Isabella Robusto, the next woman in the NASCAR Cup Series?

Since the creation of the NASCAR In 1949, female drivers were regularly relegated to the role of "one-offs," competing only once a race at the whim of sponsorship contracts. The arrival of Danica Patrick full-time in 2013 within a Stewart-Haas at the top of her game could, and perhaps even should, have been a sign of changing times. Unfortunately, the adjustment to stock car racing proved difficult, and soon the usual gibes about women in motorsport were back. In the very southern, even "macho" world of NASCAR, this was not necessarily a surprise... Despite a pole position at the Daytona 500, Patrick's five seasons in the Cup Series will be considered a failed experiment, with a meager record of 0 top 5s, and seven top 10s in 191 starts.

Decker, Deegan, Breidinger, in a rush

Since then, the No. 1 series in the United States has been searching for its next female star. Through its "Drive for Diversity" program, launched in 2004, the stock car association aims to promote minorities and women, with success, as Kyle Larson, of Japanese descent, Mexican Daniel Suárez, and African-American driver Bubba Wallace are now regulars at the top of the rankings. All have gone through the program launched by NASCAR and reached the Cup Series, but no female driver has made it there.

While few candidates have shown sufficient level to reach the top of the pyramid, it must also be admitted that others have been put forward in a probably premature manner. Hailie Deegan, daughter of the legendary motocross rider Brian Deegan, was very quickly pointed out as a future champion in the making, with a few victories in regional series. Supported by Monster Energy, the now 23-year-old rider burned through the stages, quickly moving to ARCA (fourth division), then Trucks and finally Xfinity Series, without convincing results. In the middle of the 2024 season, her adventure abruptly ended, and we now find her in the Indy NXT pelotons, with the desire to reach theIndyCar in the next few years. This followed Natalie Decker's rather unsuccessful few seasons in Xfinity and Trucks.

Following in Deegan's footsteps, Toni Breidinger has replicated the Monster Energy driver's rapid rise in the Trucks Series. Of Lebanese and German descent, Breidinger is competing this season in NASCAR's third national division, after four seasons in ARCA without a single victory. Like Deegan, Breidinger is the subject of significant media and social media attention, a spotlight that forces rapid progression from class to class, and which can also act as a distraction. In addition to her racing career, Breidinger has modeled for Victoria's Secret and posed for the Swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated, an institution in the United States. But that can quickly prove counterproductive.

Isabella Robusto, the right pick?

In the shadow of her elders, Isabella Robusto, a former member of the Drive for Diversity program, is perhaps the one who could be the first to reach the Cup Series fields. At twenty years old, Robusto is driving this year in ARCA, the fourth national division, after a stunning debut in 2024. In four starts, she has simply finished in the top 10 three times, including two top 5s, one of them being a second place at Springfield. While her 2025 campaign began with two mechanical retirements, Robusto can stand out this season, and aim for victories in a series that mixes young guns and veterans.

After graduating from high school a year early, Robusto also studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Arizona. A career path that doesn't stop some pilots from still being surprised at "having to" race against a woman who often beats them... “You have a handful of people you didn't grow up with, who grew up in a different way, with a different running background, and you have to go up against them on national television where everything is filmed, and it can be a different perspective. I think it really depends on how much respect you have for them. If they've seen what you've been able to accomplish, that's better. If they haven't, it's sometimes difficult.”, she explained to the official NASCAR website.

“I feel like, overall, some guys are tougher than others. That's what happened to me, especially when I was younger. But I've turned it into a positive, training even more for racing. I feel like that helps me in a way. Now, if you have two or three guys who want to race harder than the rest [of the field], you can kind of rely on the racing technique you've learned over the years.”

Proof that mentalities can sometimes take time to change. But the relative anonymity in which Isabella Robusto operates compared to her elders can be a strength, leading her to practice her skills quietly, at the right pace. And why not reach the Cup Series in the coming years, after having demonstrated, like any young driver, aptitude in each of NASCAR's promotional formulas.

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