Toni Breidinger, a race car driver from San Francisco, currently making waves in NASCAR, firmly identifies racing as her biggest passion, outshining her successful modeling career. As she embarks on her first full season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Breidinger’s story challenges common perceptions and underlines her commitment to motorsports, tying in with the focus on the Toni Breidinger racing career.
Balancing Racing and Modeling in the Public Eye
For many, Toni Breidinger is a unique figure, balancing a role as a professional driver with work in modeling for advertisements and commercials. While she enjoys both worlds, she often finds that her identity as a driver takes the spotlight in most conversations.
Usually when I’m on set, everybody wants to talk about how I’m a race car driver, and it’s not seen as like, oh, she’s a model,
Breidinger told podcast host Shannon Spake.
I usually like to lead with that. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m a race car driver. And you guys tell me what to do, like this (modeling) is not necessarily my space.
Interviewers and people she meets are frequently surprised to discover her racing pedigree, despite her substantial reputation in motorsports.
The line between her professional lives sometimes causes confusion even in her personal relationships.
It’s funny because I feel like a lot of times before people get to know me in NASCAR motorsports, people don’t really know what to expect,
she said. Toni explained that she has been involved with racing from a very young age, emphasizing the depth of her commitment.
I think a lot of times people think I just kind of woke up one day like a couple years ago and decided to do this because I had a social media following and I was a model before, but I’m like, ‘You know, this started with racing. This was my first love, and it still is.
Her career trajectory underscores that racing has always been central to her ambitions.
Challenges and Growth During Her First Full NASCAR Season
This season marks Toni Breidinger’s debut in NASCAR’s highly competitive Craftsman Truck Series after a strong performance in the ARCA Menards Series last year, where she finished fourth. Making this leap has presented significant challenges, with the higher level of competition bringing new obstacles every race. In the opening 20 races of the 25-event schedule, Breidinger’s best result so far has been an 18th-place finish at Rockingham; other finishes mostly saw her outside the top 20, including three races where she did not finish.
Inspiration for Breidinger’s racing ambitions came from trailblazer Danica Patrick, as she recounted. Danica Patrick, well known for her time in IndyCar, showed young women that high-level racing was possible.
“I definitely looked at her, and at the time she was racing IndyCar,”
Breidinger said.
“I do think that helped me think that I could do it because I saw another female doing it. I very much think that seeing is believing, so yeah, I definitely looked up to her.”
Yet, after Patrick’s retirement, Breidinger noted the lack of mentorship in her own development.
Then, as I got older and she retired, I really didn’t have anyone to really look up to. I felt like I never really had much of any mentorship. So a lot of this was kind of just me winging it, and I’ve had really amazing, supportive people on the way. But yeah, a lot of trial and error too for the most part.
Her honest admission reflects the challenges many young, aspiring athletes face as they navigate their careers largely on their own.
The Female Community That Shaped Her Early Racing Years
Although motorsport is widely known for its male-dominated landscape, Breidinger did not see it that way at first.
It’s funny because when I was younger, I was so unaware that I was in such a male-dominated sport,
she told Shannon Spake. Much of this is linked to having her twin sister, Annie, on the racetrack with her, as well as their main mechanic, both providing a close-knit female support group. These relationships, Breidinger noted, insulated her from the gender imbalance until her mid-teen years.
As she grew older and entered more professional environments, the value of female team members became even more obvious to her.
“I think having that core group of females around you is so important. On my teams, if there’s a female on the team, I always tend to gravitate towards them because I just get things that, like, the guys wouldn’t get, just like even unsaid things, emotions and feelings.”
The camaraderie and comfort provided by fellow women have been crucial to her racing journey.
When there’s other females on the team, I definitely think it just makes it so much more comforting.
These words reflect how female solidarity in motorsport can foster confidence and unity, shaping her professional perspective even as she races at the highest levels.
Looking Ahead in Toni Breidinger’s Racing Career
As Toni Breidinger continues her first full NASCAR season, she stands as a role model for aspiring female drivers. Her ability to handle both the spotlight of modeling and the demands of high-speed competition draws attention not just to her talent but also to the broader evolution of gender roles in racing. The difficulties she has encountered during her rookie season, including challenging finishes and three DNFs, highlight both the high stakes of the Craftsman Truck Series and the resilience needed to succeed. Breidinger’s journey, rooted in early passion and determination, promises to inspire new generations to pursue careers in motorsports and to challenge stereotypes both on and off the track.
