“I’m disappointed”: NASCAR star Toni Breidinger gets real on the ‘stagnant’ progress of women in racing

Toni Breidinger talks . Images via Imagn.
Toni Breidinger talks . Images via Imagn.

Toni Breidinger has called attention to the lack of female drivers in NASCAR. The 26-year-old currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series for Tricon Garage.

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During her appearance on the Spake Up podcast with Shannon Spake, Breidinger talked about her disappointment in being the only female full-time driver in NASCAR.

"I think it's unfortunate that I'm the only female driver racing full-time this year in NASCAR. I mean, to me, that's crazy. Cause I'm like, we just had another one last year, so like there should be more every year," Toni Breidinger said.
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Breidinger followed in the footsteps of Hailie Deegan, who competed full-time in the Xfinity Series last year.

"I see growth in some areas, but at the same time, I'm like, not really, I mean, we still, we still don't have like the amount of female drivers that we should like, it's been pretty stagnant, so I don't know. I feel like I'm disappointed in the progress," she added.
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The Cup Series has not seen a full-time female driver since Danica Patrick, who ran five seasons in the mid-2010s. British racer Katherine Legge, however, did make a few starts in the series this season.

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Deegan also ended up leaving the Xfinity Series mid-way through last season after sponsorship gaps and has featured in IndyCar's feeder series Indy NXT this year.

Meanwhile, Breidinger, who is also a model and social media influencer, has secured many high-profile sponsors. She appeared in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, a first for a NASCAR driver. That visibility helps her secure corporate partners and reach new fans. Her top partners include Raising Cane's, CELSIUS, and Sunoco. She also added 818 Tequila as a sponsor for a race and Coach signed on for two of her Truck races this season.

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Breidinger was also Dave & Buster's 2025 Summer Ambassador.

"Would love to have my own foundation" - Toni Breidinger hopes to help young girls in karting

Toni Breidinger is also the first Arab-American woman in a full NASCAR national series. She started karting at the age of nine years and talked about the barriers to entry during the same episode of the Skape Up podcast.

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"I would love to have my own foundation or do something to be able to help young girls get introduced into the sport. Cause even go-karts is not accessible for everybody to get started into, even the gear, like the suits, the helmet," Toni Breidinger said.

Breidinger has four top-five and 27 top-ten finishes in the ARCA Menards Series over five years. However, she has not been able to top her Truck debut finish of 15th that she claimed at Kansas in 2023.

The No. 5 Tricon Garage Truck driver moved to the Truck Series after finishing the 2024 ARCA season fourth in overall standings. Her best finishes so far in 19 Truck starts this year were 18th place at Rockingham and 20th at Kansas.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl
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