"He treated me like a driver" - Toni Breidinger touches on how her father "set the bar" for her NASCAR future

NASCAR ARCA Menards Series driver and Victoria's Secret model Toni Breidinger is one of the few drivers who can boast a career in stock car racing as well as modeling. The young up-and-coming racer has successfully managed to make a name for herself in NASCAR which is generally considered a male-dominated sport.

Belonging to a crop of drivers who are firmly introducing stock car racing to the next generation, Toni Breidinger is certainly a figure for the future, if not in NASCAR, then elsewhere. However, the 24-year-old's entry into racing has not been straightforward. Often seen as the next Hailie Deegan, the California native recently spoke about the unique untold challenges only a woman faces when heading deep into male-dominated sports.

On a recent episode of Alicia Jessop's Ruling Sports podcast, Breidinger credited her father for how she has prepared herself heading into the NASCAR world.

"I think it's very important. For me, my dad always made me and my sister believe that we could do anything. We didn't really have, like nothing in our household was like 'Oh, this is for a girl, this is for a guy'. I never felt out of place racing go-karts. He just treated me like a driver," Breidinger said.

Breidinger further added:

"That's kind of what I look for now. My career is being around people and being around teams that treat me like everybody else. I don't get different treatment for being a female. I feel like my dad kind of set that bar for us."

Alicia Jessop posted an excerpt of the interview with Toni Breidinger on X (formerly Twitter):

"Interviewing hugely successful women, I've noted a common thread connecting them: their dads said ANYTHING was possible for them. NASCAR driver & Victoria's Secret model @ToniBreidinger joins Ep. 55 of the Ruling Sports Podcast to share how her #girldad influenced her career."

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Toni Breidinger amongst most influential female racing drivers worldwide

NASCAR ARCA Menards Series driver Toni Breidinger was recently named among the 5 most influential women drivers in motorsports.

In a report shared by motorsport.com in October 2023, Breidinger was near the top of 400 female racing drivers worldwide based on social media engagement and following, along with online search demand.

"The most influential female drivers globally! Avis analyzed over 400 female racing drivers to identify who is the most influential based on their social media following and online search demand."

The list included big names such as Bianca Bustamante and Tatiana Calderon, both of whom hail from the world of open-wheel racing in the form of F1 and IndyCar.

It remains to be seen if Toni Breidinger can progress through the NASCAR ranks much like fellow driver Hailie Deegan. Who knows, Breidinger might even top Deegan, who is due for a full-time Xfinity Series debut next season.