Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
This gorgeous racing driver of Lebanese descent has become the first Arab-American woman to take part in Nascar stock car racing.
Toni Breidinger, 21, a California native, said: “I’m honoured and excited to be the first, but I don’t want to be the last. I hope I can pave the way for future female Arab drivers as well.”
She made her debut at the ARCA Menards Series stock car contest and the Nascar Camping World Truck Series which started at the Daytona International Speedway track in the US state of Florida on Saturday.
![](https://viraltab.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Newsflash-NascarDriver-011-778x1024.jpeg)
Breidinger survived a pile-up on lap 29 and finished in 18th spot, according to local media.
However, the stunning racing driver had already made her mark as the most successful woman in the history of the United States Auto Club with 19 wins.
She said that racing at Daytona was always on her “bucket list”, adding: “It’s such a historic track. It’s a step in the right direction to hopefully race in the Daytona 500 one day.”
![](https://viraltab.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Newsflash-NascarDriver-021-868x1024.jpeg)
Breidinger, whose mother hails from the Lebanese capital Beirut, credited her engineer father, who is also a huge motorsports fan, as her biggest inspiration. Her twin sister Annie races as well.
Three other women recently made Nascar history by coming through the association’s Drive for Diversity programme, a project aimed at creating more inclusive pit teams.
Black women Breanna O’Leary and Brehanna Daniels became the first female pit crew members at the Daytona 500 in 2018, and Dalanda Ouendeno from France was the first foreign-born graduate to be in the pit for the Daytona 500.
The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.