"I had an imposter syndrome": Toni Breidinger reflects on mental challenges during her young NASCAR career

NASCAR driver and Victoria's Secret model Toni Breidinger recently shared a piece of her mental model and the challenges she has faced in her dormant NASCAR career so far.

Despite its 75 years of illustrious history, NASCAR has only seen a limited number of female drivers grace the sport. However, as the sport's sanctioning body moves forward intending to diversify the sport both on and off the track, NASCAR continues to witness an uprise of female drivers making a name for themselves in a male-dominated sport.

Among those is the 24-year-old driver and a Victoria's Secret model, Toni Breidinger. Having made a name for herself through the ranks of late model racing and NASCAR's feeder competition, the ARCA Menards Series, Breidinger made significant strides in 2023.

However, she struggles with feelings of inadequacy in a male-dominated sport, admitting to experiencing 'imposter syndrome' during an interview with The Athletic's 12 Questions podcast.

She said:

"I don’t want to speak for other females in the sport, but for myself, sometimes coming up through this sport, I felt like I didn’t belong. I had an imposter syndrome, and I felt like I just got here by chance. People through the sport would just be like, 'Oh, you got that because you’re a girl.' And it would kind of get in my head."

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Toni Breidinger on working with a sports mental coach

According to Breidinger, there is much more to the sport than the racing action that meets the eye. Beyond the track, drivers, including herself, go through a tedious training regimen, both mental and physical. She said:

"Sometimes people think we just show up, but there’s a lot of physical training during the week and even mental training. I work with a sports mental coach, I have sim training, notes, watch lots of footage. And also the business aspect, which is a whole new other world."

Sharing her experience of working with a sports mental coach, Toni Breidinger also revealed:

"She worked with me on that inner confidence and knowing I belong, and I didn’t just happen to be here. I’ve been working for it since I was 9 years old. That’s something we worked a lot on last year."

Toni Breidinger made her first Daytona appearance as a Truck Series driver earlier this season, finishing 27th in the chaotic race.