Most high school graduates wouldn’t have a concrete plan. Some might travel, others might work or prepare for college. But Toni Breidinger’s plan was clear.
She would race.
While her sister Annie made her plans to attend Purdue, Toni packed up her belongings and moved from California to Charlotte, North Carolina.
It was a necessary move. For her to be taken seriously in the sport, she had to be where racing was taken seriously.
This wasn’t a revelation that suddenly transpired in high school. For Toni, it was something she envisioned when her father first took his then 9-year old daughters go-karting.
“It wasn’t going to be a phase for me,” Toni told me.
It was a major move for the teenager, but she refused to have her dream deferred.
A few short years later, Toni Breidinger made history, fittingly at the legendary Daytona International Speedway.
In February, at the age of 21, Toni took the wheel at the ARCA Menard Series, becoming NASCAR’s first Arab-American female driver. There she finished 18th out of 33.
The significance of the moment, and her place in racing history, wasn’t lost on Breidinger.
“It’s really cool to be the first. Everybody loves to be the first but I also don’t want to be the last,” she told Ellen Degeneres after her history-making run.
“I want to pave the way for others.”
In some ways, the most memorable race in her young career was overwhelming.
“It was a blur,” she told me. “I don’t remember what happened during that day.”
Toni Breidinger is the all-time winningest woman in Unites States Auto Club (USAC) history. Her 19 wins, and racing talent elevated her to the ARCA Menards series where she currently races with Venturini Motorsports and the Toyota Racing Development team.
It’s part of her racing vision, one which she places no limits on.
I asked her if she had thoughts about other series. Maybe IndyCar where one of her idols, Danica Patrick, thrived. Or F1 where her other racing inspiration, Lewis Hamilton, dominates.
“Growing up, I wanted to do every kind of racing. Indy driver, F1 driver.
“But my focus is on NASCAR,” she replied.
That focus is paying off. She’s climbing the ladder and making a name for herself.
But the path has challenges, one of which is being away from her family.
Her parents are back in California. Her mother, who she calls her biggest cheerleader, loves racing. They FaceTime, but between the geographic distance and Covid, in-person visits have been extremely limited.
It’s a sacrifice she made to pursue her racing career and gain respect in a male-dominated sport.
“We have to work a little harder to gain respect,” said Toni. “That’s one of the biggest reasons I moved out to North Carolina.”
Time and sacrifice are aspects of being a professional athlete. You miss many things because of the demands of the sport.
Another aspect is training.
“In the Zone.”
Some don’t consider drivers athletes because they’re in a vehicle.
That foolish notion is obliterated by Toni’s training schedule.
The physical demands of racing aren’t understood until you get into a car. The stamina, coordination, and strength requirements are significant and taxing.
That means her training regimen has to be on point.
In the morning she stretches and hits the Peloton bike. Then she meets her trainer to work on hand-eye coordination, peripheral vision, and reaction training. They also work on neck strengthening exercises and heat training in the sauna.
Sitting in the car and driving in circles for hours isn’t easy, so her body has to handle the stress and high temperatures.
But her day isn’t done yet. She still has to hit the driving simulator.
Overall, she devotes approximately seven hours a day to training and driving. That daily commitment requires physical and mental strength.
Then on race day, she has to “flip the switch”.
Some have a natural ability to shift from everyday person to pro athlete. Toni is one of those people.
“It’s an automatic thing for me. As soon as the engine turns on, I’m in the zone,” said Toni.
If you’ve seen the movie “Biker Boyz”, you understand what that zone entails.
It’s the tunnel-like focus Smoke had. His nerves are calm and everything on the outskirts of his forward vision ceased to exist.
“Leading up to the race, I have lots of butterflies and I’m nervous,” she said. “Once I do radio check, I’m like ‘Ok. I’m ready to go. Let’s do this.'”
That confidence and focus have attracted sponsors like Triller and FP Movement to her banner, something that’s essential for race teams.
More impressively, being the first Arab-American female driver in the NASCAR circuit has endeared her to fans worldwide, especially young girls in the Middle East.
“So many young Arab girls have reached out to say I’m inspiring them,” said Toni. “Just being there (in that position) is inspiring young girls.”
Race fans from the Middle East, especially young girls, isn’t common. But her look and her mother’s Lebanese heritage have generated an unlikely following, particularly on social media where she has almost 2 million followers.
Tony understands and accepts the importance and impact of representation, so she always puts forth her best.
“Once you see someone do something, you feel that you can do it too.”
On Sunday, Toni finished 9th at the Illinois State Fairgrounds race. Overall, she’s in 19th place in the standings with five races remaining in the season.
After speaking with her and watching her success, I know we’ll see Toni Breidinger in the NASCAR Cup Series one day.
Hopefully, she’ll be joined by other women from the Middle East as well.
