“I’ve worked a lifetime to get where I am now”: Toni Breidinger will become first Arab-American female driver to compete in a full season of NASCAR

Toni Breidinger is driving for Venturini Motorsports in the  2022 ARCA Menards Series Championship, piloting their No. 25 Toyota Camry. 

Breidinger became the first Arab-American female driver to participate in a NASCAR National Series last year when she drove for Young’s Motorsports in Daytona.

She competed in the ARCA Menards and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series part-time in 2021. She competed in five of the first six races for the latter, scoring a best finish of 12th.

Had fun making laps at @DAYTONA ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/7dZqszxxA4

— Toni Breidinger (@ToniBreidinger) January 19, 2021

The 22-year old later returned to earn a couple of 9th place (career-high) finishes at Winchester and Springfield with Venturini Motorsports. After making history at Daytona last year, she vowed to pave the way for other young female drivers to achieve what she did.

“Yeah, it’s definitely exciting,” said the Hillsborough born driver last year. “It’s really cool to be the first. But I also don’t want to be the last, I really want to pave the way for others.”

Also read: Stewart-Haas driver Aric Almirola set to leave NASCAR at the end of 2022 to spend more time with his family

Toni Breidinger part of a historic moment for women in motorsports in the United States

In 2022, Breidinger will compete in a full season of the ARCA Menards Series, driving for Venturini. She becomes the first Arab-American woman to do so. She brings in several personal sponsors, who are expected to help the team financially.

“This is a proud moment not only for me but also my family.  I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to run my first full season in NASCAR’s ARCA with Venturini Motorsports and Toyota,” said Breidinger.

Time to go places. Full time in 2022 @VenturiniMotor @ToyotaRacing https://t.co/MQWGxhDl7A pic.twitter.com/V84wqwnJwZ

— Toni Breidinger (@ToniBreidinger) January 13, 2022

“I’ve worked a lifetime to get to this point in my career. It’s taken a lot of hard work and support from countless people. Racing is a business. It takes more than just desire.”

“I truly cannot thank my supporters and business partners enough for believing and providing the support to get me to this stage. There’s still a lot of work ahead but I’m ready to get this season started at Daytona.”

Tom Hessert, Parker Chase, Logan Pemberton, Conner Jones, Jonathan Shafer, Jesse Love, and Corey Heim are the announced drivers for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series for 2022.

Also read: Former F1 Champion announces his return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022