Toni Breidinger bashes ARCA teammate Gus Dean’s 'lack of respect' for wreck at Daytona: “His dad is writing the cheques”

ARCA Menards Series driver and part-time Truck Series racer Toni Breidinger was left fuming at teammate Gus Dean following their early clash in the Daytona ARCA 200 race. The up-and-coming female racing talent and Victoria's Secret model put in a double shift on NASCAR's season-opening weekend at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday (February 16).

Competing in her first full-time ARCA Menards Series campaign with Venturini Motorsports, Breidinger also made her Daytona debut in the Truck Series, piloting the No. 1 Toyota Tundra.

However, the California native's night ended up in a dismal manner as an early crash with Venturini teammate Gus Dean in the Daytona ARCA 200 brought her second race of the night to a premature end.

The lap-4 incident left Breidinger visibly agitated, and she didn't hold back her feelings after the race.

In an interview with Frontstretch, Toni Breidinger criticized Dean's actions, particularly given his supposed experience and status as a veteran within the team. She said:

"In the entire Truck race people are very to be aggressive but Gus was supposed to have the most experience here. He was supposed to be the veteran of the team but, I don't know. I have no idea what he was doing. It was a stupid move."

Breidinger also expressed frustration at the impact of Dean's actions on their other teammate, Kris Wright, who was also taken out of the race. She said:

"I have not talked to him. It was just unfortunate because he took out Kris (Wright), our other teammate, we're both going full-time this season. Gus is just pulling up for a couple of races because his dad is writing the cheques. So, it's just frustrating that he has a lack of respect."

Toni Breidinger is 'not going to help' Gus Dean out again

The 24-year-old NASCAR driver did not mince her words about Dean, who ended up winning the ARCA Menards Series season-opener. She proclaimed:

"I think we're gonna have some more races with him. I'm definitely not gonna help him out again. I mean, I'm still gonna have respect for him on the track because he's my teammate and he's in a Venturini car and I want the best for my team."

Despite her disappointment and loss of respect for Dean as a driver, Toni Breidinger acknowledged the importance of teamwork within the Venturini camp and said:

"It's just really really frustrating and I lost respect for him as a driver. But he's my teammate at the end of the day, and he's in a Venturini car and I want our teams to succeed. But it's just, really disappointing what he did. Clearly, he doesn't have respect for any of us."

Toni Breidinger settled for a 27th-place finish in her Truck Series outing.