Toni Breidinger

Toni Breidinger
Breidinger in 2025
BornAntoinette Marie Breidinger
(1999-07-14) July 14, 1999
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Achievements2016 USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series Champion
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series career
10 races run over 3 years
Truck no., teamNo. 5 (Tricon Garage)
2024 position69th
Best finish38th (2023)
First race2023 Heart of America 200 (Kansas)
Last race2020 CarShield 200 (Gateway)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of April 12, 2025.

Antoinette Marie "Toni" Breidinger (born July 14, 1999) is an American professional stock car racing driver, model and social media influencer. She races full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series. She drives the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage. She is the first female Arab-American to race in NASCAR.[1]

Born in San Francisco, California, Breidinger started racing in go-karts at the age of nine. She later moved to the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series at age 15 in 2014. She won the series championship two years later. In 2017, she switched from open-wheel racing to stock car racing. In 2021, she began racing for the ARCA Racing Series with Venturini Motorsports. In 2025, she started racing in the NASCAR Truck Series with Tricon Garage.

Breidinger has also modeled for Marie Claire Arabia, Glamour, Shape, and GQ. She said she has a modeling career to help support her racing career.[2] In 2025, she appeared on Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue, becoming the first NASCAR driver to model for them.[2] A social medial influencer, she has over 5 million followers on both Instagram and TikTok.[3]

Early life

Antoinette Marie Breidinger was born in San Francisco, California, on July 14, 1999.[4][5] She was raised in Hillsborough, California.[4][6] She is the daughter of Charles Breidinger and Nada Yanni Breidinger.[7] She is of German and Lebanese descent.[7] Breidinger has a twin sister, Annie.[8] She also has family living in Egypt.[9]

Breidinger studied at Mercy High School in Burlingame, California where she graduated in 2017.[‡ 1] In an interview, she said that she loved her high school years because of the diversity it had.[9]

Early racing career

When she was nine years old, Breidinger started racing go-karts when her father took her and her twin sister to a go-kart school.[10][11] After Breidinger and her sister went to some lessons, her father bought the two go-karts for them to race.[8] She said that when she started to race, it gave her the feeling of "independence" she always wanted.[12] In 2011, she had her only major injury of her career when she crashed during a go-kart race at the CalSpeed Karting Center.[13] Breidinger being thrown out of the car and getting a broken arm.[13][14] She stopped go-kart racing in 2014.[12]

In 2014, she moved up to the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series at age 15, finishing in second place in the series in her first season.[15] She won the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series in 2016.[16][17] Breidinger wanted to start a career in open-wheel racing, however she switched to stock car racing after watching late model races at Madera Speedway while she was racing midget cars.[12][18] At first, her father did not let her race, but he changed his mind after she won the Western Midget Series championship in 2016.[18] After graduating high school in 2017, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to focus on her racing career.[19] In 2018, she started her career in the ARCA Racing Series for Venturini Motorsports.[20] She finished in tenth at the Madison International Speedway.[21]

Early in 2019, Breidinger wanted to join the W Series, an open-wheel and female-only racing series, for their first season.[22] Although she was picked to make the first top-60 round,[23] she was not picked to be one of the 18 drivers for the season.[22] Later that year, she joined GMS Racing's driver program, where she raced late models for the team.[24] In 2020, she raced a full season in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series where she finished fourth in the series.[25]

ARCA and NASCAR career

In 2021, Breidinger began to race in the ARCA Racing Series alongside NASCAR Truck Series for Young's Motorsports.[26] In her first race with the team, she finished 18th and became the first Arab-American woman to race in a NASCAR series.[25] After five ARCA races with the team, she moved to Venturini Motorsports midway through the season to race four more ARCA races for them.[27][28]

In 2022, Breidinger raced her first full-time season in ARCA for the series' 2022 ARCA Menards Series season with Venturini Motorsports.[29] She finished in the top-ten at the Daytona International Speedway and won four top-ten finishes.[30] However, she did not win one of the major races at the Talladega Superspeedway.[31] At the end of her first full-time season, she finished sixth in the series, having six total top-ten finishes and not finishing four races in the season.[32]

Breidinger still raced with Venturini Motorsports for the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season, however only raced for 11 races.[33] She raced full-time for Nitro Motorsports in the first season of the Toyota North America GR Cup.[34] Breidinger said she raced in the series to get more experience.[35] In the 2023 ARCA season, Breidinger was able to win her first top-five finish in the series.[36] She won four top-fives in the season and a best race finish, third place, at the Kansas Speedway.[37] Also in 2023, Breidinger began racing with NASCAR Truck Series for Tricon Garage, where she finished in 15th at the Heart of America 200.[38][39] She then raced for two more events for the team in the 2023 Truck season.[40]

Breidinger returned to race full-time for the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season with Venturini Motorsports.[41] In the first race at the Daytona International Speedway, she got into a crash early on in the race which took her out of the race.[42] Her teammate, Gus Dean, caused the crash and Breidinger criticized him in interviews after the race.[9] Even though she won 11 top-ten finishes throughout the 20-race season, she did not finish within the top-five in any race.[43] The best finish she had that season was a sixth place finish.[43][44] She also did not finish three other races because she was in some race crashes.[45][46][47] She finished the season with an average start of 12.0 and an average finish of 12.2, coming in fourth in the series.[43] Also in 2024, Breidinger raced in the Truck Series for Tricon Garage.[48] She finished in 27th for the series' first race.[48][49]

Breidinger also began racing full-time in the Truck Series for 2025 with Tricon Garage.[44] She is the only full-time female racing driver for the 2025 season.[50] In January 2025, Breidinger took part of the Rose Parade and represented stock car racing at the Rose Bowl Game.[51]

Modeling career and partnerships

Breidinger also has a modeling career to help support her racing career.[2] Her modeling agency is IMG Models.[52] She has done modeling appearances for Marie Claire Arabia,[53] Glamour,[11] Flaunt,[54] Shape,[55] and GQ.[52] In 2022, she started modeling for Victoria's Secret.[56] In early 2025, she also began modeling for Rare Beauty, a cosmetic brand created by Selena Gomez.[57]

In 2021, she appeared on American talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[58]

In 2025, she appeared on Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue, becoming the first NASCAR driver to model for them.[2] When talking about both her racing and modeling career, she said she is like Hannah Montana because of the "two different lives" she has and how they are "opposites".[59] She said she was inspired to go into modeling after watching Victoria's Secret fashion shows as a kid.[60] She called model Adriana Lima her inspiration.[60]

Breidinger is also partnered with many companies and restaurants such as with Raising Cane's.[61][62] She is also partnered with energy drink company Celsius, fuel company Sunoco,[63] fashion house Coach,[64] and Kendall Jenner-owned tequila brand 818 Tequila.[65]

Personal life

Breidinger has talked about her problems with her body's confidence.[56] In 2022, she said that "growing up I struggled a lot with body confidence" and that she was focused on her physical and mental health.[56]

Breidinger supports the Women's Sports Foundation and appeared in many galas and events for the foundation.[66][67] The foundation has supported many of her races throughout her career.[68]

Breidinger also is a social media influencer with more than 5 million followers both on Instagram and TikTok.[3] In a 2024 interview for The New York Times, she said that she uses her social media to show the diversity in NASCAR races and how much it has changed in recent years.[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ "The Oaks - Fall 2017 - Mercy High School Burlingame". Issuu. February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.

References

  1. ↑ "First Arab-American Female NASCAR Racer Paves Way For Next Generation Of Women Drivers, Lands Major Sponsor". Forbes. September 23, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Engle, Greg (December 1, 2024). "NASCAR's New Face: Toni Breidinger Balances Speed, Style, And Success". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Toni Breidinger Striving to be the Model for Success in NASCAR". Autoweek. March 14, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wallace, Kenny (April 23, 2024). Get To Know NASCAR Driver & Victoria's Secret Model Toni Breidinger! (Video). Retrieved March 24, 2025 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ ""It all started in go-karts": When Toni Breidinger opened up on how she 'fell in love' with racing". Sportskeeda. November 26, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  6. ↑ Hamer, Caitlin (August 21, 2023). "The Bay Area's Own Toni Breidinger Is Making NASCAR History". Marin Living Magazine. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hanania, Ray (April 30, 2021). "Interview: Arab-American NASCAR racer Toni Breidinger on breaking records and stereotypes". Arab News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sidell, Lainey (June 15, 2018). "Toni Breidinger Is Racing Full Throttle". Paper. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Gluck, Jeff (March 27, 2024). "Toni Breidinger on finding confidence, her ARCA goals and speaking her mind: 12 Questions". The Athletic. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  10. ↑ Beaver, Victoria (June 24, 2017). "The Breidinger Sisters Take Separate Paths To The Track". FloRacing. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Moeslein, Anna (October 19, 2022). "Toni Breidinger Is Making History as a Professional Race Car Driver, and It All Started at Age 9". Glamour. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Williams, Deb (March 14, 2025). "Toni Breidinger Striving to be the Model for Success in NASCAR". Autoweek. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bernal, Terry (August 7, 2014). "Breidingers tearing up the track". San Mateo Daily Journal. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  14. ↑ Waack, Terrin (March 31, 2021). "A female inspiration". NASCAR. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  15. ↑ Bernal, Terry (November 29, 2014). "Hillsborough's Breidinger sisters wrap up first season on the midget-car circuit". San Mateo Daily Journal. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Toni Breidinger, USAC's All-Time Winningest Female, Joins Venturini Motorsports". Speedway Digest. March 2, 2018. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  17. ↑ Shaffer, Scott (November 29, 2022). "Farmland's Jessica Bean Races Her Way Into History". Winchester News Gazette. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Segal, Davey (August 17, 2023). "Episode 104: Toni Breidinger". Victory Lane (Podcast). Apple Podcasts. Event occurs at 37:42. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  19. ↑ Segal, Davey (April 22, 2021). "Episode 104: Toni Breidinger". Victory Lane (Podcast). Apple Podcasts. Event occurs at 27:35. Retrieved March 25, 2025.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ↑ Elassar, Alaa (February 13, 2021). "NASCAR's first Arab American female driver to make her debut at Daytona International Speedway". CNN. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  21. ↑ Tomlinson, Joy (July 28, 2021). "Toni Breidinger Joins Venturini for 4 ARCA Races". Frontstretch. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Khorounzhiy, Valentin (March 28, 2019). "W Series reveals 18-driver grid for inaugural season". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  23. ↑ Bruce, Kenny (December 20, 2018). "Teen Toni Breidinger out to give W Series a spin". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  24. ↑ Nguyen, Justin (February 4, 2021). "Toni Breidinger joins Young's for ARCA and Trucks, first female Arab-American in NASCAR national series". The Checkered Flag. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Brito, Christopher (February 15, 2021). "Toni Breidinger makes history as NASCAR's first Arab American female driver after Daytona debut". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  26. ↑ Utter, Jim (February 5, 2021). "USAC winner Toni Breidinger to run ARCA and Trucks in 2021". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  27. ↑ Christie, Toby (July 28, 2021). "Toni Breidinger Moves From Young's to Venturini Motorsports For Five-Race Deal With Social Media Site Triller". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  28. ↑ Doyle, Doug (August 15, 2021). "Toni Breidinger Races through Barriers as the First Arab-American Female NASCAR Driver". WBGO. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  29. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (January 13, 2022). "Toni Breidinger Running for 2022 ARCA Championship with Venturini Motorsports". TobyChristie.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Toni Breidinger – 2022 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  31. ↑ Bromberg, Nick (April 23, 2022). "ARCA driver cut from car and placed on stretcher after vicious wreck at Talladega". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  32. ↑ Wolkin, Joseph (August 28, 2023). "Toni Breidinger Sees Growth With Toyota Racing Development". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  33. ↑ Branscum, Benjamine (January 11, 2023). "Toni Breidinger Returning to Venturini Motorsports for 11 ARCA Races in 2023". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  34. ↑ Newby, John (August 12, 2022). "Toni Breidinger Takes on New Racing Series in 2023". Heavy. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  35. ↑ Howard, Jonathan (September 8, 2023). "Toni Breidinger: Pink carpets and pit roads". On3.com. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  36. ↑ Branscum, Benjamine (June 18, 2023). "William Sawalich Makes Late-Race Bump on Jesse Love to Win ARCA 200 at Berlin". TobyChristie.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  37. ↑ Eubanks, Michael (February 11, 2024). "'Big moment for me:' Toni Breidinger to make fourth Truck Series start, but first at Daytona". Auto Racing Digest. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  38. ↑ Utter, Jim (April 26, 2023). "Toni Breidinger to make NASCAR Truck debut at Kansas". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  39. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (May 7, 2023). "Toni Breidinger Records 15th-Place Finish in Truck Series Debut at Kansas". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  40. ↑ Cusumano, Cole (September 8, 2023). "Busy Breidinger Rides Confidence, Comfortability into Kansas". Kickin' The Tires. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  41. ↑ Branscum, Benjamine (January 26, 2024). "Toni Breidinger Returns To Full-Time Competiton With Venturini Motorsports". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  42. ↑ Christie, Toby (February 17, 2024). "Toni Breidinger Unleashes Criticism of Teammate Gus Dean After Daytona Run-In". TobyChristie.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 "Toni Breidinger – 2024 ARCA Menards Series East Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Konenski, Austin (November 26, 2024). "Toni Breidinger joins TRICON Garage full-time in NASCAR Truck Series for 2025". Motorsports Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  45. ↑ Damcott, Anthony (April 26, 2024). "Christian Rose, Amber Balcaen Halt ARCA Dover Race with Huge Crash". Frontstretch. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  46. ↑ Kristl, Mark (July 19, 2024). "Connor Zilisch Wins ARCA Race at IRP for 3rd Win of Season". Frontstretch. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  47. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (July 28, 2024). "Video: Corey Day and Toni Breidinger Crash Big in ARCA Race at Salem". TobyChristie.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Cook, Garrett (February 1, 2024). "Toni Breidinger To Race at Daytona With TRICON Garage". Frontstretch. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  49. ↑ "Toni Breidinger – 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  50. ↑ "Meet the only woman racing full-time in NASCAR this season". SBNation. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  51. ↑ "Toni Breidinger makes appearance in Rose Parade ahead of College Football Playoff game". ON3. January 1, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Chikhoune, Ryma (September 4, 2024). "EXCLUSIVE: NASCAR Star Toni Breidinger Signs With IMG Models". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  53. ↑ Nakhal, Arza (March 15, 2021). "Toni Breidinger: "كوني تلك المرأة التي تحقق شغفها على أرض الواقع!"" [Toni Breidinger: "Be that woman who makes her passion a reality!"]. Marie Claire Arabia (in Arabic). Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  54. ↑ Juarez, Kathleen. "Toni Breidinger". Flaunt. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  55. ↑ NASCAR's First Arab-American Female Toni Breidinger is Changing the Game | Goal Crushers | SHAPE. Shape. 27 January 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 Christie, Toby (September 15, 2022). "ARCA Racer Toni Breidinger Partners With Victoria's Secret". TobyChristie.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  57. ↑ "NASCAR's Victoria's Secret Model Toni Breidinger Collabs With Selena Gomez's $2 Billion Worth Brand Amongst Others". MSN. January 6, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  58. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (February 25, 2021). "'It's Really Cool to Be the First, But I Also Don't Want to Be the Last,' Toni Breidinger Talks Racing, Making History on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'". TobyChristie.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  59. ↑ Shepard, Skyler; Womack, Chris (February 14, 2025). "Toni Breidinger races into history as NASCAR's first Arab-American woman driver". WPEC. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 Leporati, Gregory (February 14, 2024). "Toni Breidinger: The NASCAR Racer With A Victoria's Secret Side Hustle". Nylon. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  61. ↑ Stern, Adam (February 21, 2024). "Raising Cane's kicks off major in-store activation featuring NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  62. ↑ Perray, Helena (April 23, 2024). "Raising Cane's opens in Daytona Beach with NASCAR ARCA driver Toni Breidinger". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  63. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (November 26, 2024). "Toni Breidinger Moving to Trucks With TRICON". Frontstretch. Archived from the original on January 13, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  64. ↑ Stern, Adam (April 23, 2025). "Athletes to endorse new Coach sneaker". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  65. ↑ Caruso, Skyler (April 24, 2025). "Toni Breidinger Predicted Her NASCAR Career at Age 9. Now, She's Making History in the Sport (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  66. ↑ "Women's Sports Foundation holding annual gala". Sports Business Journal. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  67. ↑ Dalton, Kyle (March 10, 2024). "Toni Breidinger Talks Modeling, Racing, & Dealing With Aggressive Drivers". Heavy. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  68. ↑ Starcevic, R. J. (April 20, 2022). "Toni Breidinger Partnering with Women's Sports Foundation at Talladega". TobyChristie.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.

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