will feature live timing and scoring of all on-track activities as well as an open chat board for commenting.