Toni Breidinger opens up about sponsorship troubles during early NASCAR career, touches on current “potential collaboration” requests

NASCAR's newest up-and-coming female racing sensation Toni Breidinger recently opened up on the struggles of securing a sponsorship deal early on in a driver's career.

Toni Breidinger, a Victoria's Secret model and part-time NASCAR Truck Series driver, responded to a tweet by ARCA crew member Colby Evans, who shared his struggles with securing sponsorships to sustain his racing career. Evans' tweet read:

"I really understand stress for drivers looking for sponsorship to keep their careers going. I've sent over 130 emails in the last week and have gotten 2 responses, and it didn't lead to anything. More respect for the guys who are able to do this and piece together full season!!!"

In response, Toni Breidinger disclosed that back in 2018, she sent out over 750 emails for sponsorships and received only seven responses. She wrote:

"Back in 2018, I sent out more than 750 emails seeking sponsorship and received just 7 responses. Every now and then, I still receive random emails from those 750 contacts, either congratulating me or inquiring about potential collaboration."

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Former Cup Series driver adds to Toni Breidinger's experience, dwells into sponsorship struggles

Ryan Ellis, driver for Alpha Prime Racing in the Xfinity Series, and a former part-time Cup Series driver, has also shared his troubles with securing sponsorships.

Responding to Evans' tweet, Ellis said he "averaged 1000 emails a day" for four to five months in 2023, resulting in severe sleep deprivation and significant weight loss. He stated:

"I averaged 1000 emails a day last year for 4-5 months. thought I was actually going to die from lack of sleep + the amount of caffeine i was taking in. the stress caused me to lose 20-25 lbs."

The experiences shared by the likes of veteran driver Ryan Ellis and newcomers such as Toni Breidinger offer an intriguing insight into the struggles that motorsports drivers battle through behind the scenes in order to piece together a full racing season.

Toni Breidinger had an impressive 2023 season in the lower echelons of NASCAR. The 24-year-old Arab-American driver finished 9th in the ARCA Menards Series Championship driving for Venturini Motorsports. She secured four top 5 finishes while shuffling between the No. 55, 25 and 15 Toyota.

Breidinger also made her Craftsman Truck Series debut for Tricon Garage last season. The model-turned-racer competed in three races driving the No. 1 Toyota, becoming only the second female driver in the Truck Series last season besides Hailie Deegan.