MIAMI (WSVN) - Good eyesight is essential for safe driving. You have to see where you’re going, especially on a track going close to 200 miles per hour. Our Mike DiPasquale explains how one local NASCAR driver is combining his knowledge of ophthalmology with racing, wanting to see a lot of checkers. Whenever Plantation’s Patrick Staropoli is on or off track, he’s known as Dr. Speed. “When I’m at the racetrack, people ask me about what I do, you know, operating and clinic during the week. And then here, I got a bunch of patients asking me how the races went,” he said. Staropoli is a NASCAR driver and an eye surgeon. Patrick has loved cars since he was a kid. First, racing go-karts. Then into this mid-20s on short tracks statewide. About 10 years ago, he attended the University of Miami School of Medicine and then Harvard to get his degree in ophthalmology. Patrick is now at the intersection of medicine and racing. “It’s a lot of time management,” Staropoli said. “It’s a lot of people on both ends who believe in me and want to see me succeed in the things I’m passionate about. It’s a whole team effort on both ends to get me where I need to be, and I’m thankful for everyone who helped make it happen.” Patrick is behind the wheel in three of the four NASCAR series. He has 15 races on his schedule this season. The ultimate goal is to race full-time in the Cup Series. “I find that I think I’m a better race car driver because I’m a doctor. And the other way around: being a racecar driver makes me a better physician,” Staropoli said. “I think the skills definitely translate. Even when you’re operating, you have to be smooth on the pedal and smooth with your instruments. Same thing when you’re in the car with the steering wheel and the gas pedal. You’ve got to be smooth all day long.” Anytime the 35-year-old is at the racetrack, he’s always helping other drivers see clearly. “Some people are like, ‘Hey, I have this funny thing on my eyelid; can you take a look?'” Staropoli said. “If someone else from another team asks me to look at their eye, I say, ‘Alright, let me take a look at your notebook and see what you guys are doing on the racecar.’ So there’s a barter system there. But it’s interesting. I like talking about what I do in medicine. I’ve always tried to use the racing platform to promote important causes in medicine. It’s cool; you have conversations with your crew chief and your pit crew that an average racecar driver wouldn’t have. So it’s always interesting.” Saturday, Patrick finished fourth in the ARCA 125 at Rockingham. This Saturday, he’ll race at Talladega for the first time. It’s NASCAR’s biggest track, with a lot of four-wide racing and a lot of wrecking. Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.