Antoinette Marie Breidinger Bio
Antoinette Marie Breidinger is an American professional stock car racing driver and model born July 14, 1999, in San Francisco, California. She is the first female Arab-American driver to compete in NASCAR and holds Lebanese and German heritage. Breidinger currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage.
Raised in Hillsborough, California, Breidinger started go-kart racing at age nine after her father saw a newspaper advertisement for a local school. After five years of competitive go-karting, she advanced to the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series at age 15 in 2014, winning the series championship in 2016. Following her high school graduation in 2017, she relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, to pursue a career in professional motorsports, ultimately transitioning from open-wheel racing to stock cars.
Early Life and Background
Breidinger was born in San Francisco, California, on July 14, 1999, alongside her twin sister, Annie. She is of German and Lebanese descent, with her father Mark Breidinger of German ancestry and her mother Melinda Breidinger of Lebanese ancestry. She attended Mercy High School in Burlingame, California, graduating in 2017. Breidinger has described her diverse high school environment as formative and has said looking back that she took that cultural richness for granted. Racing was introduced into her life when her father enrolled both her and her sister in a go-kart school, purchasing two go-karts for the pair after they showed aptitude and enthusiasm for the sport.
Breidinger has cited that her introduction to racing gave her a sense of independence she craved as a child. In 2011, she suffered the only major injury of her early career during a go-kart race at CalSpeed Karting Center, when a crash with competitor Logan Sargeant resulted in a broken arm after she was thrown from the car. She recovered fully and continued her ascent through the junior racing ranks, building the foundation that would carry her into professional motorsports.
Path to NASCAR
Breidinger’s initial ambition was open-wheel racing, and her early career reflected that focus. She competed in the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series from 2014 through 2016, finishing runner-up in her debut season and again in 2015 before capturing the championship in 2016, becoming the winningest female driver in any USAC asphalt division at that time. Her father was initially reluctant to let her race late models, but relented after she won the 2016 Western Midget Series championship, opening the door for her transition to stock car racing.
After graduating high school, Breidinger moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2017. She watched late model races at Madera Speedway during her midget car years, which inspired her to shift focus from open-wheel competition. She made her ARCA Racing Series debut in 2018 with Venturini Motorsports, finishing tenth at Madison. In 2019, she applied to the W Series, an all-female open-wheel championship, and reached the initial top-60 round but was not selected for the final 18-driver lineup. She then joined GMS Racing’s driver development program and raced late models for the team. In 2020, she ran a full season in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, finishing fourth in the standings.
Antoinette Marie Breidinger Career
Early Career (2014–2020)
Breidinger began her competitive racing career at the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series at age 15 in 2014, finishing as series runner-up in her first season. She added another runner-up finish in 2015 before winning the championship in 2016, a breakthrough that made her the winningest female driver in any USAC asphalt division at the time. After her championship season, she began exploring stock car opportunities and relocated to North Carolina, where she spent four years primarily racing late models while also making select ARCA starts for Venturini Motorsports starting in 2018.
In 2019, Breidinger sought to broaden her open-wheel credentials by applying to the W Series, reaching the top-60 selection round but falling short of the final 18-driver grid. She joined GMS Racing’s driver development program later that year and ran late models for the team. Her 2020 season in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, where she finished fourth overall, demonstrated her adaptability and competitiveness in stock car machinery and set the stage for her full-time ARCA move in 2022.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021–2024)
In 2021, Breidinger announced a part-time schedule in both the ARCA Racing Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, initially signing with Young’s Motorsports. In her ARCA debut, she finished eighteenth and made history as the first Arab-American woman to race in any national touring NASCAR series. After five ARCA starts with Young’s, she transferred to Venturini Motorsports midway through the season and joined the Toyota Racing Development program. She competed in four additional ARCA races with Venturini that season, completing her partial schedule while beginning her long-term relationship with the team.
In 2022, Breidinger ran her first full-time ARCA season with Venturini Motorsports. She opened the season with a top-ten finish at Daytona International Speedway and recorded four top-ten finishes in the first ten races, with only one DNF at Talladega Superspeedway. She ultimately finished sixth in the series standings with six total top-ten finishes across the season. In 2023, she moved to a part-time ARCA schedule with 11 scheduled starts and achieved her first career top-five finish in the series, with four top-fives overall and a best finish of third at Kansas Speedway. In 2024, she returned to a full-time schedule and delivered her strongest ARCA season, recording eleven top-ten finishes in 20 races with a best finish of sixth, four DNFs from crashes, and a fourth-place finish in the series standings with an average start of 12.0 and average finish of 12.2.
Tricon Garage Era (2023–Present)
Breidinger made her NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut with Tricon Garage in 2023, finishing fifteenth in the Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway and running two additional Truck Series events for the team that season. Following her successful 2024 ARCA campaign, she signed with Tricon Garage to run a full-time Truck Series schedule in 2025, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
The 2025 season represented a steep learning curve for Breidinger as she transitioned to full-time competition at NASCAR’s national level. In her first 15 Truck Series races, she recorded two top-20 finishes with a best result of 18th at Rockingham Speedway, which placed her 22nd in the full-time driver standings. She finished all but two of those first 15 races, demonstrating the durability needed to complete Truck Series events. In her final ten races of 2025, she failed to finish four times with no result better than 24th, and at the 17th round at Watkins Glen International she was involved in a fiery incident following an engine failure. She finished the 2025 Truck Series season 23rd in the driver standings with an average start of 26.7 and an average finish of 25.4.
Driving Style and Strengths
Breidinger has demonstrated particular aptitude on superspeedway ovals and intermediate tracks, with her best ARCA results consistently coming at Daytona, Talladega, and Kansas. Her background in open-wheel and midget car racing informs an aggressive, wheel-to-wheel driving style that has served her well in close-quarters competition. Her work ethic and consistency, evidenced by her fourth-place ARCA standings finish in 2024, reflect a driver who prioritizes race execution over headline-grabbing moments. Her partnership with Toyota Racing Development has provided her with equipment and development resources consistent with NASCAR’s top-tier Toyota teams.
Notable Races and Milestones
Breidinger’s 2016 USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series championship established her as the winningest female driver in any USAC asphalt division at that time. Her 2021 ARCA debut with Young’s Motorsports made her the first Arab-American woman to race in any national touring NASCAR series. Her third-place finish at Kansas Speedway in the 2023 ARCA season marked her first top-five result at the national series level. Her 2024 Daytona ARCA opener, though ending in a multi-car crash, was part of a season that produced her best overall ARCA result, and her full-time 2025 Truck Series season with Tricon Garage represents the latest milestone in her ongoing ascent through NASCAR’s national ranks.
Antoinette Marie Breidinger Career Wins
Breidinger has accumulated wins and strong results across multiple racing disciplines, beginning with open-wheel competition and continuing through her ARCA and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series careers. Her championship in the USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series in 2016 stands as her most significant career title to date. In ARCA competition across four seasons, she recorded four top-five finishes and 27 top-ten finishes with Venturini Motorsports, and a best race finish of third at Kansas Speedway in 2023.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Over four seasons in the ARCA Menards Series from 2021 through 2024, Breidinger competed primarily for Venturini Motorsports and amassed four top-five finishes and 27 top-ten finishes. Her first ARCA start came in 2018, finishing tenth at Madison International Speedway. In 2022, her first full-time ARCA season produced six top-ten finishes and a sixth-place points finish. In 2023, she achieved her career-best ARCA finish of third at Kansas Speedway, recording four top-fives for the season. In 2024, she tallied eleven top-ten finishes in 20 starts and finished fourth in the series standings, capping her most accomplished ARCA season.
Other Wins and Performances
Breidinger won the 2016 USAC Western US Asphalt Midget Series championship, becoming the winningest female driver in any USAC asphalt division at the time. She also claimed runner-up finishes in the same series in 2014 and 2015. In the Carolina Pro Late Model Series in 2020, she finished fourth in the standings. In addition to her NASCAR Truck Series starts in 2023 and her full-time 2025 season, Breidinger competed in the inaugural 2023 Toyota North America GR Cup season with Nitro Motorsports, gaining road course experience in the Toyota GR86-based touring car series.
Antoinette Marie Breidinger Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Breidinger was born alongside her twin sister, Annie, to Mark Breidinger and Melinda Breidinger. Her father is of German descent and her mother is of Lebanese descent, making Breidinger the first female Arab-American driver to compete in NASCAR. Her father played a central role in introducing both Toni and Annie to motorsports, enrolling them in go-kart school and purchasing their first go-karts. Mark Breidinger was initially hesitant about Toni transitioning from open-wheel midget racing to stock car late models but gave his approval following her 2016 USAC championship season.
Personal Life
Breidinger is signed with IMG Models and has built a parallel modeling career to support her racing efforts, describing modeling as leverage for her racing ambitions. She has appeared in publications including Marie Claire Arabia, Glamour, Flaunt, Shape, and GQ. In 2025, she became the first NASCAR driver to appear in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. She has described living two contrasting lives and compares herself to Hannah Montana in the way she moves between racing and modeling worlds. Breidinger has been open about past struggles with body confidence and has become an advocate for the Women’s Sports Foundation, placing the organization’s branding on her race vehicles. She endorses Raising Cane’s, Celsius, Sunoco, Coach, Dave & Buster’s, and 818 Tequila, and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2021.
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. It was a challenging rookie season that tested her adaptability to heavier, more powerful trucks after years in the lighter ARCA cars. In her first 15 races, Breidinger recorded two top-20 finishes with a season-best 18th-place result at Rockingham Speedway, sitting 22nd in the full-time driver standings at the midseason point. She had completed all but two of those first 15 races, demonstrating the consistency needed to contend in Truck Series competition.
In the second half of the season, Breidinger faced additional setbacks, failing to finish four of her final ten races and recording no result better than 24th in that stretch. At the 17th round at Watkins Glen International, she was involved in a fiery incident following an engine failure in her Toyota. During the same weekend, several of her personal belongings were stolen from her vehicle; those items were recovered approximately one month later. Breidinger finished the 2025 Truck Series season 23rd in the driver standings with an average start position of 26.7 and an average finish of 25.4, having competed in every scheduled race. She described the season as a steep but valuable learning experience, noting that the learning curve for transitioning from ARCA cars to trucks was steeper than she had anticipated.
