Venturini Motorsports set to create history with Toni Breidinger and others in the Springfield ARCA 100

The Billy Venturini-owned Venturini Motorsports is set to create a benchmark in stock car racing with Toni Breidinger and three other drivers at the upcoming Springfield ARCA 100 at Illinois State Fairgrounds. One of America's oldest continuously running Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) teams, it will field four women drivers on Sunday, a first in the class of motorsport.

In a recent press release, Venturini said that the team's women drivers Isabella Robusto, Taylor Reimar, Breidinger and Amber Balcaen will compete in the dirt track event, along with Kris Wright.

"Over the past couple of decades, we’ve seen more women drivers making a positive impact on our sport," Billy Venturini said. "Although female drivers competing at this level is nothing new I’ve seen more and more talented women drivers coming up the ranks the last few years."

"These women on our team are great role models for younger girls looking at our sport. This weekend will be special but honestly I don’t really look at it as gender specific – for us it’s just another day at the track with our drivers."

Venturini Motorsports set the record for fielding three female drivers in a single race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2018.

Toni Breidinger also competes in the NASCAR Truck Series, piloting the #1 Toyota for Tricon Garage. A former United States Auto Club record-holder for the most wins (19) by a female, she is running her second full-time season with Venturini Motorsports and has accumulated four top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in her 57 starts in the ARCA Menards Series.

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Toni Breidinger on her mental training in the sport - "I had an imposter syndrome"

Toni Breidinger is a full-time ARCA Series driver, piloting the #25 Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports. She started racing in go-karts at the age of nine along with her sister and began her professional career as a part-time driver in the ARCA Series for Venturini in 2018.

In an interview with The Athletic earlier this year, the 25-year-old Victoria's Secret model reflected on the challenges faced in the male-dominated sport and working with a mental training coach apart from physical training.

"I don’t want to speak for other females in the sport, but for myself," Toni Breidinger said. "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.

"So, she (Breidinger's mental training coach) 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."

Breidinger last competed at Daytona International Speedway earlier this year and achieved a P27 finish. Her best finish with Tricon Garage came in her debut race in the truck at the 2023 Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway.