NASCAR has had several female drivers try to make their way in the sport over the years and some have had success, though none have won a race in NASCAR's top three levels. Danica Patrick never won a NASCAR race, but her seven career Cup top-10 finishes were a statement. Plus, racing full-time in the Cup Series for as long as she did was a great accomplishment. Then there is the new generation of female drivers who might are expecting more from themselves. One such driver is Toni Breidinger, who currently races full-time in the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports.
Breidinger has influence — she's a Victoria's Secret model and has the biggest social media following of anyone in NASCAR, according to Adam Stern from the Sports Business Journal.
.@NASCAR's most followed drivers on @Instagram heading into the 2024 season, per @Zoomph. pic.twitter.com/QOk3e0Sp0Q
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) February 12, 2024
Couldn't she just use that popularity or her looks to bolt to the top? Yeah sure, but no offense Danica, we already saw what that route does.
The 24-year-old Breidinger has a much more thorough route to one day reach the NASCAR Cup Series.
She recently sat down with Kyle Dalton from Heavy.com to discuss several different aspects of being a racecar driver and a model.
"I always dreamed of being a Victoria's Secret model when I was younger, but I also dreamed of being a racecar driver," Breidinger said.
She was always told by friends that she couldn't do both. She has proved them wrong.
As for her future and how she hopes to make waves in NASCAR, she has a plan laid out ahead of her.
"So for me, I have like my five-year path that I would like, and I'd like to be in the Cup Series, like at the end of that five-year path, but I want to be able to achieve everything in each level," Breidinger told Dalton. "Like I want to be able to race in the ARCA Series, get wins, get a championship, and be able to contend for wins in the Truck Series, get some wins, and kind of like methodically move up through the ladder system."
@ToniBreidinger talks about her future in @nascar and the goals she hopes to achieve. pic.twitter.com/pWhQETeXlx
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) March 10, 2024
She added that she doesn't want to feel rushed, and is focused on learning everything she can at each level.
"I don't want to feel like I have to rush. I want to feel like I've achieved something and I kind of deserve and feel confident in that next step. I don't want to jump into an Xfinity race that I'm like, 'Oh, well, maybe I'll get a top 15.' I want to be able to make that jump and be like, 'Oh, I feel like I can go out there and really execute and perform.'"
Not being rushed — sounds like a much smoother path to success for Breidinger — and she certainly has the right mindset.
While she finished 37th in the ARCA Menards Series opener at Daytona, Breidinger had a strong run to 9th at Phoenix. Breidinger will be one to keep an eye on for the foreseeable future.
