The majority of NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers spent their Friday traveling to Newton, Iowa, or staying in their hotels/motorhomes in the area, in preparation for Saturday’s HyVee Perks 250 at Iowa Speedway… but that wasn’t the case for rookie driver Patrick Staropoli.
Staropoli, the driver of the No. 48 SYFOVRE Chevrolet Camaro for Big Machine Racing, found a very interesting way to pull double-duty at the 0.875-mile racetrack, competing in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series JR & CO 150, but doing so as a pit crew member.
Big Machine Racing, already at the racetrack unloading the No. 48 Chevrolet and moving it through the pre-qualifying inspection process for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, elected to take on another gig for the race weekend, working with Clubb Racing. Inc. as the pit crew for the No. 03 Ford Fusion, driven by Alex Clubb.
The Plantation, Florida-native already has an interesting story; the winner of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge in 2013 and earned a part-time ride in the NASCAR K&N West Series, where he captured a victory, made a debut in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, and then walked away from full-time racing – focusing on becoming a board-certified retina surgeon.
Staropoli returned to NASCAR on a part-time basis in 2025, and in 2026, inked a deal to run full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for Big Machine Racing. Driving the No. 48 Chevrolet this year, Starapoli has recorded a best finish of 13th in both events at EchoPark Speedway and recorded nine top 20s in 22 races.
Using the surgical-like precision, though, Starapoli served as a tire changer for the No. 03. Clubb finished Friday’s JR & CO 150 just outside the top-20, in 22nd, 11 laps down.
All of the pit stops during Friday’s ARCA Menards Series event were non-competitive and took place during a pair of race breaks at Lap 50 and Lap 100.
Starapoli will jump in the No. 48 for a one-day show at Iowa on Saturday, with practice at 11:30 AM ET, qualifying at 12:35 PM ET, and the HyVee Perks 250 taking place at 5:00 PM ET on The CW.
