The 21-year-old joined the Young’s Motorsports racing team to compete in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series stock car competition and the NASCAR pick-up competition, Camping World Truck Series, which starts with Lucas Oil 200 at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Saturday.
“I am honored and excited to be the first, but I don’t want to be the last,” Breidinger, who is of Lebanese descent, told CNN. “I hope to be able to pave the way for future Arab pilots as well.”
Breidinger is a 19-time winner of the United States Auto Club, a record for any female driver, and debuted in the Top 10 on the Madison International speedway at ARCA Menards in 2018.
Breidinger said running on the Daytona track “is a dream come true”.
“Daytona has always been on my wish list to compete. 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 race on the Daytona 500 one day.”
Breidinger hopes to one day reach the NASCAR Cup Series, the premier racing series.
“As soon as I got on a kart, I really knew,” said Breidinger. “I’ve always been so passionate about it. I love the competition, the adrenaline. I’m addicted to it.”
“When the helmet is put on and I’m running, it’s not about being a female driver anymore. I’m just like anyone trying to reach the finish line, ”she said.
Breidinger will drive the # 02 Chevrolet SS car from Young Motorsports for the ARCA Menards race and his Chevrolet Silverado # 82 for the Camping World Truck series.
“We are working diligently to strengthen diversity across the sport and the diverse makeup of our drivers represents an important part of that mission,” Brandon Thompson, NASCAR’s vice president of diversity and inclusion, told CNN. “We want women and people of color to be represented in our competitors because it is these points of connection 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 calendar.