Toni Breidinger Bio
Antoinette Marie Breidinger, known professionally as Toni Breidinger, is an American professional stock car racing driver and model. Born on July 14, 1999, in San Francisco, California, she last competed full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage. Breidinger is widely recognized as the first female Arab-American driver to compete in NASCAR, tracing her heritage to Lebanese and German roots. Beyond the track, she has built a parallel career as a model, signed with IMG Models and featured in major publications.
Early Life and Background
Toni Breidinger was born in San Francisco, California, and raised in the nearby town of Hillsborough. She is of German and Lebanese descent, with her father, Mark Breidinger, being of German heritage and her mother, Melinda Breidinger, of Lebanese heritage. Breidinger has a twin sister, Annie, who joined her in many of her earliest racing experiences. The family environment encouraged both sisters to explore competitive activities from a young age.
Breidinger was educated at Mercy High School in Burlingame, California, where she graduated in 2017. She has spoken fondly of her high school years, citing the diversity of the community as a formative influence. While growing up in the Bay Area, she balanced school with an emerging interest in motorsports that would soon define her career path.
Her introduction to racing came at age nine, when her father saw a newspaper advertisement for a local go-kart school and enrolled both Toni and her twin sister. After several lessons, the family purchased go-karts for the girls to continue racing. That early hands-on exposure laid the foundation for what would become a lifelong professional pursuit behind the wheel.
Path to NASCAR
Breidinger spent five years competing in go-karts, gaining the experience and race craft that would shape her future. In 2011, she suffered the only major injury of her career when a crash at the CalSpeed Karting Center resulted in a broken arm. She recovered and returned to karting, continuing to develop her skills until 2014.
At age 15, Breidinger transitioned to the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series. She finished runner-up in the series standings in each of her first two seasons before winning the championship in 2016. That title made her the winningest female driver in any USAC asphalt division at the time and signaled her readiness for bigger stages.
Initially interested in open-wheel racing, Breidinger shifted her focus to stock cars after watching late model races at Madera Speedway. After graduating high school in 2017, she relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, to pursue stock car racing full-time. She spent four years competing primarily in late model events, building the resume that would eventually carry her into NASCAR national series competition.
Toni Breidinger Career
Early Career (2014-2020)
Breidinger’s senior career began in 2014 in the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series, where she quickly established herself as a frontrunner. Her 2016 series championship was the defining achievement of this period and established her as a rising talent in American motorsports. The title also helped convince her father to support her transition to stock car racing.
After moving to North Carolina, Breidinger made her ARCA Racing Series debut in 2018 with Venturini Motorsports, finishing tenth at Madison. She joined GMS Racing’s driver development program in 2019 and ran a full Carolina Pro Late Model Series season in 2020, finishing fourth in the standings. Those years built the consistency and adaptability that would be essential for her national series move.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021-2024)
Breidinger announced a part-time ARCA schedule in 2021 alongside a planned NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series effort with Young’s Motorsports. Her Truck Series debut that year made her the first Arab-American woman to race in any national touring NASCAR series. She later moved to Venturini Motorsports for additional ARCA starts, joining the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) program.
In 2022, Breidinger ran her first full ARCA season with Venturini Motorsports, finishing sixth in points with six top-ten results. She returned to Venturini for a part-time 2023 campaign while also contesting the inaugural Toyota North America GR Cup season with Nitro Motorsports. That ARCA year produced her first top-five finishes, including a career-best third at Kansas.
Breidinger returned to a full-time ARCA schedule in 2024, again with Venturini Motorsports. She recorded eleven top-ten finishes, a best result of sixth, and ended the year fourth in the series standings. Over her four ARCA seasons, she accumulated four top-fives and 27 top-tens, numbers that reflected steady progress and paved the way for her Truck Series promotion.
Tricon Garage Era (2023-Present)
Breidinger made her NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in 2023 with Tricon Garage at the Heart of America 200, finishing fifteenth. She added two more starts that season while continuing her ARCA work, gaining valuable seat time in the heavier, more powerful trucks.
She moved up to the Truck Series full-time in 2025 with Tricon Garage, piloting the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. The rookie campaign was a learning year, with two top-20 finishes through the first 15 races and a best result of 18th at Rockingham. A fiery engine-failure incident at Watkins Glen highlighted the challenges of her transition. She closed the 2025 season 23rd in the driver’s standings.
For 2026, Breidinger shifted to a part-time Truck Series schedule, departing Tricon Garage to join Rackley W.A.R. in the No. 27 entry for a planned eight-race slate. Her first attempt with the new team came at Daytona, where she failed to qualify for the season-opener.
Driving Style and Strengths
Breidinger has built her reputation on consistency and clean finishes, traits that helped her post 27 ARCA top-tens without a win. Her years in open-wheel midgets and late models have given her a strong feel for car balance and tire management, particularly on shorter ovals. She has pointed to road course experience gained in the Toyota GR Cup as a key area of growth that complements her oval foundation.
Notable Races and Milestones
Her 2016 USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series championship stands as one of her earliest career milestones, marking her as the winningest female driver in USAC asphalt history at the time. Her 2021 Truck Series debut with Young’s Motorsports made her the first Arab-American woman to compete in a national NASCAR touring series. A career-best third at Kansas in 2023 and a fourth-place ARCA points finish in 2024 round out her on-track highlights.
Toni Breidinger Career Wins
Toni Breidinger’s career is highlighted more by championships and consistent finishes than by outright victories at the national level. Across her time in the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, she has yet to record a victory. Her strongest statistical achievements remain a USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series title and a fourth-place ARCA points finish.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Over four ARCA seasons, Breidinger recorded 27 top-ten finishes without a win, including a best points result of fourth in 2024. She also posted one top-ten across limited ARCA Menards Series West starts. Her best single-race ARCA result was a third at Kansas in 2023, the first of four top-fives she would earn in the series.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of ARCA, Breidinger’s signature victory came in the 2016 USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series championship. She also competed in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, finishing fourth in the 2020 standings, and ran the 2023 Toyota North America GR Cup season to build road course experience. Her regional open-wheel and late model results formed the bedrock of her rise to NASCAR.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARCA Menards Series | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series West | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Toni Breidinger Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Breidinger credits her father, Mark Breidinger, with introducing her to motorsports through a newspaper advertisement for a go-kart school. He later purchased karts for both Toni and her twin sister, Annie, supporting their early racing efforts. Her mother, Melinda Breidinger, is of Lebanese heritage, a background that has shaped Breidinger’s identity as the first female Arab-American driver in NASCAR.
Personal Life
Outside of racing, Breidinger maintains a parallel career as a model, currently signed with IMG Models. She has appeared in Marie Claire Arabia, Glamour, Flaunt, Shape, and GQ, and in 2025 became the first NASCAR driver to model for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She is a supporter of the Women’s Sports Foundation, has partnered with brands including Raising Cane’s, Sunoco, Coach, and 818 Tequila, and has spoken publicly about her past struggles with body confidence.
2025 Season Performance
Breidinger’s 2025 season marked her first full-time campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Tricon Garage, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. The year was defined by a steep learning curve as she adjusted to the heavier trucks and higher competition level compared to ARCA. Through the first 15 races, she posted two top-20 finishes with a best result of 18th at Rockingham, while finishing all but two events to build crucial seat time.
The second half of the season brought additional adversity, including four failures to finish across her final ten races and a fiery engine-related incident at Watkins Glen. She described the experience as humbling, noting that the gap between ARCA and the Truck Series was larger than she had initially expected. Despite the struggles, she closed the year 23rd in the driver’s standings, gaining a full season of national-level experience.
Looking ahead, Breidinger’s 2026 plans include a part-time Truck Series return with Rackley W.A.R. in the No. 27, signaling continued commitment to her NASCAR career. Her 2025 campaign laid the groundwork for that next chapter, providing a full year of data, track miles, and adjustment to the demands of stock car racing’s third tier.
