Toni Breidinger to become first female Arab-American in NASCAR national series

Toni Breidinger will make history in 2021 by becoming the first female Arab-American to compete in a NASCAR national series when she gets behind the wheel of the No. 82 Chevrolet Silverado for Young’s Motorsports.

The Hillsborough, Calif. native is set to compete for the team on a part-time basis in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) as well as the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 02 Chevrolet in the latter.

Toni Breidinger broke the news on Twitter, and her tweet included previews of both series’ entries.

Excited to be joining @youngsmtrsports for 2021 race season! I’ll be driving the #02 car in @ARCA_Racing and the #82 trucks in @NASCAR’s Camping World Truck series. Kicking off the season next week at @DAYTONA pic.twitter.com/H5Uc5eip8j

— Toni Breidinger (@ToniBreidinger) February 4, 2021

Speaking about the opportunity, Breidinger said:

"I’m very thankful for this opportunity to continue the next steps of my racing career with Young’s Motorsports. It’s going to be a busy year of competition in ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but I feel like the program that we have assembled at Young’s Motorsports will be influential in completing our goals and setting the path for the future."

Team owner Tyler Young also took to Twitter to share the news:

Excited to have @ToniBreidinger on the team!!! First female driver for @youngsmtrsports, we’re going to have a lot of fun this season!! https://t.co/6DxgjQcG7q

— Tyler Young (@TylerYoung02) February 4, 2021

Breidinger also talked about her expectations for the race:

"Daytona is going to be the biggest race of my career, but I’m ready for it. It’s going to be a competitive race, but I know that the Young’s Motorsports team will prepare me a fast race car and we can contend for a top-10 finish. That is our goal, a top-10 finish."

While her ARCA debut is set to be the 2021 season-opener at Daytona on Feb. 13, Toni Breidinger's part-time schedule in the NCWTS will be revealed at a later date.

Toni Breidinger’s racing career before NASCAR

Toni Breidinger was primarily known for her prowess in the United States Auto Club (USAC) circuit, where she is the most successful female driver with 19 wins.

She shifted her focus to asphalt racing after that. In 2018, she competed in three ARCA races and came away with a best finish of 10th at Madison International Speedway. In 2019, Breidinger finished fourth in points in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series.

Earlier, in January, during ARCA’s preseason test at Daytona, Toni Breidinger shared Young’s Motorsport’s No. 02 car with Kris Wright and was 52nd fastest among 56 cars that participated.

The 2021 ARCA Menards Series will kick off with the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire at Daytona on Saturday, Feb. 13.