Isabella Robusto came just shy of a top-ten finish in her RAFA Racing Team debut, crossing the line 11th in the ARCA Menards Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

The Toyota Racing Development (TRD) driver impressed in her first outing with the team, running inside the top 10 for much of the 100-lap race to narrowly miss out on a top-ten finish in what was also RAFA Racing Team’s first-ever oval event.

While best known for its efforts in Toyota GT4 racing in IMSA and SRO competition, the Phoenix race marked the team’s first step into stock car competition — and its first taste of oval racing.

“We’ve wrapped up the weekend in Phoenix and ended 11th – just missing out on the top ten by one spot,” Robusto said.

“I lost the spot on a late race restart. I’m really proud of the RAFA Racing Team guys. We worked super hard all weekend. We out adjusted ourselves in practice and kind of got stuck.

“But I’m super proud of the team’s debut, and I think we’ll come back even stronger. We definitely learned a lot.”

For team boss Kevin Conway, the weekend represented a return to familiar territory. Conway, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year, has guided RAFA Racing’s rise through sports car ranks and oversaw the team’s seamless debut back in the discipline where his own racing career began.

“This was a very special day for the RAFA Racing Team, and I’m really proud to expand into NASCAR-style competition,” Conway said.

“Isabella is an outstanding young talent, and we were thrilled to represent Toyota and AMSYS Innovative Solutions in the ARCA championship.

“Obviously, coming back into this environment on the NASCAR championship weekend in Phoenix brought back a lot of memories for me. The way we approach things at RAFA is completely different from many race teams, but we’re excited to showcase our “Race as Family Always” motto in another new championship.

“This has been a huge amount of work, but I’m just so thankful for everyone involved who has played a part in this important day for the team.”