Toni Breidinger "Empowered" By Support of Uber's 'Women Preferences'

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Toni Breidinger is less than a month removed from taking the checkered flag on her first full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign (the third step on NASCAR’s development ladder), but the San Francisco, California-native has continued to turn heads and raise eyebrows with her ability to seamlessly draw in lucrative, high-profile sponsorship deals.

With more than 2.4-million followers on Instagram alone, Breidinger has successfully cultivated her personal brand throughout her racing career. That has led to several exciting opportunities, both on and off the racetrack, some of which have carried new faces, new fans, and new brands into the world of NASCAR.

For Breidinger, the latest relationship forged is a major one, and no doubt something that hits close to home.

The 26-year-old driver has partnered with the ultra-popular ridesharing platform Uber to serve as a spokesperson for the brand and its new ‘Women Preferences’ initiative, which allows women in select cities across the United Sates to request a female driver for their trip – providing an additional level of comfort and confidence.

After a pilot program in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit earlier this year, the brand confirmed that women traveling in 26 additional cities across the country would also be able to utilize this highly requested feature.

In an exclusive interview with Racing America on SI, Breidinger expressed her excitement for this brand-new feature: “I am so excited about thew new feature, I’ve been waiting for it forever,” she said. “I still Uber all the time, but when I was younger, especially in high school, I would get nervous sometimes and I feel like this is such an empowering feature.”

Breidinger says that this new feature, which is a revolutionary point of change in the ridesharing industry, allows women to have their specific needs catered to, and drives forward a culture of empowerment, which helps to set women up for success daily.

As the only woman to have competed full-time in one of NASCAR’s National Series this past year, Breidinger, without a doubt, understands what its like to be taking the fight to a male-dominated field, making this high-profile sponsorship a perfect fit between the two parties.

“[This partnership] means the world to me,” Breidinger expressed. “It’s not an easy journey to be a female in NASCAR. So, to have Uber’s support is meaningful to me, especially because when they’re supporting me, they’re not just supporting my career and my journey, they’re supporting female athletes all around. So, it’s really empowering and special.”

It’s a surreal moment for Breidinger, no question, but it’s not necessarily a new one, either. Over the last three years or so, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver has been working hard to put together some incredible deals, and making them stick, garnering support from brands like Raising Cane’s, Sunoco, Victoria’s Secret, Dave & Buster’s, CELSIUS, Coach, 818 Tequila, and many others. While Uber may be the largest brand, she’s gotten the opportunity to work with, thus far, the complete tapestry of previous partners is eye-catching.

“I’ve been on this journey a long time, and to gain the support of Uber and so many amazing companies that I’ve worked with over the past few years is, yeah, just very validating, and it makes the hard work feel like it’s all been worth it, and also very empowering that they believe in me and want to help me pursue my dreams.”

RELATED: NASCAR Driver Toni Breidinger Featured in Latest SI Swimsuit Edition

But, what has been Breidinger’s secret these last couple of years?

“There’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle, but I think over the years it’s just been really relentless hard work, and I think it’s just like, a lot of the things that people don’t see because it’s off the track,” Breidinger said. “It’s like, the side hustles that I do, and I have a really great group of people around me that help support me and believe in me pursuing other passions and hobbies, and I think that’s how I’ve been able to have such really great partners, but they’re all really authentic to me.”

Every single one of these high-profile relationships that were forged led to Breidinger securing an opportunity to race full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage. In her rookie campaign, Breidinger had a best finish of 18th at Rockingham Speedway, two top-20s, and 13 top-25s.

“I honestly learned so much, and so much more than I would have ever expected to learn,” Breidinger said about her rookie campaign in the Truck Series. “Looking back, there’s so much that I wish I could tell myself, starting the season. I think overall, I got a feel for all the tracks on the schedule, starting to get used to the truck. I think the biggest thing for me is just the confidence that I gained throughout the season, and one of the biggest things I learned, is that, there were a lot of challenges and I think the way that I was able to overcome them and get back up and get back up stronger is something I’ll really take away into next season.”

Coming into the season, Breidinger was aware that a transition into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was going to be a challenge, although the learning curve may have been a little steeper than anticipated.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, but I think it was more a learning curve than what I was probably anticipating, but I also knew it was going to be a challenge,” she added. “I think there was a lot that I learned that you just don’t know what you don’t know, so I think the amount of knowledge I ended up getting by the end of the season surprising to me because it’s definitely a big step from the [ARCA Menards Series].”

"I went into it knowing it was a challenge, and I wanted to give myself that challenge."

Toni Breidinger, on her NCTS rookie year

And, yes, there were some things that were transferrable from her time competing in the ARCA Menards Series – mainly the layout of some of the racetracks and some race craft items – but Breidinger was honest in saying that “[the] Truck Series is amplified times a million.”

While there are some drivers that define their entire legacies based exclusively on the races or championships that they’ve collected throughout their careers, Breidinger has a different idea of what she wants her impact to be on NASCAR once her career ends.

“There’s so much I want to achieve, career-wise, but I think if I look at something as my legacy, I want to hopefully create a more welcoming environment, hopefully pave a path for females in the sport,” said Breidinger. “I think that’s been the most rewarding thing for me this year is just the young girls coming up to me and saying that I inspire them or that they’re starting to race because of me.”

“That’s been the most rewarding thing out of any race I’ve done, out of any campaign I’ve done, it’s been those younger girls who are inspired by me, because I was one that young girl in their position.”

When speaking to younger generations of women trying to break the glass ceiling, whether that be in the motorsports world, another male-dominated industry, or in something they’re passionate about, Breidinger always says, “Don’t be afraid to be the first you.”

“I think it’s so easy to compare yourself to somebody else, and somebody else’s journey,” Breidinger added. “My path was not what I expected it to be, or what I dreamt it to be when I was younger. There’s going to be the challenges and the highs and the lows, but don’t let that deter you, and just embrace your own journey. I feel like everybody’s unique for a good reason.”