NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger has opened up about her love for racing and how that comes first over her modeling career. The 26-year-old is racing her first full-time season in the Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage.
The Victoria’s Secret model is often questioned about her interest in motorsports, given the huge contrast between the two careers. Her struggles in her rookie season haven’t made matters easier either. But Breidinger is clear that racing is her “first love,” and that her professional journey began with racing cars. Opening up about the misconceptions people had about her career, she said on the SpeakUp Podcast:
“I always say like I’ve been doing this since I was nine. I think a lot of times people think I just kind of woke up one day like a couple years ago and decided to do this because I had a social media following and I was a model before, but I’m like, ‘You know, this started with racing. This was my first love, and it still is.”
She is keen on maintaining her racing identity in her modeling work. Breidinger revealed how she likes to be recognized as a race car driver while at her shoot sets. She said:
Toni Breidinger, driver of the #5 Coach Toyota, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics at Michigan International Speedway on June…
Toni Breidinger, driver of the #5 Coach Toyota, waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics at Michigan International Speedway on June 07, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan.
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“Usually when I’m on set, everybody wants to talk about how I’m a race car driver, and it’s not seen as like, oh, she’s a model, I usually like to lead with that. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m a race car driver. And you guys tell me what to do, like this (modeling) is not necessarily my space.”
Breidinger revealed that she carries two different personas – one who gets her hands dirty working on cars, while the other demands being well-dressed for events. Despite a potential clash between both worlds, she has managed to adapt, acknowledging that there’s a lot that comes with motorsports. She said:
“I definitely feel like I’m two different people sometimes because I’ll get dressed up, go to events, like love my little dresses and outfits, and then there’s other side of me where I’m like, I don’t care if I have like some dirt like on my hands and like if I’m wearing baggy clothes.
“So, I feel like I have two very different personalities, which is funny. I adapt, I guess, depending to the situations. Um, but yeah, for sure. I feel like you have to—I mean, at the end of the day, it’s still motorsports. You have to kind of get a little dirty and, you know, it’s not always the cutest is what, you know, might look like on social media.”