Toni Breidinger is balancing a career that stretches well beyond the race track. The 26-year-old NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver is also a model and a social media influencer, who believes her authenticity is the secret to her fan following.Breidinger drives the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage. Away from racing, she is a model with Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, and an influencer with more than 2.5 million Instagram followers. Her partnerships span Toyota Racing Development to Raising Cane's in NASCAR, and Coach, GAP, and Free People in fashion.Speaking with NASCAR's TNT pit reporter Shannon Spake, Breidinger was asked how she manages to grow that audience. "For me, I always just shared what felt authentic to me and I always say like to share little bits of my life and people want to get to know me. Because I feel like they can turn on a race. They can watch a race. They don't need to see like a bunch of like results posted," she responded.She added:"It's really just about being personable, authentic. I think when people can actually kind of like bond with you and feel like they can relate to something then they're gonna go ahead and follow you and keep up with you… I think it sounds like very cliche but really just sticking to true self and being authentic because people know when it's fake." (0:31 onwards)Toni Breidinger has blended her off-track endeavors with her racing platform. Earlier this year, she debuted in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, modeled for Victoria’s Secret, and became the face of Coach’s Soho Sneaker campaign. At the same time, she continues to be backed by lifestyle and racing partners like Celsius and Sunoco, bringing both worlds together in a way few NASCAR drivers ever have.Toni Breidinger on finding her place in NASCAR and who inspired herToni Breidinger (far left) during the 2022 Annual Salute To Women In Sports. Source: GettyWhile Toni Breidinger has made her mark online, racing remains her primary focus. She currently drives full-time for Tricon Garage in the Truck Series. She has already earned two top-20 finishes in her rookie campaign. Such progress has come after two part-time years where she struggled to establish herself.Breaking through this year has not been easy, but it has made her journey all the more visible to young women following in her path. Breidinger admitted the lack of mentorship has made the climb tougher. Speaking on the Spake Up Podcast, she added:"I definitely think when I was younger, Danica Patrick was obviously a really, still is very big name as a female driver. So, I think I definitely looked at her and at the time she was racing IndyCar. 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... as I got older and she retired, I really didn't have anyone to really look up to. I felt like never really had much of any mentorship." (0:10 onwards)Danica Patrick, long retired, remains the most recognizable female driver to break through at the highest levels. But the overall landscape has been thin. Katherine Legge is the only other woman to make recent NASCAR Cup and Xfinity starts, both on part-time schedules. The dearth of female talent in the top series is evident.Toni Breidinger's success does not erase how rare it still is to see women in NASCAR. But her combination of racing, modeling, and mainstream visibility may help push that conversation forward. Her presence alone is proof to others that breaking barriers is possible even without a roadmap.