Big Machine Racing announced today that retina surgeon and stock car driver Dr. Patrick Staropoli will join the team full time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, beginning with the season opener at Daytona International Speedway this February. Staropoli will pilot the No. 48 SYFOVRE® (pegcetacoplan injection) Chevrolet, marking a unique blend of elite medical expertise and high-performance motorsports on one of racing’s biggest stages.

“From the moment I buckled into a pure stock at Hialeah Speedway in 2003, my life’s goal has been to compete at the top levels of this sport. The path has taken many unexpected turns but after working every day for 23 years in pursuit of this dream, I now have the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to Scott Borchetta, Patrick Donahue, and Chevrolet. I am ready to do whatever it takes to put this SYFOVRE Chevy up front and raise awareness for Geographic Atrophy secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration by combining my passion for motorsports and medicine.”

A third-generation driver from Plantation, Florida, Staropoli first gained national attention after winning the 2013 PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge to become a Michael Waltrip Racing development driver, emerging ahead of top talents including runner-up Chase Briscoe. The Harvard University graduate went on to earn a seat with Bill McAnally Racing in the ARCA West Series for the 2014 season, where he quickly proved himself as a frontrunner.

Staropoli competed in four Xfinity Series and four Truck Series races in the 2025 season. Across his career, he has accumulated 17 starts in multiple ARCA series divisions. His breakthrough victory at Irwindale Speedway in 2014 made him the first medical doctor in NASCAR history to win a race.

Dr. Staropoli is a board-certified medical and surgical retina specialist. His research on retinal detachment repair, macular disease, and resident education has been widely published. He completed both his ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the nation’s top-ranked eye hospital.

“We’re pleased to welcome Dr. Patrick Staropoli to the #48 Big Machine Racing team for the 2026 season,” said Patrick Donahue, Crew Chief and Team Manager. “He brings a rare blend of professionalism, focus, and drive that will continue to strengthen our organization. This partnership reflects our commitment to surrounding the team with individuals who share our values and vision for building long-term success.”

Big Machine Racing PR

GREENVILLE — A proposed revision to Greenville’s land use ordinance which involves a new definition pertaining to motorsports businesses has been moved to the 2026 annual town meeting in June.

The select board gave its approval to the addition developed by the planning board during a Dec. 17 meeting, two weeks after tabling a decision.

“We’ve had a lot of special town meetings lately and neither one of these are an emergency,” Selectperson Bonnie Dubien said, also mentioning the decommission of Crescent Street. “So I would like to move that this be put on the June town meeting.”

When asked, Planning Board Chair John Contreni said he was fine with a June vote.

Two weeks prior Contreni said the addition to the list of definitions in the land use ordinance is called motorsports sales/service/repair.

A motorsports sales, service and repair establishment is a commercial use involving the retail sale, servicing, maintenance and mechanical repair of recreational and utility vehicles powered by internal combustion or electric engines. This use includes but is not limited to boats and electrical watercraft, snowmobile, all terrain vehicles, utility vehicles, small engine recreational vehicles, for example dirt bikes, go karts, and lawn and garden equipment, for example mowers, chainsaws and trimmers.

Such a business would not be permitted in the residential, downtown district 1 and 2, rural, airport and resource protection districts. These would be available for conditional use in village, village commercial, commercial industrial, rural development 1 and 2 districts, meaning the owner needs to come before the planning board to get a permit. 

A resident has expressed interest in opening a shop to repair 4-wheelers and side by sides and small engines. Some discussions with neighbors revealed they were worried the business could evolve into an automobile garage so instead a specific motorsports definition was developed by the planning board. 

In other business, the select board approved a letter of engagement for consultant and Tax Increment Financing work with a proposal to be voted on in the future.

Greenville officials are looking at establishing TIF districts and the hope is to have a plan ready for a town meeting, Select Chair Geno Murray said.

“So I’m assuming this is our first step?,” Selectperson Richard Peat asked and was told yes.

Murray said there will be a lot of education involved in the process and residents will have the opportunity to participate.

A committee will be in place at some point, Town Manager Michael Roy said. “Part of pushing it out until 2027 is making sure everybody’s well educated on this,” he said. 

The skating rink warming hut has been delivered and is in place, Roy said in his report. Electricity has been connected and water was set to be connected in the next few days.

Recreation Director Sally Tornquist told Roy that A.E. Robinson came to install the warming hut heater and thought the appliance was too small, so the business donated a larger model. Upon asking Roy what should be done with the older heater she was told to pay it forward. The older heater has been given to A.E. Robinson so the company can donate it to someone in need.

Roy also reported on the Piscataquis County budget, which was approved by the county commissioners the morning prior. The town manager served on the 8-member budget advisory committee.

The group met during the fall and was called back on Dec. 4 as county commissioners explained why some funding was restored for a dozen non-profit organizations.

“$102,834 was put back into the county budget,” Roy said.

On Dec. 16 Commissioner Paul Davis made a motion then to fund $1,500 for the Moosehead Lake Economic Development Corporation, $1,500 for Destination Moosehead Lake, $30,000 for the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, $500 for Penquis CAP, $500 for Eastern Area Agency on Aging, $1,800 for the Piscataquis Regional Food Center, $20,000 for the Piscataquis Area Community Center, $2,200 for hospice, $13,500 for the Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, $27,534 for University of Maine Cooperative Extension and $1,800 for the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.

Davis’ motion also had county salaries being held to a 4.25% increase, per the recommendation of County Manager Michael Williams.

At the commissioners second meeting in November, six of the 12 program grants were restored following a public hearing the night before in which about two dozen people attended with 10 speaking against the program grant cuts. The figures for these half dozen remained the same in Davis’ proposal.

The commissioners wanted to be respectful to the spirit of what the budget advisory committee sent to them, Commissioners Chair Andrew Torbett said last month. The committee wanted to see spending reigned in where the budget has been climbing quite a bit in the last few cycles.

The current year’s county budget, which follows a calendar year timeline, includes the same figures for Cooperative Extension, the soil and water district, hospice and homeless shelter. The food center share would be down from $5,000 and the community center’s is a brand new request with the organization launching earlier this year. These were all added back into the budget two weeks prior.

The $500 for Penquis CAP is the first Piscataquis County funding for the organization in several years.

Program grants restored on Dec. 2 that are down from 2025 are Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, $30,000 from $60,000; Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, $1,500 from $4,500; Destination Moosehead Lake and Moosehead Lake Economic Development Council, $1,500 from $3,500 for each; and Eastern Area Agency on Aging, $500 from $5,000.

Roy said Greenville is currently paying $977,684 for a county tax allocation, 13.43% of the total and the highest rate among Piscataquis County communities.

The town would still have the highest total (13.26%) in 2026 at $833,879.

“A lot of these towns have been able to shelter their assessed values for new construction with TIF districts,” he said, which is why Greenville is looking to do this.

TIF districts will shelter new construction and development from the state assessed value which trickles down to the county tax and keeps the bill down for Greenville residents.

“Kudos to the fire department, all the fire departments all over the place for the job well done,” Selectperson Burt Whitman said. “This is ugly this time of the year.”

“They did a good job on the Masonic building and everything else,” he said. “Unfortunately we lost it but no one was hurt so that’s the best thing.”

Fire broke out at the Masonic Hall on Pritham Avenue shortly after 1 a.m. on Dec. 15.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered heavy flames, and video and photos from the scene showed flames roaring up from the lodge’s roof.

Investigators have concluded that the fire began in the basement kitchen. The extent of the damage has prevented the fire marshal’s office from determining the blaze’s cause.

Investigators have found no evidence to suggest the fire was intentionally set.

The lodge has loomed over Pritham Avenue since its construction in 1929, paid for by merchant Arthur Crafts.

The Bangor Daily News’ Christopher Burns contributed to this story.