Not every driver in the developmental ranks of NASCAR is expected to light up the timing charts immediately, but expectations often come with how loudly and confidently a racer projects their ambitions. One particular driver has made waves recently, not for what she has done on the track, but for what she plans to do soon. Antoinette Marie Breidinger, aka Toni Breidinger, the 25-year-old NASCAR Truck Series driver, holds the distinction of being the first Arab-American woman to compete in NASCAR. Currently, she is the only woman racing full-time in the Top 3 national series in 2025.
Her path to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was paved through years of dedication, beginning with go-karting at age 9 and advancing through the ARCA Menards Series, where she amassed 65 starts and achieved a career-high 4th place finish in the 2024 standings. Beyond the track, Briedinger has cultivated a significant presence in the modeling world, partnering with brands like Victoria’s Secret and appearing in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition. Elevating her platform to secure sponsorships, which are essential for her racing career. Yet her biggest dream lies ahead of her.
The future that she plans for herself includes an important climb to the NASCAR Cup Series in the next 5 years. But, while her exposure has been massive, the finishes haven’t quite followed. In 2025, Breidinger embarked on her rookie season in the Truck Series with Tricon Garage, driving the #5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Despite facing challenges early in the season, including finishes outside the Top 20, she remained focused on growth and development. “I have different levels of success. There’s the results level, like, everybody wants to win. But also, you can’t always control results. So, I’m also looking at, am I improving? Did I improve this week? Did I learn? If I can achieve that, then it’s a success,” Breidinger said in an interview with Brobible. “I feel like I’ve really grown and developed, which was the goal of going into this.”
Although she is still learning the tricks of the trade in the Craftsman Truck Series, Breidinger hopes to race in the Cup Series. “I would say my five-year plan is to be in the NASCAR Cup Series. I feel that’s a realistic goal for me. But I would love to be in this sport until I have to stop doing it.” Since Danica Patrick, no female driver has attempted to compete full-time in the Cup Series, but Breidinger seems focused on bringing about that change.
TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – APRIL 24: Toni Breidinger, driver of the #02 Young Motorsports, stands next to her car for the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 200 at Talladega Raceway on April 24, 2021 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Blair Brown via Getty Images)
However, fans weren’t sold on her five-year plan and were quick to share their opinion and thoughts behind the same on Reddit.
Road to Cup Series is going to be an uphill climb for Toni Breidinger
“No amount of starts will make her good enough for cup dude. She’s 25 with 60+ ARCA starts,” wrote another fan. “I’m a bit sorry I’m gonna absolutely trash Riley Herbst, but Herbst is 26 with 3 Xfinity wins and in cup and clearly only there due to his last name/daddys money. Cody Ware is by far the worst driver in cup but besides him everyone else has at least won at the truck and Xfinity level.”
While comparing might not be the best option, some fans took to greater depths of the sport to display the difficulty it takes to break through at the Cup level. Riley Herbst, a former Xfinity Series driver, secured 3 career wins so far, with over 176 Xfinity starts, with a best season finish of 7th in 2024. But fans attribute his wins to his father, Troy Herbst, and longstanding sponsorship, highlighting the significant role of financial backing in driver advancement within the sport. Then there was Hailie Deegan, who had all the support she needed from Ford, but her NASCAR career ended on a bitter note after a leap to Xfinity racing last year.
“A five year plan to get to cup? She’s lower in points than a guy who drives for his own team and a guy who’s missed multiple races. She’s only one point above the 22 in owners points. I don’t know how she plans to get to cup in 5 seasons, because she is not even close to being xfinity caliber, let alone cup caliber.”
As of the latest standings in the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Toni is ranked 23rd in the driver points with 151 points after 12 races, yet to secure a Top 10 finish this season. Although she stands 5th in the Rookie of the Year standings, trailing leader and teammate Gio Ruggiero by 140 points, Toni has a long way to go before trying anything close to the Cup Series.
“Her three other teammates are all legit championship contenders,” wrote another fan. “I don’t believe for a second that Briedinger is getting significantly less-capable equipment. She was also in one of the best funded cars in the entire ARCA series last year, and consistently ran behind the vast majority of full-time teams. But according to the Toyota commercials, she’s “one of the hottest drivers right now.” Corey Heim is expected to compete in the Cup Series, he’s signed as the development driver for 23XI Racing. And despite being the top talent, he is not expected to get in a Cup car until 2027. This is how tough it is for drivers to break into the Cup Series. Breidinger might have the sponsorship support, but she needs to work on her racecraft as well.
Toni Breidinger’s journey through the NASCAR ranks is still unfolding, and while her current performance may not align with her ambitious goals, she remains a prominent and marketable presence in the sport. Whether she can convert her opportunities into competitive momentum remains to be seen. But in a sport where patience and persistence often pay off, Breidinger still has time, though not as much as her timeline might suggest.
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