Riverhead's Marissa Stewart blazing a trail in the Mini Stock division at Riverhead Raceway

During the week, Marissa Stewart looks like an average 17-year-old recent Riverhead High School graduate, working her first job as a mechanic. But on Saturday afternoons, she heads to Riverhead Raceway, dons her bright pink race suit and helmet, and transforms into her alter ego, “Racing Rissy.”

Stewart is  a member of the Turbush family, who have been prominent figures on the Long Island motorsport scene dating to the early 1950s.

“It started with my great grandpa, Charlie, then my grandpa, then my uncles, my cousins, and my brother,” said Stewart, a Riverhead native. “I grew up wanting to be just like them.”

Before she learned to walk, Stewart spent her Saturdays at the racetrack while her family members participated in races.

“From the beginning, she was always around racing,” said her father, Mark. “She woke up to the noise of race cars and went to sleep with the sound of race cars.”

“When she was little, she was always excited to be around the track,” said her brother, also named Mark. “She would always help me get ready and put my helmet and seatbelt on. You could just tell from the beginning that she loved it.”

It came as no surprise that Stewart chose to follow her family's racing legacy. At 14, her grandfather, Dan Turbush, surprised her with a Bandolero car for Christmas. A Bandolero is a smaller racing car for younger drivers.

“When I got surprised with a car, I was in disbelief,” Stewart said. “I was just like, wow, I’m really about to live out my dream of racing, it’s finally my time.”

She's been racing ever since. “I had tears in my eyes when I watched her in her first race,” Dan Turbush said. “It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but she’s a Turbush through and through, it’s in her blood. She’s handled herself really well.”

After graduating from her Bandolero car, it was time for her to take the next step. Last year, she was surprised with a Mini Stock car. But this season, she’s decided to take on another racing division: the Legends.

“My dad surprised me with a Mini Stock car for Christmas last year, that’s more like a regular car,” Stewart said. “For my birthday this year, I got a Legends car. It’s a little car, but it's faster. I’m definitely more confident in the Mini Stock right now. The Legend is something I'm still getting used to.”

This season, it's been full speed ahead for Stewart. She’s had two third-place finishes in the Mini Stock, and she hopes to earn her first win by the end of the year.

“I definitely want to win a race this year,” Stewart said. “That’s my main goal, and I feel like I’m getting closer and closer.”

"You can tell she's getting more comfortable every time she races," her brother said. "So, I'd love to see her get a win this year. She's definitely capable of doing it."

The majority of her competitors on the racetrack are men, some triple her age. She is the only female driver in the Mini Stock division.

“Being a girl in this sport is difficult,” Stewart said. “The guys here are really intimidating. They have the muscle strength, they have more knowledge of the car, it just means I have to work 10 times harder.”

“It was definitely hard to watch at first,” her brother said. “The guys can get aggressive on the track, and you never want to see your little sister get hurt.”

But Paul Wojcik, a 42-year-old Mini Stock racer, said he is more mindful of Stewart.

"I try to kind of run everyone the same, but I'm a little more careful around her because she is a little less experienced," he said. "Being that she is a beginner, I tend to give her a little more room than I would normally to someone that had more experience and more seat time."

Stewart is not the only female in her family who's gotten behind the wheel and competed against men.In 1967, Lolly Turbush, Stewart’s great aunt, was the first female to win a main event at Riverhead Raceway. 

“It was kind of crazy, because back then, girls didn’t race,” Dan Turbush said. “When my dad built her a car and said she was going to race against me, I was surprised. And sure enough, she was one of the better drivers on the track.”

“It’s really inspiring,” Stewart said. “It’s so special that she’s in my family, and now I feel even more motivated to win.”

Women in motorsports is now a worldwide phenomenon, and Stewart is excited to see it full throttle at the local level.

“There are a lot of girls now racing in Bandoleros here, and I really love to see it,” Stewart said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy, I think anyone can race if they want to.”

Stewart has become a role model for young girls in the Riverhead stands.

“She’s definitely an inspiration to young girls,” her brother said. “When they see her racing in her bright pink suit - because you can’t miss her -  it may give them that push they need to pursue racing.”

When it comes to the future, Stewart says she’s just on the first of many laps of her racing career.

“I’m going to continue racing, and I want to continue it for as long as I can,” Stewart said. “I want to get to a point where I can travel to different tracks, maybe run for a state championship, and one day join my other family members in victory lane.”