NASCAR Driver Toni Breidinger Featured in Latest SI Swimsuit Edition

Originally posted on Racing America on SI
By Joseph Srigley | Last updated May 13, 2025 1:12 PM ET

Photo Credit: Ben Horton, Sports Illustrated

Toni Breidinger, a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for TRICON Garage, is continuing to make a splash; both on and off the racetrack.

Breidinger, 25, is the first Arab American woman to compete in NASCAR’s National Series and has spent the majority of her racing career facing the uphill battle of being a female in a male-dominated sport, debuting in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards Series in 2018.

Since then, Breidinger, a native of San Bernadino, California, has been making incredible strides in paving the way for women competing in the motorsports space.

The last couple of years have been a major transformation for Breidinger, who has not only seen her results improve on the racetrack but has also leveraged her personal brand into the mainstream media, allowing her to bring some high-profile partners on-board.

With the help of internationally recognized brands Raising Cane’s, CELSIUS, and Sunoco, among several others, Breidinger has been able to move up into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where she drives the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, becoming the third woman to compete full-time in the series.

Photo Credit: David Rosenblum, LAT for Toyota GAZOO Racing

Breidinger’s social media boom has also brought her modeling opportunities, with major campaigns for Victoria’s Secret, Free People, and GAP, among several others. Most recently, that level of brand recognition has allowed her to be part of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

PHOTO GALLERY: Toni Breidinger, 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue Photoshoot

“Racing’s definitely very male-dominated,” Breidinger said. “I feel like growing up, I really didn’t notice it because I was always racing with my twin sister. So, for me, I always had a female around. I feel like when I was more like fifteen, sixteen, and we started going in different directions and I started going to races by myself and not with her, I’d be like, ‘Oh, like I’m actually the only girl here’.”

In 2023, Breidinger made her first jump into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, piloting the No. 1 Victoria’s Secret Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at Kansas Speedway. With a 15th-place finish, the then-ARCA Menards Series regular became the highest finishing female in her Truck Series debut.

“I remember there was so much pressure around it, but I did so much mental preparation before to kind of block that all out,” Breidinger said about that moment. “I remember in the race, I was smiling, which doesn’t really happy in a race because I’m usually so intense. I remember before the green flag I was like, ‘Wait, this is so sick. I’m here and I’m doing this.’ And that was the most present I’ve ever been in a race, and I feel like it reflected the result.”

Breidinger is one of several athletes, spanning all different types of sports, to be included in the SI Swimsuit Issue, including Cameron Brink, Olivia Dunne, Jordan Chiles, and Anna Hall. The NASCAR driver had her photos taken on the beaches of Boca Raton, Florida, with professional photographer Ben Horton.

The 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue hits stands today (Tuesday, May 13).