At just 20 years old, Isabella Robusto is already rewriting what it means to be a race car driver. In a sport still largely dominated by men, she’s on a path toward success, while also earning a degree in college — a balance that proves her drive goes far beyond the track.
Robusto’s racing journey began before most kids even learn how to ride a bike. “I started in go karts when I was 5 years old, and just kind of grew up racing with my brother,” she says in an exclusive interview with Her Campus. “[For] anyone outside of racing, driving at 5 years old seems crazy.” But to Robusto, it never felt unusual. At 8, she was competing in Bandoleros, small, beginner-friendly race cars designed for kids. By 11, she had moved into legend cars, faster, vintage-style machines. Soon after, she was racing full-size stock cars that mirror the ones seen in professional NASCAR races.
Now, she competes full-time with Venturini Motorsports in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Menards Series, a national stock car league often seen as the last stop before NASCAR. But for Robusto, racing is still a family affair. Her twin brother, Will, has been alongside her since day one. He’s a driver too, meaning he’s sometimes at races as a rival, but also, always as a supporter. “It’s been super helpful … kind of a built-in teammate from the start,” Robusto says. “It made you race a little bit harder, especially with him out on track … you wanted the bragging rights, but at the same time, you don’t want to crash him and have the silent car rides home.”
That competitive side showed itself in one of Robusto’s biggest moments to date. This year at Talladega Superspeedway, one of the most famous and fastest tracks in NASCAR, Robusto made history with a podium finish, placing third — the best result for a woman at that track in ARCA history. “It just kind of helped prove that I can run up front with all of the boys and show everyone that I’m there for a reason,” she says.
Robusto doesn’t call it a breakthrough so much as a reminder. “I kind of already feel like I should be up front racing with everyone every week anyway,” she says. “But it helped prove to my team and everyone else that I belong up there.”
Her determination doesn’t stop once the helmet comes off. Away from the track, Robusto is studying aerospace engineering online at Arizona State University. “I always knew that I wanted to get a degree, and I really enjoy 3D printing engineering,” she says. “Aerospace covers all of engineering in a simple way, but narrows down in the aero side, which I find fascinating, and it definitely helps with racing.”
Balancing both worlds isn’t easy, but discipline has been part of her routine for years. “I know that when it’s time to do school, I’m 100% focused on schoolwork, no distractions,” she says. “Same thing with racing.”
That drive carries into everything she does, even endurance sports like Spartan Races and triathlons. “Doing something hard just keeps you pushing,” she says. “Race cars are super hot, and you’re in them for a pretty good amount of time. It just helps focus on the thing that matters, and not trying to think about how hot or how tired you are in the race car.”
The physical challenge is real. “We have to do a lot of training in heat rooms, lots of saunas, just kind of getting your body prepared for the race car. That’s 140-ish degrees when you’re out there,” she says. “Just holding that sustained G through the corner is also kind of a big toll, so you have to make sure that you’re physically prepared for that with your neck strength and just kind of how your seat’s positioned.”
Even with the grueling demands, Robusto finds ways to slow down. “I like to go on bike rides … it’s a good way to get some exercise in, but also just kind of be with myself,” she says. “Normally, I’m just out there on my own and go ride for a couple of hours and have some me time.”
Despite her varied interests, she always circles back to the same objective. “NASCAR Cup is the goal … to win the Daytona 500 would be absolutely amazing,” she says. “I want to win lots of NASCAR races.”
But there’s also a desire to be remembered for more than her racing stats. “I’m caring,” she says when asked how she wants to be remembered. “Especially if there’s young girls that want to be race car drivers, [I want them to know] that I’m there and I’ll talk to them and help them out.”