NASCAR star Toni Breidinger races to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

Toni Breidinger is used to speeding things up in order to outpace the competition. She’s made a name for herself in the racing world, and has accelerated her career as a model too. We’ll take a closer look at Breidinger’s unique path to NASCAR glory and her passion for modeling.

Antoinette Marie Breidinger’s story started on July 14, 1999 in Hillsborough, California, near San Francisco. She told Heavy’s website, “I always dreamed of being a Victoria’s Secret model when I was younger, but I also dreamed of being a race car driver.”

Toni Breidinger got her fix as a driver when she was nine years old. She and her twin sister Annie were introduced to go-kart’s, and the rest as they say is history. The New York Post wrote that Breidinger’s parents bought the girls their own go-kart, and Toni was obsessed with it.

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Breidinger told Glamour about the go-karting experience, “It was my first taste of speed and also independence. It was my first time doing something where I didn’t have a coach in my ear and my parents weren’t telling me what to do. It was just me and the go-kart, and I was steering it myself and doing everything out there on my own… I felt so independent and invincible.”

When she reached 18 years of age, Breidinger had to decide how she was going to spend the next chapter of her life. She moved to North Carolina to pursue becoming a NASCAR driver. She told NASCAR’s website, “It was almost too easy of a decision. So many people were ‘Oh my gosh, it must have been so hard.’ I don’t know, I just knew it would help my career. I didn’t have any hesitations about it.”

Racing is predominantly a male sport, and Breidinger has noticed male drivers behaving differently on the track around her. She told Heavy, “I’m like, I feel like that guy wasn’t driving the other drivers like that, but he drove her a little bit different and it could have been from like past history. But I do feel like I see kind of a recurring pattern where some of the drivers do race the girls a little bit harder.”

Breidinger has become the driver that she dreamed of being as a little girl. She races for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series. She’s raced everything from open-wheel midget cars to stock cars, to participating in the Craftsman Truck Series.

In addition to the achievements she’s notched as a female driver, she’s also carried the torch as NASCAR’s first Arab American female driver. She told Marin Living Magazine, “I don’t really feel added pressure, more like a sense of responsibility to pave the way so other minorities have better opportunity to come up through motor sports.” Breidinger’s mother is of Lebanese descent.

Not only has Breidinger become a NASCAR driver; she also became a Victoria’s Secret model in September 2022. She told Fox News Digital at the time, “Little me is crying. Growing up I struggled a lot with body confidence. This past year I focused on my mental and physical health over appearance. I’m honored to be part of the Victoria’s Secret family.”

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Breidinger remembers her first shoot with Victoria’s Secret, and recalled it to Heavy’s website. “It was actually the day after a race at Talladega in 2022. So just crazy racing at Talladega one day and then hopping on a plane straight after going to shoot with Victoria’s Secret is two huge dreams for me.”

The NASCAR driver and professional model told Glamour that her style has evolved quite a bit over the years. “When I was little, I made very questionable fashion decisions. Today, comfort is important but with a little bit of chicness at the same time. If I wear a classic suit, I’ll layer in an unexpected color—and pull the whole look together with accessories that are on-trend but not trendy.

Toni Breidinger was picked to appear in Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Swimsuit Edition. Her statement read, “It’s nothing short of an honor to be featured in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. I’m very grateful I get to live out multiple dreams of mine.”

Sports Illustrated wrote, “Breidinger posed in the most stunning deep emerald green bikini from Palmiza, featuring a halter neck style top with thick straps and cheeky string tie-side bottoms.”

Sports Illustrated is just the latest magazine that Breidinger will model for. She has also appeared in GQ, Marie Claire, Shape and Glamour.

The trailblazing driver is not putting any cap to what she thinks she can accomplish on the track. She told NASCAR’s website, “I just don’t have the mindset of I want to be the best female driver. Yeah, it’s a cool title. But I want to have the most wins out of anybody. Not just the females.”

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Her fearlessness might come from her mother. Breidinger revealed to Glamour that her mother told her at a young age, “don’t be afraid to be you and to be the first you. Don’t feel like you have to follow in the footsteps of someone else. Just be the first you and don’t apologize for it.”