Toni Breidinger is the latest in the long line of female NASCAR drivers trying to make their mark. The sport has come a long way from Sara Christian back in 1949, and there have been many very well-known female names since then. One of them is Danica Patrick, who was the only woman to win a pole position at Daytona in 2013.

A sport like NASCAR operates differently from other racing series. In order to race, drivers need money and sponsors to back them. This isn’t an obstacle limited to Toni Breidinger, as it applies to each and every driver. To earn her seat in the Cup Series, she has been doing everything in her power to market herself.

On the race track, Breidinger has not exactly been setting the tarmac alight. The 26-year-old has only had two Top-20 finishes this year as her full-time debut season proves to be a challenge. Her underwhelming performances have added fuel to the critics who say that her brand deals and modeling are proving to be distractions. But Breidinger throws a stern response in their way.

Toni Breidinger needs her brand deals and is proud of them

According to the 26-year-old, her entire networking has an endgame to it, which is her racing career. Aside from her duties as a NASCAR Truck Series driver, Breidinger is also a brand ambassador for major brands and businesses across different industries. Her sponsorship resume is pretty impressive, with the likes of Coach, Victoria’s Secret, 818 Tequila, Dave & Buster’s, and Raising Cane’s in her corner. And despite this long list of partnerships, she firmly denies distraction claims from her off-track activities.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, she said, “When people say that doing brand deals affects my performance, I’m like, ‘No, you know what affects my performance? Not being able to race because I can’t afford it.’ You need seat time to get better, and you have to pay for it… It sounds toxic, but I’m okay with working 99% of the time right now. It’s a cycle, and I’m still figuring out how to balance it, but I’m at a critical point in my career, so I want to give it 1000% and look back knowing it was worth it.”

Frankly, the economics involved in motorsport are pretty insane, be it NASCAR or any other racing series. Female drivers, who are already a minority, face even more hardships due to being underrepresented, grabbing fewer sponsorships, or perception bias. Fortunately for Toni Breidinger, she is doing well in tackling these problems and giving her best: “It’s a cycle, and I’m still figuring out how to balance it, but I’m at a critical point in my career, so I want to give it 1000% and look back knowing it was worth it.” 

The TRICON Garage driver explained her marketing strategy

Toni Breidinger’s aptitude goes beyond the racing tracks where she has cracked the marketing code for herself. Speaking about her strategy, she said, “I like leaning into the female-focused brands and products that I use myself, because they’re often things that my male teammates don’t use. I might as well leverage that and build partnerships with brands that are authentic to me and tap into the female demographic. It’s important that all of my deals feel authentic and are really aligned with me.”

Recently, in June, Dave & Buster’s announced Toni Breidinger as their official summer ambassador. Getting affiliated with it wasn’t alien to Breidinger, who said, “Dave & Buster’s is a place I grew up going to in the Bay Area with my sister. Whenever we had an off weekend from karting, we’d go play games, so this is a nostalgic, full-circle moment. When I did my national campaign with Raising Cane’s last year, it drew a lot of attention from their fans and kind of blended our fan bases.”

NASCAR is a sport that often sees the same set of sponsors, with just a few minor additions and subtractions. However, Toni Breidinger is trying to take a brave step and explore new horizons from a sponsorship perspective. As she mentioned, her focus remains on brands that cater more towards women, as it gives her a unique edge over the typical brand deals already dominated by male drivers.