Arab American Women Athletes to Celebrate
4 Athletes Who've Changed the Game For Arab American Women and Girls in Sports
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Breidinger, 21 and Lebanese, made her debut with Young's Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series season opener back in February (the ARCA Menards Series is considered a "direct feeder" into NASCAR's premier races, Today reported). According to NASCAR, she will become the first Arab American woman driver to take part in any NASCAR national-series event when she races in the Camping World Truck Series this year (though some outlets are saying her debut at Daytona already qualifies her for that accolade). For context, NASCAR acquired ARCA in 2018.
"Winning is always my goal for every race, but I also set smaller goals each time as well. I focus on getting ahead one car at a time and securing the highest placing possible," Breidinger, who has 19 wins in the United States Auto Club (USAC) alone, told POPSUGAR via email. "I work to understand my car better, and I learn something new with every race that I try to apply next time I'm on the track. The ultimate end goal for me is to get to the top level of NASCAR (the NASCAR Cup Series)."
Breidinger, who was first introduced to go-karting at age 9 and who was recently interviewed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, told POPSUGAR that above all, she loves how close the competition field is while racing. "Everyone's lap times are measured with literally a blink-of-an-eye difference from each other. I find that as I'm in the middle of a race, I get in this hyper-focussed mental space where all I'm thinking about is trying to pass the car in front of me." This keeps her coming back for more.
"Confidence is everything, and the best way to gain self confidence is to do what you're afraid to do," Breidinger said when asked about her advice. "Work on bettering yourself in every way that you can to truly become the best that you can be. Be the girl that just goes and does it!"
Follow Toni Breidinger on Instagram: @tonibreidinger