For Australian drag racer Monique Ambruosi, the road to the United States was paved with six months of paperwork, setbacks, uncertainty, and emotional highs and lows. Now, with her U.S. visa officially approved, the 2024 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 honoree is ready to begin the next chapter of her racing career on American soil.
“After six long months of building my case, it felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted from my shoulders. I genuinely cried,” said Ambruosi. “It felt like a chapter I have dreamed of my whole life was officially beginning and that all the sacrifices, hard work, and persistence had led to this moment.”
Ambruosi’s roots in motorsports run deep and her passion for the sport was passed down from her father, Robert Ambruosi, who raced in Top Alcohol Funny Car. As she grew up watching him from the starting line, she then worked her way up within Ambruosi Racing and found herself servicing cylinder heads back at the shop and taking over bottom end duties at the track. Overtime, Ambruosi’s role on their team and in the sport has evolved. Having started out racing Jr. Dragsters, she briefly stepped away from the driver’s seat for a period to explore other areas of the sport, including welding, fabrication, and marketing. As soon as she got back behind the wheel of a Comp dragster in 2019, her passion for driving was reignited and so was her hunger to drive professionally one day.
“I remember we fired the car up in the water box just before I was about to do a burnout and test the Comp dragster for the first time. I just had a wave of tranquility come over me,” Ambruosi said. “I felt like I was one with the car, and that was the moment of realization that I knew this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
For Ambruosi, the United States has always symbolized the pinnacle of professional drag racing. As a young girl watching NHRA, she idolized racers like Courtney Force and Antron Brown. From an early age, she knew that if she wanted to make her own mark in the sport, a move to the U.S. would have to be her next step. Over the past few years, Ambruosi has made numerous trips between Australia and the U.S. to attend PRI Trade Shows, build relationships with key players in the industry, and work behind the scenes to secure sponsorships and exposure. Along the way, she has also built a large social media following of more than 270,000 followers and works with brands like FuelTech USA and Lincoln Electric.
Now, with her visa secured and her relocation finalized, Ambruosi is ready to put her years of planning into motion. She is scheduled to drive for Prayantoo Racing in multiple events throughout the year, including the Pan American Nationals in July, FL2K in October, and the Haltech World Cup Finals in November. The partnership with Prayantoo Racing has been instrumental in helping her break into the American racing scene, Ambruosi says.
In addition to racing, Ambruosi is also preparing to launch two businesses in the United States – one is focused on welding and fabrication and the other on motorsports marketing.
“My marketing business will allow me to stay relevant and remain active at races. I’m in a unique position to understand what racers and teams need, both technically and in terms of visibility,” Ambruosi said. “I will also be launching a welding-based business to give back and inspire welders to take part in the industry, which is where I first started out.”
Despite the challenges of moving countries, launching new businesses, and maintaining a competitive race schedule, Ambruosi is fulfilling a lifelong dream of racing in the United States. With that, she is also focused on a greater personal mission as a role model to inspire young racers, especially females within the sport. She hopes to show them that with hard work and determination, dreams can become a reality and that she is living proof of that.
“I hope my story encourages others to go all-in on their dreams. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. The road here wasn’t easy, but it’s just the beginning.”
This story was originally published on July 15, 2025. 
