Superstar NASCAR stock car driver and model Toni Breidinger made her debut in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She posed for photographer Ben Horton in Boca Raton, Florida, wearing a LATITID swimsuit.
“I actually remember the first time I got into a go-kart – it’s so alive – the pedals, the seat. I remember my heart was pounding. Once I got into the go-kart, (I was) immediately hooked,” Breidinger said. Ananya Panchal from Sports Illustrated during his photo shoot.
A San Francisco native, Breidinger notched 27 top 10 finishes, reached the ARCA Menards Series podium and finished in fourth place last season. She began modeling for Victoria’s Secret in 2022.
This year, Breidinger has progressed further, working his way into a full-time role in the third-tier NASCAR Truck Series through Tricon Garage. According to Panchal, Breidinger has already broken barriers in her short career, having now become the first Arab-American woman to compete in a NASCAR national series event.
She has yet to finish in the top 10 in an event, but it’s still early. Her best finish thus far in a NASCAR event is 15th, which she earned in her NASCAR debut in ’23 at Kansas Speedway.
“Before the green flag went up, I was like, ‘Wait, this is so crazy. I’m here and I’m doing this,’” she recalls. “It was the most present I’ve ever been in a race.” For the first time, she even caught herself smiling while driving – “which doesn’t really happen” – a sign, she says, that her mindset has paid off. “I feel like that’s reflected in the results.”
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Breidinger has moved toward celebrating the next generation of female drivers. With her automotive engineer twin sister, Annie, in tow, Breidinger recently co-hosted the International Women’s Day kart mentoring event at the Phoenix Kart Racing Association. At the event, 13 young drivers came together to celebrate “a day of mentorship, karting sessions and inspiration,” according to Panchal.
“When I’m on the track, I don’t really think, ‘Oh, I’m surrounded by guys,’ but I am,” Breidinger reflected on her status as a motorsport pioneer. “Now that I’m older, I realize I’m doing something different.”
Breidinger took care of him Instagramwhere she has 2.6 million followers and counting, thanks to her stints in the fashion and running worlds, to celebrate the official release of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
“Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2025 is finally out!!” Breidinger wrote.
This moment marks another exciting first in a fascinating two-pronged career that, in many ways, seems to have only just begun.
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