Toni Breidinger relates to a female reporter's struggle in male-dominated NASCAR

Toni Breidinger recently acknowledged the challenges women face in the male-dominated world of NASCAR, after journalist Kelly Crandall brought to light instances of gender discrimination in the garage, during her visit to Pocono Raceway.

Crandall shared on X (previously Twitter) that while following male crew members into the garage area on Saturday, she was asked to smile (by someone unspecified). She further mentioned that the security stopped her from entering the gates on Friday in jest, stating she did not have permission to access the garage area.

After repeated encounters, Crandall expressed her frustration on X, writing:

"I walked into the garage behind this very large pack of male crew guys … take a guess who got told to smile. Yesterday, take a guess who got stopped because security thought it’d be funny to say they couldn’t go through a gate between the garages... I’m so tired of this s*it."

ARCA Series driver, Toni Breidinger, commented on Kelly Crandall's recent experiences, suggesting that it has been the same for a long time.

"Story of my life," Breidinger wrote.

During the race weekend at Pocono, another female NASCAR PR, Carly Miktuk, shared that she was also stopped by security and asked to smile or else would not be let in.

"I was also stopped today and told “you can’t come in unless you smile” while trying to do my job," her comment read.

Although NASCAR has historically been a male-dominated sport, the landscape is changing with female drivers such as Toni Breidinger and other women in the garage ushering in a new era.

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Toni Breidinger dismisses popular stereotype associated with NASCAR

The 24-year-old ARCA Series driver spoke out on the outdated stereotypes that continue to be associated with NASCAR. She explained that people continue to see the stock car racing series as a predominantly white, male-dominated sport. However, she emphasized that NASCAR is more diverse than perceived by casual observers.

In an interview with The Athletic, Breidinger was asked for her opinion that contradicts the popular notion. She addressed the misconception about the diversity in NASCAR, saying:

"People see it as a very White, male-dominated sport, but there’s a lot more diversity in it. And it still needs a lot of work. But that’s the general population’s stereotype of the sport," she said.

Toni Breidinger hopes to leverage her popularity on social media to change the stereotypes associated with the sport. She competes in the ARCA Menards Series, driving for Venturini Motorsports. She has also made four NASCAR Truck Series starts, with a 15th-place best finish.