Toni Breidinger returns to Venturini Motorsports for partial ARCA campaign

RACERS

Jan 11, 20232 min read

Toni Breidinger extended her partnership with top team Venturini Motorsports and will contest 11 ARCA Menards races in 2023.

Toni Breidinger will again drive one of Venturini Motorsports race cars in the upcoming ARCA Menards season, having extended her partnership with the top team for a part-time campaign that includes 11 races. Breidinger, who became the first ever Arab-American woman to race in a NASCAR-sanctioned event, will race at Daytona, Phoenix, Talladega, Dover, Kansas, Charlotte, Iowa, Lucas Oil, Pocono, Kansas, and Phoenix.

The Californian driver returns to the series after a full 20-event season in 2022, started with an impressive first place in the opening practice at Daytona – where she would eventually score her first top ten of the year. Breidinger claimed five more top ten finishes over the course of the year, scoring 824 points to end sixth in the championship standings.

“2022 was a big growing year for me", Breidinger recalled. "It was my rookie season and every time I went to a track it was brand new for me. It was a big learning curve. I’m looking forward to applying what I learned last year to this year.”

A returning season with the team is certainly going to help the driver reap the rewards after the learning-oriented rookie year, having already shown potential in most of the races.

“Daytona is the most exciting race of the season for me", Toni continued. "The environment there is just different and I’ve been looking forward to going back and racing there again. Another track I’m really looking forward to going to is Phoenix which was a highlight for me last season.”

Her partial campaign features already visited tracks, which will give Breidinger the opportunity to build on the collected experience. She is set to work alongside crew chief Cayden Lapcevich.

It will be Breidinger's fourth year with the team: she has in fact made three ARCA appearances in 2018 – also collecting a top-10 at Madison at her debut – before returning behind the wheel of a Venturini Motorsports Toyota at Phoenix Raceway, in the 2021 ninth round of the ARCA West series.

Breidinger has raced in karting, open wheel midgets and stock cars, claiming 19 victories through the United States Automobile Club. In 2023, she is expected to make her sportscar debut as well, as she has been signed by Nitro Motorsports for the new Toyota GR Cup North America inaugural season, a new series sanctioned by SRO and supporting GT World Challenge America.

Her ARCA Menards commitments will start at Daytona International Speedway, for the anticipated season opener on February 18th.

Toni Breidinger is so far the second confirmed female driver on the 2023 grid, as Mandy Chick confirmed a full time entry in the #74 Team Chick Motorsports Chevrolet.