Victoria's Secret model Toni Breidinger will make history as she is set to become the first Arab American woman to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The 23-year-old only became a VS model in September 2022 and has been one of the most dominant female competitors on the racetrack before that.
Breidinger picked up more than a dozen victories in the US Auto Club Western Midget series, while also recording a top-ten finish in the ARCA Menards Series East in four starts. The California-born beauty also had nine top-ten finishes in 35 races on the main ARCA Menards Series circuit.
Breidinger will make her truck's circuit debut on Saturday at Kansas Speedway, racing for TRICON Garage, and will get behind the wheel of the No1 Victoria’s Secret Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
Speaking to Fox News, Breidinger said: "I feel like it’s very important to have representation in the sport. To me, it’s really exciting to hopefully be paving the path for the younger girls.
"I feel excited but, at the same time, I wish I wasn’t the first because I think NASCAR has been around for so long. So, I feel like every time some of us girls are breaking these barriers, all of this stuff I feel like they should have broken a long time ago, it’s kind of like a mixed emotion type of feeling. But I’m really proud to be able to represent the sport."
Breidinger, who has a twin sister called Annie and is of Lebanese and German descent, got her first taste for racing early. Her dad stumbled across go-cart classes while driving down the highway and took his twin daughters.
"I started racing when I was in go-carts at 9 years old and purely just for fun," Breidinger added. "My dad was basically driving down the highway to work and saw a sign for go-cart lessons, and he took me and my twin sister, Annie, there. And we did a go-cart class.
"We both fell in love with it, and then he got us one go-cart to share. And just every weekend we’d go up for fun. It was kind of more of a way for my dad to bond with us and have like a father-daughter activity than anything.
"But I took it really seriously at a young age and told him that I wanna be a race car driver. And he definitely thought it was just going to be a phase. But I stuck with it, and it’s been a long 14-year journey. But here I am."
Breidinger will take to the speedway in a truck covered in Victoria's Secret sponsorship. It will allow her to live her childhood dream. She said: "It’s so crazy. It’s funny because I joke that I manifested it when I was little because I had this journal.
"And I used to write that I wanna be a race car driver. And I also wrote I want to be a Victoria’s Secret model," she said. "So, the fact that they both happened, like two worlds colliding, is like so surreal. It’s pretty crazy.
"I’m really proud to be with the brand. It’s really incredible that they’re supporting me in such a big and major moment in my career. It’s surreal. It’s like crazy. I start smiling real big when I start thinking about it."
Breidinger hopes to inspire the next generation of female race drivers, so much so that she is putting herself under immense pressure to succeed. Her ultimate five-year plan is to reach the NASCAR Cup Series and already has a truck race lined up after her debut in Kansas.
"I’m really proud about it and especially now with Victoria’s Secret on the truck for this. I’m just proud to stand alongside a brand that really champions women because I feel like, for me, I really believe so much in representation. And I think of so much of females racing in the sport," Breidinger said.
"When I was growing up and I saw female race car drivers, that inspired me so much. So, I can imagine that’s kind of the same for younger girls.
"So, it is really important to me, and I kind of put pressure on myself to do well, to show people like, ‘Hey, we are capable of doing this’ and also for young girls. I add that extra pressure on myself because I really want to be a great representation for us females.
"But at the same time, I don’t really set myself apart from the other drivers. I see myself as everyone else, so it’s kind of like two parts to it."
