From the ‘Bay Area’ to Daytona: The Story of Toni Breidinger, NASCAR’s First Female Arab American Race Car Driver

posted on: Feb 17, 2021

By: Claire Boyle/Arab America Contributing Writer

Introduction:

The Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida witnessed history this past weekend as Toni Breidinger became the first female Arab American race car driver for NASCAR. Breidinger’s achievement continues to help break the so-called ‘glass ceiling’ for all women, but specifically, those of Arab American descent because it brings their culture into the mainstream as well as providing a means of inclusion and representation for the community as a whole. She has had an impressive driving career so far, and while that is important, Breidinger has also opened up new opportunities for Arab Americans by being a role model for diversity in the NASCAR industry.

Arab American Heritage & Background:

Toni Breidinger was born in 1999 in Hillsborough, California (CA). Her mother is from Beirut in Lebanon, and she has some aunts and cousins who still live in the country, and her father is from the United States. She has a twin sister, Annie, who is also a race car driver, and they sometimes compete against one another. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, which interestingly enough, has a very large Arab American population. The Arab American Institute (AAI) estimates that about 250,000 Arab Americans live in the San Francisco area. Breidinger cites her father as the main reason she got into racing in the first place. She mentions that “my dad took my sister and me when we were 9-years-old to a go-kart track at Sonoma Raceway just for fun, and he probably thought nothing would ever come of it.” Breidinger got her start in go-kart racing and then eventually moved onto trucks and stock cars.

Racing Career:

Toni Breidinger throughout her career has competed in various venues including the United States Auto Club (USAC), Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), and most recently, in 2021, with the National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR). This past weekend in her debut for NASCAR, she finished in the top-20 by placing 18^th which is amazing. Breidinger is quite accomplished given that for USAC she is the winningest female driver with nineteen victories. She now splits her time between racing stock cars and trucks as well. In the past, she has also participated in what is called ‘late model racing’ which is a competition that involves cars that were used previously in other top-tier racing events such as NASCAR’s Cup Series.

This type of racing is considered to be a developmental step for aspiring drivers and pit crew chiefs. Breidinger has also amassed successful finishes in late model racing being that in 2020, “she placed 4^th in total points as well as having three top-5 and four top-10 finishes during that season.” She is definitely an up-and-comer in the racing world with an already-impressive resume to match.

“I hope I can pave the way for future female Arab drivers as well” – Toni Breidinger

Cultural Impact— Representation Matters in the Arab American Community:

So, what cultural impacts will we see for Arab Americans after Toni Breidinger became part of history on Saturday? Her achievement, first of all, is a huge deal because it means the racing world is becoming more diverse in the areas of gender and ethnicity, but for Arab Americans, her foray into NASCAR also increases the representation of their community. Too often, Arab Americans are unfairly discriminated against for certain reasons, and because of her celebrity in the sports world, she now becomes a representative for that community. Additionally, Breidinger actively promotes her Arab American heritage and sees herself as a role model especially when she says, “I’m honored and excited to be the first, but I don’t want to be the last…and I hope I can pave the way for future female Arab drivers as well.”

This statement here shows that she truly relishes the opportunity to represent her community, but that Breidinger also hopes for more Arab American women to become engaged with the sport. In these comments, she also recognizes the importance of being an excellent example to young Arab Americans as she is open, acknowledging, and proud of her culture and heritage. Breidinger is also very active on social media, and she constantly shares her love of racing which again is representation, both for the sport, but also for the community in which she grew up in. Hopefully, in the future, we will see more Arab Americans in NASCAR because of this amazing woman. Finally, her greatest impact will be that she continues to promote the inclusion, respect, and beautiful culture of Arab Americans!

Congratulations to Toni Breidinger for her history-making achievement in becoming NASCAR’s first female Arab American race car driver!

Check out Arab America’s blog here!