Patrick Staropoli thought he would start 2015 with an agonizing decision: Quit medical school or give up his dream of becoming a NASCAR driver.

"The cards that were on the table made the decision for me," Staropoli, of Plantation, said last week.

After a deal to race on NASCAR's lower levels fell through, the Harvard graduate and past valedictorian at Plantation High is back at the University of Miami. He began his fourth semester of medical school in January, resuming his studies to become an ophthalmologist after a year off.

For now, he's trying to get his head back into school. But his heart is clearly with racing.

"I still think there's a chance there," Staropoli, 25, said. "I give myself an A-plus for effort."

I followed Staropoli and wrote about his strange detour last year (a feature project entitled "DRiven.") His wild ride began when he won a reality TV competition for aspiring drivers, beating a field of 700. Then he was given a chance on NASCAR's lowest rung, and he won a race in California last March. He spent the second half of 2014 as a marketing intern for Michael Waltrip Racing in Charlotte, N.C., trying to land a sponsorship deal.

In late October, he told UM he'd be coming back in 2015. If he didn't, he'd forfeit his spot at UM for good and would have to start medical school from scratch.

But all through November and December he kept searching for sponsors. At Christmas, he thought he had a deal with a main sponsor and was on the verge of signing a contract. But things fell apart. On Jan. 5, Staropoli returned to class, on the hook for another semester of student loans (on top of the $60,000 previously taken). He's back living at home with his parents in Plantation.

"My head's been in a million different places," Staropoli said. "I'm just trying to get back in the rhythm of school."

As we sat outside UM's Bascom Palmer eye clinic last week, he fretted about an upcoming test on infectious diseases and looming board exams in June.

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Mayo: Aspiring racer Staropoli refocuses on med school, for now