The 21-year-old has joined the Young’s Motorsports racing team to start in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR pickup truck competition, Camping World Truck Series, starting with the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida op. Saturday.
“I am honored and excited to be the first, but I do not want to be the last,” Breidinger, who is of Lebanese descent, told CNN. “I hope I can also pave the way for future female Arab leaders.”
Breidinger is a 19-time United States Auto Club winner, a record for any female driver, and will make her debut in 2018 in the Top 10 on Madison International Highway at ARCA Menards.
Breidinger said racing on the Daytona Highway was “a dream come true”.
“Daytona has always been on my bucket list to race with. Every driver’s dream is to race there one day,” she said. “It’s such a historic track. It’s a step in the right direction to hopefully one day race in the Daytona 500.”
Breidinger hopes to one day reach the NASCAR Cup Series, the leading race series.
“Once I got into a kart, I really just knew,” Breidinger said. “I’ve always had so much passion for it. I love the competition, the adrenaline rush. I’m addicted to it.”
“When the helmet shows up and I race, it’s no longer about being a female driver. I’m just like anyone else trying to get to the finish line,” she said.
Breidinger drives Young Motorsports’ # 02 Chevrolet SS car for the ARCA Menards race and their # 82 Chevrolet Silverado for the Camping World Truck Series.
“We work hard to strengthen diversity in the sport, and the diverse composition of our executives is an important part of the mission,” Brandon Thompson, NASCAR vice president of diversity and inclusion, told CNN. “We want women and people of color to see themselves in our competitors, because those are the connecting points that will help NASCAR grow and become more diverse.”
The Lucas Oil 200, an 80-lap, 200-mile race, is the first of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series.