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Vol. 55, No. 79 Copyright 2014All rights reserved

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SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2014 PALM BEACH COUNTY EDITION $2

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/WorldCup

2014WORLD CUP

BRAZILArgentina vs. Germany

3 p.m. today on ABC

Winning land lottery

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Opinion ....24ALottery.........5BObituaries.. 6BGo!................2G

INDEXStarting a new chapter

LIFESTYLE

Little free libraries bring bookswaps to neighborhoods. 1G

Gaza death toll rises amid Israel-Hamas fireOngoing rocket fire has struck deeper into Israel than inpast conflicts, but nations response sparks concern. 2A

Presidential candidates OK Afghan recountSecretary of State John Kerry brokered the deal, saying U.N. will supervise inspection of 8 million ballots. 3A

World Cup chatter pope vs. predecessorThe Vatican brushed aside soccer rivalry talk, and in-stead called on fans to observe a pause for peace. 6A

YOUR NATION, YOUR WORLD

His business card sums up his unique resume: Patrick Staropoli Racecar Driver, UM Med Student, HarvardGrad. Soon, the 24-year-old from Plantation will face the toughest decision of his life: Does he quit medicalschool to chase his dream of becoming a NASCAR star? He was on a safe path to a lucrative profession. Now hemust decide whether to chuck his sure thing for the ultimate gamble. Story on page 14A.

Story by Michael Mayo | Photos by Mike Stocker

DR IVEN

Race cars fuel his passion for speed. Harvard and UM med school fill hispassion for learning. But soon, there will be only one road he can take.

VIEW A DOCUMENTARY OF PATRICK STAROPOLIS QUEST AT SUNSENTINEL.COM/DRIVEN

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Even the man who wroteFloridas Stand Your Groundlaw didnt see this one com-ing: A convicted criminal in- voking the controversial lawto justify shooting someone.

If youve lost your right to bear arms, then why should you have the protections that

law-abiding citizens should

have? asks former state Sen.Durell Peaden, Jr., R-Crest- view, who sponsored theoriginal Stand Your Groundlegislation in 2005.

This is the conflict theFlorida Supreme Court re-cently agreed to examine inan unresolved Palm BeachCounty case. The justiceswill decide if felons are eligi- ble for immunity from prose-

cution under the Stand Your

Ground self-defense law.It was never contem-

plated, Peaden told the SunSentinel.

The felon raising the issueis Brian Bragdon, a convictedcocaine dealer who two years ago shot at two menoutside a West Palm Beach-area strip club.

Bragdon, 25, claims hewas defending himself, butstate prosecutors say he isntentitled to that defenseagainst attempted murdercharges, because, as a con-

victed felon, he shouldnt

have been carrying a gun.The Stand Your Ground

law simply says an individualdoes not have to retreat andcan legally use deadly force if the person reasonably be-lieves doing so is necessary to prevent imminent death.

Critics of the law, includ-ing Democratic state law-makers and civil rights activ-ists, say it should be repealed,a protest that intensified last year after neighborhoodwatch volunteer George

See STAND,10A

The FloridaSupremeCourt hasagreed toconsider theappeal of felonBrian

Bragdon.

Studying Stand Your GroundShould felons have right? States SupremeCourt to examine claim from county case

By Marc FreemanStaff writer

There is consolation inLeBron James departurefrom the Miami Heat: SouthFloridians wont have to en-

dure Cleveland winters inhis absence.

LeReturn does signal an-other paradigm shift in a modern tale of two citieslinked by the LeBron Effect.

Forbes magazine fore-casts an immediate $100million increase in the valueof the Cleveland Cavaliersfranchise and the likelihoodit will surpass the Heat by

that much within the next year.

The Heats estimated val-ue of $770 million hasdoubled since James ar-rived in 2010, while theCavaliers tumbled precipi-tously in the first two yearsafter he left home beforestabilizing at $515 million,

which ranks 19th among theNBAs 30 teams.

Despite more dire pre-dictions of gloom for theHeat, the exit of the greatestshow in sports is unlikely tohave the impact on the teamand town that it had onCleveland four years agowhen LeBron headed south

See LEBRON,11A

After LeBron: S. Florida will surviveAnd Cleveland willthrive as stars exitshakes up two citiesBy Craig DavisStaff writer

ANALYSIS

Nows the timefor you to getabsentee ballot

If you really want to vote ab-sentee this year and judging by its soaring popularity among Floridians, you do pay atten-tion. New rules are in effect, and you dont want to wait until thelast minute to request your ballot.Take action soon with the PalmBeach County Supervisor of Elections Office, or you couldmiss your chance to impact the2014 primary or general election.Story, 1B

MONEY

New homes nearDelray go to ...

1D Norton exhibitreframes theoryon portraits. 2G

Legends live on in art


2/7

14A | Sun Sentinel SunSentinel.com Sunday, July 13, 2014 PN

Helmet on, safety harnessstrapped across him, PatrickStaropoli feels a surge of adrena-line rushing through his body.Drivers, start your engines! Hefires up his race car and takes hisstarting spot at Irwindale Speed-way in Southern California. Afterbeing given a chance onNASCARs lowest rung, he knowshe is running out of time. Heneeds to win.

The starter waves the greenflag. Patrick, in fifth position, isready. There is an ear-splitting rush of engines, a roar from thecrowd, the acrid smell of hotrubber scraping the road.

Two laps into the race, he cata-pults into second.

Then, mysteriously, he beginsslipping back. Sixth, seventh,eighth.

It takes a certain kind of personto strap into the drivers seat of a 600-horsepower, 3,300-poundrace car. You have to be bold,confident, in tune with all yoursenses. You have to be calm, pre-cise and shrewd enough to knowwhen to take calculated risks with30 other cars going 135 miles perhour.

Patrick Staropoli is all of thosethings. Hes also very smart. Vale-dictorian-of-his-high-schoolsmart. Harvard smart. University-of-Miami-medical-school smart.

Alittle over a year ago, the24-year-old from Plantation hadbeen dissecting human cadaversas a first-year student at the Uni-versity of Miamis Miller Schoolof Medicine. But then came a wilddetour into competitive racing,derailing his studies to be an eyesurgeon for now.

Good-looking, poised, polished Patrick could succeed at any-thing, say all who know him.

I call him mini-Einstein, sayshis sister Devon.

But on this night in March2014, in the K&N Series NAPAAuto Parts 150 in Irwindale, Pat-rick and his modified Toyota Camry are losing ground fast. 11th,12th, 13th.

All those smarts and here he is,looking stupid.

His crew chief and spottergrow alarmed; hes nearly a fulllap behind the leaders. Whatswrong with the car, they keepasking through his headset.

Nothing, Patrick says. Re-lax.

Its his strategy saving histires so theyre fast and fresh atthe end. Its just a matter of get-ting a break, a yellow caution flag to slow the race and bunch up thefield for a late restart that wouldallow him to pass many cars atonce. Someone elses misfortune a wreck, a spinout, an engineblowup can turn into his goodfortune.

He gets what he needs: twocaution periods in the final 30laps. On the restarts, Patricksurges from 11th to fifth, then fifthto second.

In the pit area, his father Nickand best friend Anthony Sandora

sense Patrick is on the verge of something special.

At home in Plantation, hismother Arlene sits nervously onthe floor of Patricks bedroom.She surrounds herself with histrophies and clutches an oldracing helmet, following theaction online and through textsfrom her husband.

In the final 10 laps, Patrickopens up the throttle. The tires hehas been conserving quickly devour the leader.

He looks in his rearview mirrorand sees he is pulling away fromthe field.

Just hang on, he thinks.Dont do anything stupid.

He wins easily, by 1.55 s econds.In victory lane, a jubilant Pat-

rick climbs out of the car andsprays a water bottle in all direc-

tions. He hugs his dad and An-thony.This is the most amazing

feeling in my entire life, Patricksays, choked with emotion afterhis first NASCAR win.

Patrick has always been a superstar in the academic world, but in the racing world hes be-hind the curve an outsider who began at a late age and for whomsuccess is no sure thing. For years,racing was just a hobby, squeezedin between his studies.

Now everything has beenturned upside down, as he strug-gles to figure out which direction

his life will take doctor or race-car driver?

If I could split myself in half,that would help, Patrick says.

The more he thinks about it,the more anxious he becomes.Hes already on the hook for$60,000 in student loans for thethree semesters hes completed atmedical school. At this point, hesnot making anything from racing. A career in medicine wouldsurely pay the bills.

This latest racing adventure began on a lark, when he entereda reality TV competition in 2013for aspiring race-car drivers.From a field of 700 entrants, hewon.

That led to a limited driving deal to show what he could do.

Irwindale showed the racing world that he could finish in

front.For Patrick, the victory wasconfirmation that he made theright choice in taking a one-yearleave of absence from medicalschool.

But soon, he faces a tougherdecision. Patrick has to let UMknow whether hell return to medschool or forfeit his spot for good.The decision pits his head versushis heart, brains versus guts.

Its always been racing andschool, school and racing, hismom says.

The push-and-pull betweenthese competing drives has led

Patrick to some incongruousplaces. Daytona InternationalSpeedway as a driver and Har- vard Yard as an undergrad. Grimy garages and sterile laboratories. A barbecue joint in the backwoodsof Tennessee and clinical fieldwork in Miamis Little Haitineighborhood.

Afew weeks after his win at

Irwindale, Patrick dropped by med school. His classmates sur-prised him with a framed print of his winning race car. Then he hada meeting with his mentor, Dr.Byron Lam.

Youre not going to quit medi-cal school, are you? Lam asked bluntly.

Patrick shifted in his seat andlaughed nervously. No, he said.

But in his mind, he knew it wasa possibility.

My whole education up to thispoint is kind of riding on the linehere, Patrick said later.

If he sticks with medical

school, hes pretty much got a sure thing a safe path to a pres-tigious and lucrative profession.But trying to make the long, hardclimb up NASCAR to its pinnacle,the premier Sprint Cup Series,would be the ultimate gamble a roulette spin at 200 miles perhour.

The payoff could be huge. Top

drivers enjoy rock-star lifestyles,earning upward of $30 million a year. But its an uncertain, danger-ous road, where nothing is guar-anteed not success, not stabil-ity, not even your life.

Family and friends say Patrickhas never quit at anything, neverfailed at anything in all his years.But now, somethings got to give.

Will he be Dr. Staropoli? OrNASCAR star Staropoli?

You cannot do both, Dr. Lamtold him sternly.

Patrick Staropoli, who has a big decision to make, meets with his mentor, Dr. Byron Lam, at the University of Miamis Miller School of Medicine.

DR IVEN Decision is coming upfast ... medical doctoror NASCAR driverTHE START: BRAINS AND GUTS Story by Michael Mayo | Photos by Mike Stocker

Continued on next page


3/7

PN Sunday, July 13, 2014 SunSentinel.com Sun Sentinel | 15A

DR IVEN

Theyre two goofy kids, horsing around with a video camera atHialeah Speedway before theraces.

Patrick Staropoli and Anthony Sandora are best friends, fifth-graders who both love fast cars.Patricks dad Nick is an auto me-

chanic in Oakland Park and week-end driver who likes to race hardand win. Nick is on the track inhis late-model car, doing warmuplaps before a race. Patrick andAnthony are pretending theyrebroadcasters.

Then something awful hap-pens.

The throttle on Nicks car getsstuck, and he slams hard into a wall, head on. Suddenly, the care-free fun of two 11-year-olds turnsdeadly serious. Anthony dropsthe camera. Patrick and his friendrun to the crash scene. Rescueworkers rip up fiberglass andmetal, sawing open the roof toextricate Nick from the mangledwreckage.

Nick is mangled too. Hesbleeding badly, his forehead splitopen. His nose, arm, leg, feet andtwo vertebrae are broken. His leftankle is shattered. As hes loadedonto a stretcher, Patrick tries tohold his hand.

Nick screams in pain: My arm!!!

I was scared, Patrick saysnow.

Some fathers and sons bondthrough baseball. For Nick Staro-poli and his son Patrick, their gluewas auto racing. On that night inAugust 2001, the bond was almostbroken.

Nicks recovery was long andpainful. He was in the hospital fora month, then spent more monthsin a back brace and wheelchair.Watching the doctors and nurseswho saved his dad sparked Pat-ricks interest in medicine.

But the crash didnt dampenhis enthusiasm for racing. WhenPatrick was 13, he started to racego-karts. I wasnt too happy, hismother Arlene says. But I knew Iwasnt going to be able to stophim.

In one of his first starts, Patrickflipped over early in the race. Theupside-down cart skidded 50yards down the track. Arlenefainted. Patrick climbed out un-scathed, covered in oil and dirt.He righted the cart, got back inand rallied to finish fifth.

Like most drivers, Patrickdoesnt dwell on racings risks,but he respects the fine line driv-ers must navigate. Safety has beenvastly improved on NASCAR circuits since Dale Earnhardt died

on the last lap of the 2001Daytona 500.Still, theres a sticker mounted

to the dashboard of the race car athome in Patricks garage: A Rac-ers Prayer.

Lord I pray as I race today Keep me safe along the way Not only me but others too Performing the jobs they do

Four years after his dadswreck, in August 2005, Patrickspun tragedy into triumph by winning on the final night of

Hialeah Speedways existence.Patrick had been going to the

speedway since he was 6 monthsold. As a toddler, hed climb be-hind the wheel of his dads pickuptruck and pretend he was racing.

From an early age, Patrick wasad etail-driven perfectionist. Hedwatch NASCAR races with hisdad in the den, then go back to hisroom and re-create the race withtoy cars on a miniature track.

If a race lasted three hours, hisrace would last for three hours, Arlene said. Hed reenact every second, with the exact positionsof every car. And hed do theannouncing, too.

After Patricks first week of kindergarten, the teacher told Arlene that her son was a quicklearner with unusual focus. Pat-rick excelled in school, but whathe loved most was hanging outwith his dad at the races. In gradeschool, Nick made his son a deal:If Patrick kept pulling straight As,he could keep coming to thetrack. And if he went all the way through high school with As,Nick would buy him a Corvette.

Patrick was class president and valedictorian at Plantation High,and became the first in his family to go to college.

He was accepted to all sevenuniversities he applied to, in-cluding Princeton and Duke. Hechose Harvard. If youre going to

be the first in a family to go tocollege, might as well be Har- vard, Nick said.

Even though Patrick held uphis end of the bargain, Nick neverdid buy him the Corvette. Instead,he got Patrick a late-model racecar: a Chevy Impala with a cus-tom-built 377 cubic-inch,610-horsepower engine.

I could have bought him threeCorvettes with all the money weve spent on racing, Nick said.But its been worth every penny.

Concentration and focus are etched on Patricks face as he gets himself mentally prepared for the challenges ahead in a race at New Smyrna.

From left, Patricks best friend, Anthony Sandora, Patrick and Nick share a relaxed moment at a driversmeeting at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

Patrick Staropolis dad, Nick, in his racing days at Hialeah Speedway. Nicks time as a racer almost ended in tragedy, his recovery long and painful.

Nick Staropoli clocks Patricks time during practice at the Iowa Speedway near Des Moines. Patrick loved tohang out with his dad at races, and now Nick spends time with his racing son.

STAROPOLI FAMILY/COURTESY

Continued from previous page


TURN 1: DADS CRASH


4/7


DR IVEN

Patrick Staropoli pulls onto thetrack at Charlotte Motor Speed-way. His heart is pounding, hispalms sweaty. Its July 2013, andhes in North Carolina for a reality TV competition being filmed forthe Speed Network.

Patrick has won plenty of racesin his amateur career, but hesabout to do something hes neverdone before: Make a pit stop.

Apit stop that will determinewhether hell be the winner of thefirst PEAK Stock Car DreamChallenge, NASCARs version of American Idol.

I was freaking out, Patricksays.

Lower-level races dont havefrantic pit stops for tire changesand refueling; theyre done only in longer races with top drivers.In Charlotte, its the last challengein the three-day competition.

On a nearby platform sit thejudges, including Michael Waltrip a NASCAR team owner, driverand commentator.

Nine drivers have been whit-tled to three. The other two final-ists, Logan Ruffin of North Caroli-na and Chase Briscoe of Indiana,already had botched their stops.

Patrick knows he has an open-ing to victory.

I just wanted to make sure Ididnt stall, Patrick says now. Orhit anybody.

Up to this point in the competi-tion, Patrick has been steady, notspectacular. But his Ivy Leaguepolish helped him stand out in themarketing challenge, a simulatedTV commercial shoot that in-cludes coaching from NASCAR star Danica Patrick.

His ease in front of the camera also helped him break out of thepack a few months earlier.

Patrick entered the contest atthe last minute, submitting a slickly edited 100-second iPhonevideo that was funny, heartfeltand touching. He didnt evenmention that he was a medicalstudent and Harvard grad.

He wrote the script, I held thecamera, his sister Devon re-called. And we did take after takeafter take because hes a perfec-tionist.

In the video, Patrick pours a drink from a PEAK Oil containerafter saying he has oil running through his veins, and concludes:Its going to your home track forthe first time when youre 6months old, its watching yourdad almost die there in a crashwhen you were 11, and its coming back four years later to win on thefinal night of the tracks 51-yearexistence. And above every-

thing else, its knowing that youllkeep chasing the dream until theday you die, because youve beenpreparing for it since the day youwere born.

The video was a hit. It landshim an invite to Charlotte as oneof the nine finalists.

Now he finds himself behindthe wheel of a cool blue race caron a hot summer day. Patrickpulls onto pit road smoothly, hits

the brakes, and stops perfectly inhis assigned spot. The crew doesits thing, then Patrick glides backonto the track like a seasoned pro.

That was a freakin blast!Patrick says to the TV cameras.

A few hours later, a black cov-ering is pulled off a race car toreveal the winners name on thewindshield: Staropoli.

Confetti blows into the air.Nick rushes in to hug his so n. I

knew you could do it, Nick whis-pers, eyes moist. Patricks bestfriend Anthony hugs him next.

There was just something about Patrick that won me over,Waltrip says later. He was raw, but he had a great attitude. Hehad this glow, this energy.

Patricks prize: a spot in a NASCAR minor-league race nearSpokane, Wash., the following month. PEAK and Waltrips de-

velopment team would be hissponsors. Bill McAnally, a suc-cessful team owner, would pro- vide the car and crew for theK&N West Series race.

Patrick had just completed hisfirst year of medical school inMiami. He graduated with high-est honors summa cum laude from Harvard, with a 3.94 gradepoint average and a degree inneurobiology. Medical school wasacross the street from the hospitalwhere his father recovered fromhis wreck. I had come full circle,Patrick says.

Yet he could never shake theracing bug. At Harvard, his room-mates gave him strange lookswhen he asked if they wanted togo to New Hampshire with himto watch NASCAR races. And hestill raced late-model cars inFlorida with his dads help during school breaks and summer vaca-tions.

Patrick expected medicine to be his profession, racing hishobby.

Suddenly, Patricks path in lifewas not so clear.

Patrick Staropoli signs autographs at the Iowa Speedway. With his talents and background Harvard grad, UM medical student and race-car driver his path in life may not be clear.

Patricks crew works on his car in a pit stop at the Iowa Speedway near Des Moines.

Patrick, 24, celebrates a milestone in his quest: winning a reality TVcompetition in July 2013.

Patrick graduates summa cumlaude from Harvard.

TURN 2: A SUDDEN CURVE

PIT STOP: ANATOMY OF A RACE CAR

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PATRICKS TOYOTA CAMRY NASCAR K&N SERIES RACE CAR358-cubic inch, 5.8 liter, Pushrod V8 (8-cylinder)

About 600 hpAbout 160 mph (varies by track)

22-gallon capacity, Sunoco Race Fuel3,300 pounds

About 150 miles5 mpg

About 5-6 seconds (NASCARs dont start from idle)$60,000 to build

2014 CAMRY LE SEDAN YOU CAN BUY AT SHOWROOM152-cub ic inch, 2..5 liter, 4-cylinder178hp120 mph17-gallon capacity, regular unleaded3,190 poundsAbout 40,000 miles25 miles per gallon city /3 5mpg highway8.58 seconds$22,870




5/7


DR IVEN TURN 3: THE RACING LIFE

Patrick Staropoli guns hisengine on a restart after a cautionperiod, slips past two cars, andfinds himself in f ourth place. Hesfocused on the race, but alsosoaking in the bigger moment.

Its February, and for gear-heads, theres only one place tobe: Daytona International Speed-way. The fortnight leading up tothe Daytona 500 is known as

Speed Weeks, when everyonewhos anyone in NASCAR is onhand to get ready for the up-coming season, tuning and tweak-ing, testing and talking andracing.

Patrick can hardly believe it.He is here, on the track at Day-tona. Racing. What was originally supposed to be a one-race dealled to another race last October,and then five more this year.

Granted, the 2014 Daytona 500is still five days away, and this isonly a minor-league K&N ProSeries race. And these drivers areracing on only a tiny portion of the giant super-speedway a sliver of the backstretch as partof a flat half-mile loop.

But theres a crowd hollering inthe bleachers, TV cameras rolling,and important eyeballs watching.

As usual, Patricks mom cantbear to watch. She has made thetrip to Daytona, but as soon as therace starts she bolts from her seatand starts to pace beneath thegrandstands. Every time Patrickraces she turns into a nervouswreck.

Tell me hes going to be allright, Arlene says as she hugsPatricks friend Anthony, tearsstreaming down her face. I lovehim so much.

Its Feb. 18, the 13th anniversary of Dale Earnhardts fatal wreckon the last lap of the Daytona 500.In his pre-race invocation, a pas-tor says, Lord, we ask you toprotect the drivers, crew mem-bers and crowd tonight. AndLord, we ask you to say hello toDale for us. In Jesus name wepray. Amen.

Midway through the race,Patricks car is zipping, fastenough to go from 18th at the startto fourth. He can taste the lead.Suddenly he spins out from be-hind, narrowly missing the wall.

The yellow caution flag comesout. Patrick is unscathed.

His spinout means he has to goto the back of the lead lap 20thplace for the restart. Using calculated aggression, Patrickbegins picking off cars: 17th, 16th,15th. He begins using more mus-cle in the turns, bumping and

jostling for position: 12th, 11th,10th.

The checkered flag falls; Pat-rick finishes eighth. He drives back to the garage area, pumpedabout the top-10 finish. He doessome quick math: He passed a total of 26 cars in the race.

Oh my God, my stomach is inknots, his dad says. My wife isrubbing off on me.

Bryan Emrich, PEAKs chief marketing officer, gives Patrick a high-five and hug: Great driv-ing!

Theres a huge gash in the frontend of the car it looks like a mouth. Patrick smiles. Beforethe race, I told you this car wasgoing to eat tonight. Boy, did itever.

He takes out his smartphone

and begins rifling through textsand emails. All right! he yells.Our abstract has been accepted!

Its a sentence that has almostcertainly never before been ut-tered in the Daytona pits.

Patrick explains that he waspart of a University of Miamiteam that submitted a summary of an academic paper, known asan abstract, for the upcoming Association for Research in Vi-sion and Ophthalmology (ARVO)convention. The title: Incidenceof Glaucoma Suspects in the Afro-Caribbean population of South Florida. Patrick gathereddata at health fairs in Little Haitiand other neighborhoods.

Getting into ARVO is a big deal its prestigious, Patricksays. The 2014 convention was

scheduled for May in Orlando.Patrick winces: I hope it doesntconflict with the Iowa race.

Theres another email on hisphone, a reminder from PEAKsEmrich about the next days ac-tivity: a hog hunt.

At 5 the next morning, a bleary-eyed Patrick walked out of hishotel. This was his first hunting trip. His group included NASCAR star Clint Bowyer, a good-old-boy from Kansas, and some PEAKguests. Patrick hadnt shot a gunsince he was a kid. When Emrichhanded him a high-powered riflein the pre-dawn darkness at a central Florida game ranch, Pat-rick had a deer-in-the-headlightslook. He held the gun awkwardly,far away from his body.

I feel like Im in The Blair

Witch Project, Patrick said,wearing a camouflage outfit.

Sometimes he seems like a square peg in a round hole, butthis is how the NASCAR game isplayed. Drivers learn to smile forthe cameras, mingle with fans atmandatory autograph sessions,and schmooze with sponsorsand their clients.

Patrick said he sometimes feltmore out of place at Harvardthan in the racing world. But he

seemed far afield on the morning of the hog hunt, rigidly at atten-tion in his tree stand while wait-ing to catch sight of a boar.

Are we allowed to leanagainst the tree? Patrick textedBowyer at one point. Bowyer hadagood laugh over that one.

Patrick has that rare ability to be modest and ingratiating eventhough hes the smartest guy inthe room.

The most un-arrogant person youll ever meet, his sister says.

His crew chief, Duane Knorr,realized Patrick was smart. Buthe had no idea Patrick went toHarvard until six months afterthey met, when a reporter toldhim. He never mentioned it,Knorr said. All we do is talkabout the car. Wow.

Patrick came up empty themorning of the hunt. All I shotwas a log, he said s heepishly.But that afternoon, he baggedtwo hogs.

Later he called his sister andsaid he felt bad, because hes anaspiring doctor whos supposedto do no harm.

Devon said her brother toldher: I shot something. I killed a living creature. He paused andsaid, I guess I didnt feel too bad, because then I shot anotherone.

Life moves fast for Patrick on and off the track. Above left, dad Nick, mom Arlene and sister Devon watch every move. Above right, hog-hunting day another first for the med student.

Patrick, who has completed three semesters of medical school, is drawn toward ophthalmology.



The higher the level of NASCAR, the more expensive itgets. Besides building the cars and keeping them in topshape, team owners have to use elaborate haulers totransport cars from track to track. Theres also sala-ry, travel and hotel costs for crews and drivers. Prizemoney pays a portion, but teams depend mostly onsponsors to cover expenses. Thats why you see carsand drivers uniforms plastered with logos, and why youusually hear drivers thanking their corporate benefac-tors before God and mom in victory interviews.

PIT STOP: NASCARS ECONOMICS

It takes about$100,000 per race to elda competitiveteam for aNASCAR truckseries race,roughly$2 million fora full season.

It takes about$150,000 per raceto eld ateam for theNationwideSeries, orabout $5million fora full season.

It can cost upward of$500,000 a race toeld Sprint Cup Seriesteams. Although somesmaller outts manage torun for less than $10 milliona season, NASCARs eliteteams spend $20 mil-lion to $40 million towin championships.

The richest raceon this yearsSprint Cup sched-ule, the Daytona500, had a totalpayout of $19.7million . WinnerDale Earnhardt Jr.got $1.5 million ofthat.

Top drivers havedeals that usuallypay a base salary,plus a percent-age of raceearnings andbonuses. Theycan also earnmillions more inendorsements.


6/7

In April 2014, Patrick Staropolibuckles up for a long ride, but thistime he wont be driving in circlesat breakneck speed. This time, heis going straight up Interstate 95in his 1998 Acura, making a bee-line through the night to get fromSouth Florida to a studio in Char-lotte, N.C., for a nationally tele-vised interview.

Its a 730-mile trip, 11hours. All for four minutes of airtime.And we welcome to the Race

Hub, Patrick Staropoli, hostSteve Byrnes says. A fascinating story.

This is what winning does. Amonth earlier, Patrick seemed tobe as far from stardom as possible,on the outer fringes of an auxilia-ry parking lot for a fan festivalbefore a NASCAR race weekendin Bristol, Tenn. He looked loneli-

er than the Maytag repairman ashe sat dutifully at a folding tablewith a group of other K&N Seriesrookies, waiting to sign auto-graphs. A few hundred yardsaway, thousands of fans streamedtoward NASCARs big Sprint CupSeries stars and a country musicband.

Things changed with Patricksvictory in California. Reportersand radio shows started calling.He knew he had to milk the mo-ment. When the producers of NASCAR Race Hub, a daily motor-sports show on the na-tional Fox Sports 1network, calledin early April, he jumped at thechance and jumped into his car.

The weeks since his win hadbeen a fun blur. Patrick went toother NASCAR events and net-worked with racing insiders,handing out business cards: Ra-cecar Driver. UM Med Student.Harvard Grad. Back home inPlantation, he was surprisedwhen he received a bulky specialdelivery: the right rear tire fromhis winning night. One of hiscrew members sent it.

He said that I did such a goodjob saving the tire, maybe Id wantto save it forever, Patrick said.

Patrick proved he could be a winning driver. Now it was timefor another part of the equation chasing money and sponsors sohe can climb the NASCAR ladder.Ive got to find a way to keepdoing this! Patrick said, adrena-line surging, after the thrill of a hard-charging sixth-place finishin Bristol earlier in the year.

At first, after winning the TV contest, he was reluctant to play up his academic achievements.He wanted his driving to speakfor itself.

But now that he had won and was nearing the end of hisdeal with PEAK he began to

emphasize his background, real-izing it could open doors andcheckbooks.

On the Race Hub show, he brought photos from his Harvardgraduation and talked about medschool. There are a lot of peoplewhove never heard of NASCAR at Harvard and UM, he said.Maybe I could get them exposedto it, make some new fans.

Still, Patrick seemed to bedrifting further away from theacademic world. He never didmake it to the ARVO medicalconvention in Orlando, insteadgoing to California to help histeam prepare his car for his finalrace in Iowa. His UM colleaguespresented the research summary without him.

The big question is whats

next? host Byrnes asked Patrickon the TV show.

Were just kind of looking forsomeone to come on board andhelp us take this to the next level,Patrick said. So anybody whosout there watching us and howweve been performing, dont beafraid to reach out.

Then he gave out contact in-formation for his Twitter, In-

stagram and Facebook feeds.(Twitter and Instagram:

@97patrickstar, and facebook.com/patrickstaropoliracing)Racing has changed dramati-

cally for young drivers in the pastdecade. It used to be that promis-ing newcomers would get re-cruited by top racing teams asdevelopmental drivers. The teamswould then go out and find spon-sors for them. But now the onus ison young drivers to line up spon-sors on their own and get themoney needed to race beforeteams will take them. Its a lot lesswork for the teams, a lot biggerheadache for aspiring drivers.

Its become a much biggermoney game, Patrick says. Ten years ago, the drivers who went tocollege were mechanical engi-neering majors, because they wanted to be able to work ontheir cars. Now the guys whowent to school all seem to bemarketing majors.

For now, Patrick is racing forlove of the sport and a shot at hisdream his expenses were cov-ered by team owner Bill McAnal-ly, but he got no salary or prizemoney. But I get to keep thetrophy, Patrick says.

After his victory, Patrick begansetting up meetings with racing teams in Charlotte NASCARscorporate hub and he also puton his thinking cap. He reachedout to a national Celiac diseasefoundation as a potential sponsor(Patrick has Celiac, a digestivedisorder). He thought of ways of tapping into Harvards consider-able alumni base, all those topexecutives who run major busi-nesses.

At first, I was racing on thetrack, Patrick says. Now, Imracing for sponsors.

Patrick Staropoli checks his computer at home in Plantation. In the background are a photo of his race car and his winners trophy from Irwindale, Calif.

Patrick and his crew chief, Duane Knorr, head to the car inspection at the Iowa Speedway. Knorr had no ideaPatrick went to Harvard until six months after they met. His reaction? Wow!

One of Patricks crew members sent this rear tire from the winning race in Irwindale to the drivers home inPlantation, joking that he might want to save it forever.

Patrick shares a photo of himself with racing great Rusty Wallace atIowa Speedway.


DR IVEN

TURN 4: VICTORY LANE

Patrick Staropoli graduated from Plan-tation High School as the valedictorian ofthe Class of 2008. A look at his progres-sion toward becoming a doctor:

PIT STOP: BECOMING A DOCTOR 2008 2012

Harvard University: Bachelor of Artsin neurobiology in spring 2012.

University of Miami school of medicine: Completed three of eight semesters.

Ophthalmology residency:Typically take three years.

Took one-year leave of absence in January 2014 to race.Must notify UM by October whether hell return in January 2015.




7/7


PIT STOP: A RACING STAR IS BORN For winning a 2013 reality TV competition, Patrick Staropolis prize was supposed to be onerace in NASCARs K&N division. He was so impressive, his sponsors gave himseven starts in the No. 99 PEAK Toyota.A look at his performances:

*NOTEIowa was acombined racefor K&NEast and West divisions.Patrickwon thequalifying polefor West drivers,but had to

start last (37th) afteran equipment changeto his car.He nished 15th overall,third amongWest drivers.

Monroe, Wash. Aug. 24, 2013

Roseville, Calif. Oct. 12, 2013

New Smyrna Beach Feb. 16, 2014

Daytona Beach Feb. 18, 2014

Bristol, Tenn. March 15, 2014

Irwindale, Calif March 22, 2014

Newton, Iowa May 17, 2014*

24 6

37 15

5 1

18 8

24 11

10 6

STARTING POSITION FINISH

7 5

THE FINISH: A BIG DECISION

Patrick Staropoli peels off twoquick qualifying laps at Iowa Speedway, and he feels good. ItsMay 2014, the final race of hisPEAK deal and his first start sincewinning in California. His entirefamily has flown out to watch therace. His time is fast enough tolock in a starting spot near thefront of the 37-car field, and hecoasts from the track to the ga-rage area.

Then he sees smoke billowing from his cars ignition box.

This is how fast things changein racing. One minute youre on a high, told that youve won a poleaward for being the fastest driverin your division. The next, yourewatching your car catch fire.

The ignition wiring is easily fixed. But under NASCAR rules,the late equipment change meansPatrick will start dead last, 37th.He desperately wants anothertop-five finish before heading intomeetings with top race teams andpotential sponsors.

But little goes right this night.He makes an impressive surge to15th, then gets spun out trying toavoid a wreck in front of him. Hesurges again, climbing all the way to 10th and then PFFFFFT.

His right front tire goes flat. Toavoid shredding it and possibly slamming into a wall, Patrick hasto ease off the gas for the finallaps. He finishes 15th his worstresult in seven NASCAR races.

Back in the garage area, Patrickseems all alone. Team owner BillMcAnally gravitates to another of his young drivers, Nick Drake,who finished second. Bryan Em-rich, the PEAK marketing execu-tive, is in North Carolina, atNASCARs All-Star Race taking place the same night. Patricklooks at the tire, symbolism forhis night.

Deflated, Patrick says.The race is a reality check, a

reminder that many things arebeyond a drivers control. Its anunusual, and uncomfortable, spotfor Patrick.

In school, Patrick is the masterof his own destiny. Study hard,ace a test, write a brilliant paper you get rewarded. But out hereon the track, you can work hard,prepare well, drive perfectly and still have your worst finish.

You can have brains, guts andtalent and still not be assured a sponsor or ride for the next sea-son.

How am I going to spin this inthe meetings? he frets.

His mood brightens when heassesses the season overall: Iwon a race, I won a pole, I won a hard-charger award for passing the most cars in a race, he says. I

learned a lot out here. I had a blast. And fans are captivated by his

story. The previous night, Patricktook part in a live radio show atthe tracks VIP lounge. He metNASCAR legend Rusty Wallace,and the crowd sat in rapt atten-tion as Patrick talked about Har- vard and medical school. If Iwasnt here, Id be sitting in a

class right now with a stetho-scope, he said. After the s how,women flocked to him, asking forautographs.

But over that final race week-end, he seemed tense. On the ride back to his hotel, he chewed hisnails. It was a rare c rack in Pat-ricks otherwise perfect armor.

Patricks personal D-Day loomsin October. Thats when he has totell UM administrators if he p lansto resume medical school in Jan-uary or forfeit his spot. If Pat-rick drops out but later decides toresume his studies, he would haveto re-apply to med school ei-ther at UM or elsewhere andhe would have to start fromscratch. He wouldnt get creditfor the 1 1 2 years hes already putin. And schools might questionhis commitment when they see

how he left UM.Hes dreading the approaching deadline. Im just kind of indenial, trying not to think aboutit, Patrick said after his spring visit to UM.

Earlier that day, he sat in hismentors office, talking about hisongoing research. Patrick and Dr.Lam spoke of longitudinal dataand peer-reviewed journals and

collecting blood for genetic com-parisons. They walked through a clinic into a sterile, quiet lab. Itseemed a million miles away fromthe hyperkinetic energy of thetrack.

When students take a leave of absence, its usually for something like going overseas to help thepoor, Lam said. But I know thisis a once-in-a-lifetime opportuni-ty for Patrick.

Patricks drift is already evi-dent. Earlier in the year, he spokeabout doing medical researchprojects over the summer. But inJune, he took a paid internship inthe marketing department of Michael Waltrip Racing in Char-lotte.

At the same time, his medschool classmates were enduring nerve-wracking board exams. Acertain part of me is sad Im notgoing through it with them, hesaid.

Everywhere he goes, he keepshearing the same question.

Hey Patrick, are you going to be a doctor or a race-car driver?ahost on an Internet racing showasked in late May.

That all depends on howthese next few months play out,Patrick said.

If he lines up sponsors for 2015,his family says he should go forhis dream.

Ask his sister where she seesPatrick in five years and she says,The next Jeff Gordon. At the topof NASCAR.

Ask Patrick, and he hesitates.He wants to make the right callfor the long haul. Even if he goesfor the bold gamble over the surething, Patrick Staropoli has al-ready proven that he can bucksteep odds. Betting against himdoesnt seem like a smart play.

Theres a story Patrick likes totell. Last year, he was working onhis race car at home in Plantation.Covered in grease, tinkering underneath the chassis, he looked

up to see the neighborhood mail-man the same one who deliv-ered his acceptance letters toHarvard and UM med school.

The mailman dropped a pile atPatricks feet. In it was a Harvardalumni magazine and a racing magazine.

Here, he said playfully. Thisshould help with your identity crisis.

Patrick looks over the track the day before the race at Iowa Speedway. His focus then? The race. And now? That depends on how these next few months play out.

Patrick Staropoli, with his mentor, Dr. Byron Lam, at the University of Miamis Miller School of Medicine, hasuntil October to decide whether to continue with med school or chase his dream of becoming a racing star.

Patrick takes a break during practice at the New Smyrna Speedway. Hehas to maintain his confidence and sharpness to compete effectively.


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