Aerospace meets asphalt ambition

ASU mechanical engineering student Isabella Robusto balances a stock car racing career with coursework

A gleaming race car’s V8 engine roars to life to the tune of a stadium of screaming fans. The car rolls forward to the starting line and a green flag falls. Dozens of cars tear away from the starting line, signaling the beginning of an ARCA Menards Series stock car race.

For Isabella Robusto, this is just a normal day at work. She’s a professional racing driver for Toyota Gazoo Racing, the performance division of automotive behemoth Toyota.

Robusto is also a full-time undergraduate student in the online delivery method of the mechanical engineering degree program in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. After graduating early from high school, she took a year to focus full-time on her racing career, which developed from a lifelong passion for racing that began when she was a child racing go-karts.

“When I was about 12 years old, I joined the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program,” Robusto says. “That’s when I really knew that I wanted to do everything I can to become a professional race car driver.

On track academically and professionally

Although she already had a professional racing career, Robusto always knew she wanted to get a college degree. Her racing schedule made a flexible program essential, eliminating on-campus options.

Robusto also had an interest in aerospace engineering and looked into online options for degree programs in the field, which led her to ASU Online.

“Engineering has always been something that I love,” she says. “I’m very grateful that ASU had a mechanical engineering degree that I could do online while specializing in aerospace.”

Robusto completes schoolwork on her laptop. Photo courtesy of Robusto Motorsports

The program has the same curriculum that on-campus students complete while offering the flexibility to complete work anywhere. Robusto works with her instructors and academic advising team to manage her courseload around her racing schedule, ensuring she stays on track in her academics to spend more time on track in her racing career.

She says her work as an engineering student has given her a new understanding of racing.

“There’s tons of data we have to go through from the simulator, at the track and when we get done at the track,” Robusto says. “Being able to have the terminology and talk with the engineers closer than I feel most other drivers can is a great help. I feel like we get to the end goal quicker, which is a huge help.”

Robusto’s improved understanding of engineering concepts helps her provide valuable feedback for the engineers on her team to refine and tune her car in simulations, which inform how to set up her car for success on the track due to limited real-world practice time.

Engineering a winning racing formula

Robusto competes on track in a stock car race. Photo courtesy of Robusto Motorsports

She aims to use the engineering insights from her degree to become a better driver.

“My engineering skills add to the list of things that I can provide to Toyota beyond being the driver,” she says. “Everything helps in the sport.”

Robusto’s ultimate goal is to make it to the upper echelons of stock car racing in NASCAR, as the ARCA Menards Series is known as a preparatory step for those looking to break into the NASCAR world. She wants to inspire other girls and women in the male-dominated fields of both motorsports and STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math.

“I do a lot of STEM work with the NASCAR Foundation,” Robusto says. “We go to schools and show the kids that anyone can become an engineer, and anyone can work in racing. I always want to help the little girls and show them that they can be engineers too, and they can succeed in a career path that’s male-dominated.”