Patrick Staropoli is set to make his full-time debut in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Big Machine Racing, a move that is seeing pushback from some members of the NASCAR fanbase.
Just a few weeks ago, Nick Sanchez announced on Instagram that he was not returning to Big Machine Racing in 2026.
This surprising news followed a season in which Sanchez gave the team its first win since 2022, joining a short list of Xfinity Series Rookies to win during the 2025 season.
For his replacement, the rumor mill quickly picked up word that the team was considering Patrick Staropoli, a former NASCAR K&N Pro Series part-timer and eye surgeon, who made his return to NASCAR in 2025.
Tuesday morning, BMR confirmed these plans, announcing that Staropoli will take over driving duties of the No. 48 for the 2025 season, though to a mixed reaction from the NASCAR fan base.
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Mixed in with many congratulations from fans to Staropoli on scoring a first full-time ride, there were a handful of fans upset at the move.
The general nature of this pushback is centered around the concept of an unproven driver taking over for a driver who, despite some inconsistency, showed he was ready for the NASCAR OAP Series level in 2025.
Of course, that’s not to say that Staropoli is completely unproven, having a NASCAR K&N Pro Series win under his belt, and showing some impressive runs both on qualifying and race day during his return to the sport (after nearly a decade away) last season.
In fact, this frustration appears to be focused more on the team, a fan favorite, for making the move, rather than on Staropoli for replacing Sanchez.
In responding to the team, many users made the same point about this decision, with some like @CardGameNut on X saying to BMR, “Your positive PR built by Parker Kligerman and a very successful rookie outing by Nick Sanchez will go downhill FAST without immediate results from Staropoli. This feels like a backward move motivated only by money.”
Comments like these, of course, allude to the idea of Staropoli being a “pay driver” or some other turn of that phrase.
In fact, most assumed money was at the heart of the situation when Sanchez announced his departure from the team, saying it was “strictly business” in his post on X announcing the change of plans.
The 24-year-old even alluded to this in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio later that week, saying:
“The business revolves around the finances of race teams and, obviously, this team was a little different in that regard, the past couple years. But it sounds like something may have changed in a financial way that affected the way we did business this coming year in 2026.” — Nick Sanchez
If something has changed at BMR and the team is now more focused on finances, especially on finding a driver who can bring sponsorship, then Starpoli would fit that mold. He received strong backing from SYFOVRE in select ARCA, Truck, and Xfinity Series starts.
But regardless of why this decision was made, the fact remains, as Sanchez put it, “the business revolves around the finances of race teams.” This is far from the first time a driver swap like this has happened in NASCAR, and it will definitely not be the last.
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