History-Maker Isabella Robusto Hits Back at Richard Petty’s Criticism With Breakout Performance

Isabella Robusto is making a mark in professional stock car racing. The 21-year-old ARCA Menards star might be the best candidate to serve as NASCAR's response to Richard Petty's warning about the sport "hurting" in its search for the next big thing.

In his interview with Forbes earlier this year, the seven-time champion took a jab at NASCAR, saying that the current lot of motorcar drivers lacked the stardom that once dominated the sport. He listed the names of the drivers who carried the sport throughout the years, including Fireball Roberts and Junior Johnson.

"Then the Pearsons, the Allisons, the Bakers, the Yarboroughs, and the Pettys came along. After that was the Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson period," Petty stated.

"Right now, we're really hurting, looking for somebody to break out of the crowd," the King said. The 88-year-old veteran then added, "We have no fox for all of the dogs to chase. It's a multitude of drivers racing against each other with no front-runner, nobody dominant, the first time in all of the transitions to different eras we have had this."

But Isabella Robusto's recent rise in motorsports might change the story. Her ARCA Rookie of the Year victory increased her popularity amongst fans. Talking about this, the 21-year-old told The Express US Sports, per The Daily Express, "Yeah, I think it definitely helps kind of bring in people from all different worlds, right? You have people who followed me from when I was younger, playing football or track and field... or from cooking, cycling, or all the other things I also do."

"It is really cool to see my kind of popularity grow as you said over the years, and just being able to show everyone like 'okay this is me'," the ARCA Menards star said.

Robusto revealed that her unique background, which is a combination of diverse athletics and academia, contributes "a lot" when she is behind the wheel. "If you want to be the best of the best, you can't just do what everyone else is doing. You always have to go one step above that," she said.

In December 2025, Robusto joined Nitro Motorsports, which gave her a full-time team, a new setup, and a new crew chief engineer. "I am super excited to be racing full-time with Nitro Motorsports in 2026 in the ARCA Menards Series," she said at the time.

Over the years, Robusto has proved her mettle on the tracks several times. She has multiple top-five finishes and top-ten results. She made history when she finished third at the ARCA Menards Series in 2024.

Going by her performance records, it looks like Robusto is on her way to becoming NASCAR's next big superstar driver.