"It was so crazy": NASCAR's Toni Breidinger on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

NASCAR’s first Arab-American female driver, Toni Breidinger, made history on Feb. 13 when she made her ARCA debut in the No. 02 Young's Motorsports Chevrolet at the Daytona International Speedway.

Close to a couple of weeks later, on Feb. 25, the NASCAR driver featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, remotely, to talk about her maiden experience.

“It was so crazy. I’ve been dreaming to race at Daytona ever since I was a kid, so it was literally a dream come true for me. You know, I’ve watched that race so many times. Once you’re in the driver’s seat, it’s like this whole other experience,” said the 21-year-old Breidinger.

The NASCAR driver had set herself a couple of goals going into the race. First, to bring home the car in one piece, and second, finish in the top 20. She achieved both her goals with aplomb, bagging 18th place at the finish line.

Dayton Debut. My team and I set 2 goals to finish the race and stay out of trouble. Excited for the rest of the of the season pic.twitter.com/YEdpqYWaGN

— Toni Breidinger (@ToniBreidinger) February 14, 2021

Toni Breidinger, who is of Lebanese descent, was quite proud about being the first Arab-American female driver in NASCAR, but she also spoke about wanting to be an inspiration for others along the way.

“It’s really cool to be the first. Everybody loves to be the first. But I also don’t want to be the last. I really want to pave the way for others. I’ve received so much amazing support and so many messages. I was really surprised by a lot of people just saying that I inspire them, which is really amazing," expressed Breidinger.

Breidinger was also quite aware of the mistake she made during the race which cost her an even better finish.

"I did get up to 10th place, and I made this little mistake that I keep thinking about. So I’m a little frustrated about that, but I did hit both of my goals so it was definitely a solid weekend,” said Breidinger.

Other NASCAR personalities that have appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the past include Jeff Gordon, Michael McDowell, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Trevor Bayne, to name a few.

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NASCAR's Toni Breidinger recalls how she got into racing

NASCAR's Toni Breidinger recalled getting her first dose of inspiration for racing when her father bought a go-kart for her and twin sister Annie at the early age of nine.

It has been some journey for the 21-year-old ever since.

"As soon as I got into a go-kart, I really just knew. I've always had so much passion for it. I love the competition, the adrenaline rush. I'm hooked on it," said Breidinger.

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More about NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger

Apart from running the No. 02 in the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger, a Hillsborough, Calif. native, will also make a few starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).

She will get behind the wheel of the No. 82 Chevrolet Silverado for Young's Motorsports.

Aside from stock car racing, Breidinger has also produced stellar performances in the United States Auto Club (USAC) circuit, where she has a total of 19 wins - the most by a female driver.

The NASCAR driver has also tried her hands at asphalt late model racing in the past.

Breidinger is scheduled to run at at Phoenix Raceway (Mar. 13), Talladega Superspeedway (Apr. 24), Kansas Speedway (May 1), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 29), Pocono Raceway (June 25), Iowa Speedway (July 24) and Kansas Speedway (Sep. 16) respectively.

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