How NASCAR Driver Toni Breidinger Went From Delivering Groceries to Modeling for Victoria’s Secret

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I know how much they're giving my male teammate, and to me, it's not even like a quarter of them out.

Today we're talking to Toni Breitinger, the only woman racing NASCAR full time, on how she built one of the most powerful personal brands in racing.

It's like brands that want to say that they're supporting a female athlete just to be like with the times, but they're not actually giving the same amount of dollar support that they would give to a male counterpart.

People are offering you like six figures to join only fans, and you're like, absolutely not.

I also don't want to sexualize my uniform and my sport because I feel like the guys don't have to do. I didn't have the funding behind me, but I was like, I'm just going to move out, try to make connections with whoever, and I would just do like instacart during the days and send out my cold emails.

If you don't have a sponsor, you can't race. That's how it works.

Yeah, you can be an amazing driver, but, like, without partners, you're not going to go anywhere. Hey, guys, I'm Toni Brightinger and welcome to the Burnouts.

I want to dive into, like nine years old, you start racing. Was it go karting you started out with? How did you get into it originally?

My dad just saw an advertisement for, for go kart classes and I was at like the age where I was trying everything. So I was doing like gymnastics, soccer, piano classes. Nothing was really like, hitting for Me. And then I tried to go kart and I fell in love with it. I just loved that sense of independence. I feel like I was also kind of like a scrawnier kid too. I wasn't very athletic, so I felt like, I felt like even to like everyone else. Like, I felt like in a go kart, I was just run you over? Yeah, Yeah. I was like, guys, what's up?

And were there other girls? Or like, what did it look like between guys and girls?

Ever since I started racing, it's always been male dominated. But I started racing with my twin sister, so I feel like having her by my side. I didn't really feel like that growing up because I always had a female alongside with me.

So now you talked about your sister's an engineer and you've. You're the first woman in nascar. What was the split when you were like, okay, I'm going to go professional. You moved across the country at 18 to North Carolina. When do you guys doing this together? Is it competitive or is it like, hey, I know that this is a hobby for me now I'm going to go do. This is my career. What is that conversation between you two?

Like, ever since I got in a go kart, I always just knew that I wanted to be a race car driver. And I took it so seriously from the get go. And I'm sure my parents thought it was just going to be a phase. I feel like my sister took it very seriously too, but we have very different personalities, which is funny because we're twins. But in high school, she always knew she wanted to go to college, and she was very into, like, making sure she doesn't miss any school for races. I'm like, oh, miss school for race? Sure. Like, I'll miss, like, however many days. And I always knew that I wanted to pursue racing and, you know, not go the college route. I feel like once I kind of hit high school, that was kind of that pivotal point of like, okay, I'm gonna move to North Carolina once I graduate high school and try to wing this thing.

What did look like when you were in high school? So are you going to races? Do you see that you have a winning streak or something like that? What was that inflection point?

So there is basically a motorsports ladder system, and there's so many different ways to go about it. But I started racing in go karts and then eventually I went to, like, what we call, like, grassroots level of racing. So it's very entry level. So I did local races around Southern California, like central California. And then once you kind of start winning locally, then you kind of travel to national races. And the east coast is the hub for nascar. So I kind of knew that sleep kind of where I needed to be eventually.

What did your parents think when you said, I want to go professional on this and how does it work for getting paid? Is it like you win a race and then you make money for?

My parents, they were always very supportive. My mom's my biggest cheerleader, my dad's a little bit more realistic. But I was always so lucky because I always knew that I could pursue anything that I wanted to pursue. They were always so supported. The financial standpoint, motorsports is very expensive. I like the lower levels. You'll get winning money and stuff like that, but it's not here. How much is it? I mean like in go karts you'd win like a couple hundred bucks or something like that with your kids. And I was like, oh my God, I'm rich. But I mean, once you get up through like the ranks and you start like making like purse money and it's a more significant amount. But motorsports is still so expensive. That's why it's so like sponsor driven. And you see so many logos in the sport because it takes, takes a lot of bucks.

For us, we like to break down kind of the business behind different industries. Like how much does it cost to kind of enter into the sport and what does that look like?

So I would say to get through the sport, there's so many different ways to go about it and you don't. I mean, for me, like when I started racing go karts, my dad was my mechanic and we owned all our own stuff. But I also knew if I wanted to pursue nascar. I remember when I was in high school, I was just like googling it because I didn't have any family in the sport prior, so I didn't really know much about the sport. I just knew that I wanted to be a race car driver. So I remember I was googling it one day and I saw like it took like millions to race. And I was like, oh my God, millions? No, literally millions. I was in high school at this point, I'm like, a million bucks is like, I'm not surprised at all.

My sister and brother in law are both professional horseback riders. And it is a crazy sport.

If you like go up through their ranks, it's just like more money and more money.

Is it the cars? Like what is it like the car?

So it's the cars, but also like the parts and the team. I mean.

And there's, like, some crazy fuel stuff, right, isn't there? What was the scandal where someone, like, stole someone else's fuel or something?

So, I mean, everything just costs money. Like, with, like, fuel tires when we're racing, like, the races are, like, two hours, maybe more at some points. Like, you're, you know, using tires, you're doing pit stops, you have, like, your pit crew, and then you're traveling with all these people. We charter, like, planes, so it's like, like a music tour, but, like, for motorsports, and we're all just, like, traveling.

So what is the difference between all of these different cars?

So, basically, I drive for Toyota, so that's our manufacturer for our team. And my team I drive for as a Toyota development team. So I have four other teammates, and we all have our own crew chief, car chief, and mechanics on the car. So we all have five people solely working on our car. And then at the racetrack, we also have our pit crew. So we have, like, the people like, that change the tires, the fuel guys, the jackman. And then you also have your spotter, which your spotter is your eyes around the racetrack. So they'll kind of, like, communicate to you during the race. So you have, like, that. Like, that's, like, your core crew around you on a race weekend. So, yeah, it's like, the cost is kind of like, you know, you're paying for their salary, plus you have the cost of the truck drivers and, like, the fuel and everything it takes to, like, transport a race car and a, you know, like, semi. Even when you're racing, there's people at the shop behind the scenes that people don't even, like, know. Kind of like, the structure, at least how I run my business is I'll have my partners who support me, and then I'll pay my team, and they'll, like, provide, like, the car, the team, and the resources.

Got it. And the partners are sponsors.

Yes. Yeah. So partners are sponsors. So, like, when you see that I have, like, Sunoco on my race car, like, Celsius on my race car, those are my partners, and I'll bring them and, like, the dollars to the team and say, hey, like, I have XYZ amount of money, and that's what it.

Is to raise and to go out and get those sponsors. Are you having to pitch them? Is Toyota pitching them?

Yeah. So I. So back in the day, it was solely just me pitching them. Now I have a team around me that helps me with that. But I spent a lot of Hours back in my day just pitching, like I said when I was in high school and I saw how much it was, I was like, oh, my God, I need sponsors for this. So I remember just Googling, like how to make like a pitch deck. And I was just like sending cold emails all the time.

No way. Okay, walk me through. You're in high school, you want to get sponsors. What did you do? Like, how did you make the pitch deck? How did you approach people?

Yeah, and it was really just like Googling stuff. Like I didn't really know who to ask. There wasn't like a class or I didn't really have a mentor to really go to. So it's just a lot of kind of winging it, honestly. And I can't say my cold emails are very successful, but I spent a lot of time doing them and I feel like it also helped give me an understanding of, you know, how to like market myself and how important branding is. I feel like I've seen it like firsthand, me starting off to like growing my brand and how, you know, you can like now send a cold email and actually get a response.

So what did your deck say? And then what? How was the cold email response rate? Did you get people who responded back?

Yeah, my decks were so funny. I had, they used to be like very like long winded and now I think like the shorter the better. Like you want to feed people like quick information. But I had like my life story on there, my achievements. So I feel like probably not the best approach because, like, people who like your cold emailing probably don't want to read like the whole entire thing. But yeah, like, I had just like my achievements on there, my whole life story, you know, what my goals were, why you should partner with me, what am I trying to achieve? And I would just find random emails to different companies, companies I liked, companies that were local to me, just like everyone I reached out to.

Yeah, this is so interesting because I want to walk back to when me and Sophia were first fundraising for the company. We had no clue what we were doing. We literally went into our first pitch call with no deck, nothing. And we'd heard this whole trope on YouTube of, oh, pretend you're not raising and they'll come to you. Well, that works if you have an amazing product. We at the time are in college with no amazing product. Actually no product at the time. And so it was just like a long winded pitch. And this is something we actually had to learn how to do. We were lucky enough to have an incredible mentor, Joanne Bradford, who was, like, head of partnerships at Pinterest. She had sold this company, Honey. And she guided us through, like, how to make the deck. But I'm curious for you, who was your first sponsor?

So my first, like, big, like, actual campaign was actually with skims. And it was, I want to say, like, right before COVID or like, either right after. So that was maybe in, like, 2019. And to me, that was massive. I was like, oh, my God, it's like Kim Kardashian. Like, I love her. So it was, like, very cool opportunity for me. So that was my first, like, kind of like breakthrough, like, brand moment.

When you decided that you wanted to move and pursue full time, did you have to first get sponsors or what did that look like?

Yeah. So basically, I got an opportunity with Toyota before I moved to test one of their race cars. And they were like, you did great. 10 out of 10. And I thought, like, this was like, my big shot. I was like, yeah, like, I'm gonna get, like, a full ride. And they're like, you did great. This is like, how many dollars you need to bring to be able to race on our of our race car? How much was it, Millions? Yes.

And bring it to them through sponsors or through prize money?

Sponsors or family money? Either or. And then to me, like, I didn't know much about the sport, so I thought, like, oh, I'm gonna go, like.

Do we talk like, five million? Six?

Like, how, like, not to, like, make it sound like a small amount, but like 1 or 2 million?

Like, okay, so Toyota's like, you need to, okay, we'll give you one of our cars, but you need to bring us 1 or 2 million in either family money or sponsorship money.

And you're like, cost for that team to operate that Toyota, and is that.

Just operational cost for a year?

Yes. Yeah.

So what's your reaction in this?

Yes.

Are you freaking out? Are you pumped? Like, where are you in this?

It's funny because I think I went in so naive. I thought I was going to go in and, like, really impress, and they're going to be like, okay, yeah, like, you get this ride. And it was kind of a reality check. I was like, you can be an amazing driver, but, like, without partners, you're not going to go anywhere. So once I did that test, I was like, you know what? I'm still going to go ahead with the move. I didn't have any plans to raise because I didn't have the funding behind me, but I was like, I'm just going to move out there, try to make connections. I knew how important that would be, especially just, you know, not being really in the sport prior. So I was like, I'm going to move to North Carolina. It's the hub for everything nascar. Try to make connections with whoever. And I would just do like instacart during the days and send out my cold emails and yeah, that was kind of like how like my like early years in North Carolina when it was just me kind of just every day, like waking up, cold emails and I'd instacart in the afternoon. I'm so proud of you.

That's incredible. And when did it start to click together where you were able to raise that amount of funding?

Honestly, it was during COVID and it's when I kind of started getting on TikTok and making videos. And I remember initially I was like, I don't really see many. Like it was like a lot of people like dancing on TikTok and I was like, there's not really anything motorsports related on there. So initially I was like, well, it must be because people aren't interested. And then I was like, well, maybe people are interested in it but they just don't know about it, which was the case. So I started creating videos around motorsports and just my experience in the space and they started blowing up and I started getting followers and then started getting brand deals from that. So that was kind of like my pivotal moment was social social media.

Did you have a breakout video that reached a certain amount of views or something where you were like, oh my God, this is.

Oh, I remember my first viral video so vividly. I remember just like refreshing my TikTok and just seeing like the numbers like go up by like the thousands. It was like this little edit that my roommate at the time made. Like we just, I did like a test at like a racetrack. We threw like this little edit together with like a trendy song and it blew up. And I remember like it got like millions of views and I remember thinking like, oh my God, like this is my big break. It's not like anything life changing happened after that, but it did definitely help helped me get followers and with followers, like you have more value for brands and partners. So yeah, so I was like, okay, this works. I just started creating more of those videos and building my brand from that.

But I'm surprised that Toyota isn't bringing any of their money into the game either when they're like, oh, you can use our car.

But yeah, so it's the Manufacturers in the sport, like, they'll help the teams and, like, they'll give us resources. So for me, like, Toyota has a training facility that I use, and everyone's deals are kind of different, just, like, depending on the manufacturer and everything. But it is just expensive, and people expect you to bring the dollars to the table.

Walk me through what's, like, the after race, like, culture in North Carolina. That's the hub for everything that is nascar.

Yeah.

Are people hitting the bar afterwards? Are people friends with each other? Is there a little bit of rivalry with the other drivers? What does that look like? Because I know it's very male dominated as well.

It is very male dominated. And, yeah, like, where I live, everybody's in racing. Like, you walk outside, you go to the grocery store, and there's somebody in motorsports, like my neighbors in motorsports. So it's. It's cool that, like, we're all kind of like. It's like a little community. I don't really have many friends out there just because it is male dominated. I feel like I don't really have, like, a core group that I really gravitate to, but I have, like, a couple of friends, and I have, like, my teammates and, you know, drivers into the Toyota system that, like, I'll talk to in passing. But, yeah, I kind of, like, honestly keep to myself. I feel like when I first moved out there, I really wanted to make friends, but then I realized I was just, like, trying to, like, force relationships with people, and I was like, never mind.

Yeah.

So you start blowing up on Tik Tok, you start realizing, oh, if I have a social media presence, it's easier for me to get brand deals and stuff. So what did that look like? Where did you negotiate deals for them to say, okay, you need to sponsor my car, and then I'll do a brand deal for you? Or what does that look like?

Yeah. So that's kind of the structure that we have now. It's like, you know, if you want to work with me, you need to be part of my story. You need to support a female athlete. Because we noticed that, you know, over the past couple of years of doing this now, like, in a professional way, that there's, like, brands that want to say that they're supporting a female athlete just to be, like, with the times, but they're not actually giving the same amount of dollar support that they would give to a male counterpart. So, yeah, it's been interesting working with certain brands that reach out to us, and I know how much they're giving you know, my male teammate. And to me, it's like, not even, like, a quarter of them out for the same work.

How do you make the decision between, okay, this is how much they're gonna pay for sponsoring my car, and then this is how much I myself make as income.

I technically get a salary through my team. So, like, your purse money is your salary. So drivers will get, like, a core salary from the team. And then if you win, typically, what does that look first? Money. Honestly, it varies so much. The more you go up through the ranks, I would say, like, most people competing in the top level, which is the cup series, like, Like, I think most people probably have, like, a million dollars salary. Again, like, to actually compete in this space is, like, so much more expensive than that. So I feel like that's just why, like, brand deals are so important.

How much would you say if your income is brand deals versus the salary you're getting from the team?

I mean, my brand deals are everything. Like, I would not be surviving without my brand deals for sure. That's why I put, like, so much emphasis on also, like, I do, like, a little bit of modeling, and people are like, oh, why are you doing, like, so many extra stuff? I'm like, no. Like, I quite literally need to do this to live and, like, continue to raise.

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So you get a base income from your team and what's the purse money?

So the purse money varies, like for a larger race, like let's say Daytona. Like if you win Daytona, you're gonna get more money. I think if somebody wins, they're bringing in like probably six figures, something like that. It's funny, I don't really look at the purses because I just know they're so insignificant to the amount that actually cost a race. Like I actually, like, generally, I don't think I've looked at like a single purse this year. Like the breakdown of it.

And I want to touch on of course, the incredible campaigns that you've done for like Sports Illustrated and everything. Walk me through. How did you. Obviously you're stunning. How did you end up getting into modeling?

I'm very big into manifesting, so I always kind of accredited to that. But when I was younger, I really wanted to be a model and I also really wanted to be a race car driver, which is two very different. Two very different roles. But for some reason I just had this like core belief that I was going to be able to do both. And I remember I told my friend at one point that I wanted to be a Victoria's Secret model and also race. And she was like, yo, you're. You're crazy. Like that's not going to happen. You have to choose one. And I was like, but why? Like, but like now looking back, I'm like, yeah, that's like just very naive for me to say when I was younger to like be able to pursue like two things. I mean, the odds of like modeling for Victoria's Secret and being a race car driver are like zero. But somehow I did it. So I purely think that was just from hard work and just manifesting and having that belief that I could go out there and just do whatever. Just cause somebody hasn't done it before doesn't mean that I couldn't do it. And I feel like I always had that belief, like, okay, nobody's done it before, so what.

And how did you get in touch with them? Was it. They reached out to you. You did your classic pitch email.

What happened? So along the way, I've built a very great team that works with me. I have agents that I work with. I'm signed with img, so they get me a lot of my amaz fashion deals and everything. But it's been just like a lot of like building and growing and really just being in the right rooms with people.

What was that called where they said.

Oh my gosh, here, Like Victoria. I remember I was actually at a racetrack and it was so loud, so I can like barely hear my phone. I was like, I was like freaking out. And I remember I was racing at Talladega and right after I flew, flew to LA to shoot for Victoria's Secret. Like as soon as the race was done and I couldn't tell anybody, I was like, this is so crazy. I feel like Han Montana just living these two lives of like, like, just polar opposite.

And then what about Sports Illustrated? How did that happen?

So Sports Illustrated, they actually. I got reached out by them a few years ago, but I didn't feel like I was in like a place in my career to really do that. Like, I feel like it's. It's hard because I just. Being in a male dominated space, you want to like be respected. So I feel like I've always been like, very careful about just like how I present myself. And I was kind of nervous even with Victoria's Secret at times because some people think that, you know, if you're more feminine, it makes you like lesser of a driver. Like they won't respect you as much. So I feel like I've been trying to be a little bit strategic of like, you know, how much skin to show. Just being in a male dominated space, I feel like I overhear like certain conversations and stuff like that. So I feel like when they reached out to me last year, I feel like the time was right and I'm so glad I did it. I mean, working with them was amazing and such like an empowering experience.

So basically, like male cup drivers are earning 5 to 17 million. Some statistics say that female race car drivers are only earning 3 to 6% of what male race car drivers are earning. And then on top of that, you have less media exposure for female drivers. How do you deal with being in such a male dominated industry?

Honestly, it's been tricky to navigate. I feel like that's why I've been such like a big advocate and like wanting to mentor younger girls coming up through the space because I'm like, it's hard Like, I didn't have a mentor to show me the ropes and I honestly didn't know it was going to be this difficult just getting into it. But, yeah, it's a lot to navigate. And I think the biggest thing for me is, you know, I've been with a lot of different teams, I've worked with a lot of different people in the sport and. And not everybody believes in you. Some people don't give you the same opportunity because they're like, oh, she's just a girl, whatever, just give her whatever equipment or she's not going to win. So they don't give you that fair shot. So for me now, being with the team that I'm with and Toyota, like, I'm around people that treat me like a driver just like everyone else. And that's the most important thing is just like having that equal treatment.

And I think just for our audience, understanding the gender discrepancy within racing actually is insane. I mean, even in the Cup Series, like, early on, it's 1 out of 40 drivers are actually female.

Yeah. I'm the only female racing in NASCAR full time this year, which is crazy because NASCAR's been around for ages and there's been other females that have came up through the sport, but they haven't been able to sustain a career in it.

Since 1949, when NASCAR was founded, only 120 women have competed and it's under 5% of participation.

And how many people are participating this year?

I mean, there's every race, like, at least 35 drivers. Yeah. And I'm the only female.

And how does that make you feel?

Honestly, I don't think twice about it just because I think I'm so used to it. But looking at it like, I don't. I don't want that for young girls coming up. I want there to be like, it's just. There's such like a spotlight. It's like, oh, there's like the. Like, I've had people tell me this year, oh, you're like the one female this year. Like, there's always just like one female and then she kind of fades out. But, like, I'm like, I want there to be like, so many female drivers that it's not like, oh, my gosh, there's a female racing. Like, it's honestly crazy. There's times I'm in my race suit next to my race car and people are like, oh, are you racing? Wait, what the heck? Like, are you actually driving? I'm like, no, I'm just like standing.

No, I just stand here for fun.

Yeah, for fun. I'm just sweating in this thing. But it just, like, people are so caught off guard by. And I want to get to a point where it's just normal and do.

The male drivers also have social media platforms or do you.

So it's crazy because some of them actually don't have social media. Like, some of the male drivers don't do their social media, which I'm like, that's honestly wild because, like, how do you build your brand, how to get partners and they still have partners? I have no idea. I think people just.

Because it seems like kind of what. From what you're saying, if you didn't have a social media platform, it would have been almost impossible for you to get sponsors.

Oh, 100%. Without my social media purely, I would not be here. Which is why, like, I mean, I love doing it, but I'm definitely not one to like, bash social media because it gives you so many opportunities. Like, I just wouldn't be where I am without it. But yeah, some drivers don't, you know, do anything on social media, which I'm like, how do you. How do you bring in the bugs? That's crazy. But they just get that it's an.

Expectation that for a female driver, you need to have a social media presence so that they pay you and then you promote them to your followers. I mean, how, how big has your social presence grown now?

I mean, for Instagram, I think I have like over 2 million followers. Same with TikTok. So that's all just like, you know, brings up my value, brings up my brand awareness, and also grows my fan base. But yeah, it's definitely, it's interesting because there's also. I get like, a lot of comments like, oh, like, you're focusing so much on social media, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like, your teammates aren't doing that, the guys aren't doing that. It's like, well, the guys don't have. That's why.

Damn. Wow.

We actually see for women who blow up once you get past 100,000 followers, the amount of on late hate, bot detection, et cetera is way bigger for women because it's targeted towards particularly female politicians. Face it, way more than male politicians. How do you deal with, like, managing your time between racing, brand partnerships and content? What does your content team look like? Do you have someone who supports you on that end?

So it's definitely a lot to balance. And I feel like my balance is always different, which I try to, like, give myself grace. Like this Week I'm doing like a lot of like media and appearances and not so much on the racing side. And then next week's full blown training and focusing on racing. So, you know, I try to tell myself that balance is going to be different every day, every week. But I do have a really great social media team around me at the racetrack. It's me and my one videographer that we come up with the content. So yeah, it's a small team but really effective. And I'm very lucky to have somebody like traveling with me, getting that content and being able to, you know, give brands like that exposure.

And that's what I'm really interested about is walk me through what your different teams look like because you said, I think it's interesting. We were talking to Eileen Gu and she was like, I have a sports management team and then I have my modeling team and it was all these different kind of levers. What does that look like for you?

Yeah, I would say I have like a. It's definitely grown, but still kind of like a smaller team. So I have my modeling agency that I'm with that handles a lot of the fashion deals. Like for instance, I had Coach working with me and I'm in their latest campaign. So that's kind of through my fashion agency. And then.

And that's img.

Yes, img. Yeah.

And.

And then, you know, I have my manager that's kind of manages just everything manageable that she can. And then I have my team that has like their own PR and handles solely just things on the racing side. So they're almost like very separate but blend together really nicely. And I think everyone works together really well.

But, and how did that pick up within your career? When did you decide, okay, now I need a PR team. Now I need this team. Like at what different stages did that come on?

Yeah, it's kind of happened naturally. Honestly, I feel like I've just had people like just, just wanting to be in my corner and I feel like just the different people I've met, if they've shown like interest in wanting to work with me and like grow with me and help me build and I'm like, okay, like let me like have you join in on this little team that we have. So I think it just like happened like a really natural process. Honestly.

Was it like they reached out to you or how did that initially happen?

Yeah, it's honestly three connections, like just building different connections. My current manager that I'm with right now, I was in a magazine that she was just Flipping through and her client at the time sent me a dm, just wanting to like, reach out. And we ended up grabbing lunch. And then I met my manager through that. So, yeah, just like little like random moments like that, just like meeting different people. That's why I always like, try to put myself in every room. I think it's so important.

That's really good advice. Because I'm curious, when you first started blowing up on social media, was it like all these brands started reaching out to you, emailing you, wanting you to do deals? How did you respond to that?

I don't feel like I had like one big, like viral blow up where I was getting like all these brands all of a sudden. I feel like it's been a building process. Like I always say it's kind of a snow effect. And I feel like I'm still experiencing it now. Like everything's just kind of like building and leading up and growing. Yeah, I've been able to work with like so many of my dream brands, like Celsius raising canes. Like they're brands that I generally love so much and like, you know, use every day, which I think is awesome that I can work with brands that are so authentic to me. So I think for me, just like, making authentic content is so important because then you kind of like attract like the brands that you really feel like align with yourself.

And what advice would you give to other women who want to do the same thing that you've been able to do?

My biggest piece of advice would be don't be afraid to be the first. You. I think it's so easy to just say, like, oh, like, there's no one that's done it before, so I can't do it. But it's like, just do your thing. Like, be that trailblazer.

And what about your parents when you decided you didn't want to go to college? Did they push back on that? Are they surprised by the amount of success you have now? What does that look like?

Yeah, my mom's always been very supportive and I'm sure I think my dad was like a little more skeptical, but they never really vocalized that to me. And I remember hearing after like some of like, like, you know, my classmates in like high school thought that was like wild, but everyone's like, whoa, like she actually did something. But yeah, it's definitely not traditional. But I've also never been traditional. And it's funny cause I've never, never thought twice about it. Like there's things that I've Done. And people are like, oh wow, you've made so many sacrifices. And to me I'm like, they didn't feel like sacrifices. Cause I was just following my dreams.

Did you have any role models in the industry? Any people that you looked up to?

Yeah, I would say, honestly, there hasn't been that many female drivers. You know, Danica Patrick was a big one when I was younger, growing and I do feel like when I saw her race, like seeing is believing, that's so important. So I saw a female out there doing it. But honestly I haven't really had anybody that I've truly looked up to. I haven't had a mentor. But I feel like that's why I also think it's so important for me to hopefully be able to be that for younger girls. And I love when younger girls reach out. I hosted an event for young racers a couple of years ago now and that was really special to me and just like a very full circle moment to kind of be able to like just give them advice and help them through everything.

And another thing I'm kind of curious about is do you have any advice, advice for other people who want to build up their social media presence if they're interested in getting into racing?

I would say my biggest advice would be really just to be authentic and to share your story. I feel like everyone has their own unique story, so just like share that. I think people will gravitate towards that. I think when people try to like copy or do things that aren't quite as authentic, people can like easily catch that. So I think just like embrace your story and share your story and your journey because it's going to be different to someone else's, which is great. Great.

And how did it feel like for you? Because you were the first Arab American woman driver. Right. What did you think when people said that to you?

Actually, funny story. So I was racing Daytona for my first time ever. I forget what year it was, but maybe like 20, 21, something like that a few years ago. And I was so excited because I was racing Daytona, which was a bucket list race for me.

What is Daytona for anyone who doesn't know? Yeah.

So Daytona is a track in Daytona, Florida and that's where like the Daytona 500 is hosted. I wasn't racing the Daytona 500, but I was racing the day before in the smaller race. So just even to be in that atmosphere at that track is really special. It's also the first race of the year. So there's like kind of like those butterflies and Anxiousness. And it's our biggest race. So it's just like a lot of like, intensity at that race. And that was my first. That was my first, like, big national race that I was doing. So to me, I was just like fully focused on the race, nothing else. And I guess during the race, it blew up that I was racing. Cause I became the first Arab American female to race in nascar, which I had no idea about. Like, I was just. To me, I'm like, following my dreams racing at Daytona. But after the race, I was traveling back with my manager and her like, phone starts blowing up with all these emails and it's like Ellen, like, hitting her up, what saying, like, we need like, Tony in la. So we did like an impromptu trip to LA after Daytona. Cause like, we're just getting like blown up by stuff. But.

And so you went on Ellen.

I did, yeah.

Oh my God. What was that?

Like?

So it was during like Covid time. So it was virtual, but so fun and like such great experience. But it was crazy because I was just doing my thing racing. I didn't think my story was interesting at all. Like, I just was just kind of like, you know, just following my dreams and people just ended up gravitating towards it. And I just thought it was the craziest thing. I'm like, whoa, people. Like, I didn't realize I was doing something groundbreaking or different, I guess. So it was just a weird. It was a weird, like, kind of like, thing to go through.

I want to switch gears a little bit. I want to dive into the workouts, that stuff.

Yes.

What is your workout routine weekly? Can you talk about heat training and what that is?

Yes. I'll give you the breakdown. So next week is my race week, so I'm going to kind of like step up my training a little bit and I'll kind of go with like, strength on Monday. So we'll do like, like your typical, like, weightlifting, squats, all that kind of stuff. Like lower body. I'll rotate between like, strength and like, cardio. So we'll do like circuits, like all your typical type of training, but then we're. We have heat training. So like Wednesday next week, I'll do my heat training. And basically in a race car, they get up to 130 degrees, which is so toasty. Yeah, very toasty. And really hard to like, think clearly and like perform at like your maximum level when you're like, melting like that. So we train to prepare for that, just physically and mentally. So Toyota has us in this little heat Room. And yeah, we just have to do cardio in there and be at, like, our max heart rate in there just to kind of like replicate the conditions that we are feeling in the race car. Wow.

So you're in a hot room exercising. Oh, my gosh, that's crazy.

Yeah.

And were you doing that in high school also? What did your kind of workout routine look like when you were first starting out?

So, honestly, I did not know much about, like, how much I would need to prepare physically for racing because as you move up through the ladder system, the races get longer and the cars get, like, harder to drive. So now, like, thankfully, I have, like, Toyota, who gives us a place to train, and trainers and nutritionists. So they really, like, have like, this whole system dialed in for us, which is amazing because I really wouldn't know, like, anything about my nutrition or training or anything like that. So that's been really, really beneficial for me.

What do you think are the most important things for people to prioritize when they're first starting out in this space? Do you think it's like health and fitness? Do you think it's strategy? What would you say?

I would say, number one thing is always seat time. Just, like, get as much seat time as you can. I started go karting when I was nine and I still go kart every week. I think it's, like, great just for, like, you know, just for fun, but also just like, the fundamentals of racing are the same no matter what you get in. So I would just say seat time. But, yeah, I mean, health, nutrition's important fitness. The more research that's been done into, like, race car drivers, the more that everyone else has kind of been you know, into, like, their fitness and everything. So back in the day, it wasn't like that. Like, people were just like, hopping in race cars. But I feel like more now in, like, the modern times, people really put an emphasis on it.

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And racing is a unique sport because we've seen the oldest racer in history was 90 years old. How long do you think that I know. How long do you think that you're gonna be doing this for? And what do you feel like is on the horizon for you in the next five to 10 years? You've already done so much.

I mean, I want to do it for as long as as I can, as long as my body lets me. I feel like people retire for different reasons. Some of it's for concussions, depending like what kind of wrecks you get into. And some people retire just because they feel like they've given the sport everything and they want family time and sometimes it's for financial reasons. So I'm going to do it for as long as I can. Honestly, I don't have like a like end date for it, but I would say my five year plan would be to get to the cup series, which is the top level in nascar. Right now I'm racing in the truck series. So basically the ladder system is truck, Xfinity and Cup. So I have a couple more steps to get to like the top level. So yeah, I'm in my rookie season this year, so yeah.

And on a race morning, what does that routine look like? You wake up, it's race day, it's a Saturday. What are we doing to get yourself in the mental space to be ready to go?

So a lot of our races we actually fly in and out same day. So it goes by so fast. So a lot of times I'm waking up at like 4am hopping on an airplane, going to the racetrack immediately from there. And I feel like I don't have like a specific routine. So I feel like my race days are always so different depending if I have like an interview or like what kind of appearances I have. But biggest thing is always rest. I always make sure I have at least eight hours of sleep for me to function. And then hydration is super important. Cause Even on days where it doesn't feel hot out, the cars still get very toasty. So those are kind of like my two priorities.

How does beauty and self care routine fit into all of this?

Oh my gosh. My skin's always freaking out because I'm constantly in a sweaty crusty helmet for hours on. Thank you. So I take my skincare routine very seriously. No matter how tired I am after a race, I always make sure to do my whole like ten step routine. But also I feel like, wait, what.

Is the ten step routine?

Yeah, it's a process. It's a process. I would say my faves are the ordinary. I don't know if you've tried their serums before but I use really good. Yes, I use multiple different serums. From there they face wash, face lotion, toners. I use like a retinol also. Yeah. So I have like a whole, I have a whole situation. Yeah, I love it.

So you finish racing and you always do this routine?

I always do it one, because I, I don't want my skin to go like absolute crazy. But two, I feel like it's also like self care and gives me time to kind of like almost like decompress and just kind of like ground myself. Like I've realized that like it just like if I don't do it like I feel like I didn't like kind of like end the day and like wind down. Like I feel like it just kind of helps ground me after a race because you have so much adrenaline in you. Like I'll be tired but like not go to sleep until like 4am sometimes after a race just because you have that adrenaline like your mind's constantly going to. So I feel like it kind of helps me wind down a little bit too to do it.

How do you deal with relationships at racing, if you don't mind me asking? Do you feel like men are intimidated? Do you feel like have you had a long term boyfriend throughout this? What does your relationships look like for you?

I think people are intimidated, but I don't know. I would say so. But it's funny cause I feel like not that many people in the sport reach out in that way. But no, it's tricky cause I'm always around racing and I definitely am. I try to keep it very professional. Especially being a female in a male dominated space. I think I maybe come off a little bit standoffish at times. Yeah, like I don't want like I feel like I've built up, you know, my name and my brand. I'VE put so much effort into it. Like, I wouldn't want like, stupid, like rumors or like, you know, a bad reputation, but it's so easy just being the only female because you have that spotlight and everybody wants to, like, talk about stuff.

Wait, like, do the guys try to slide into your DMs?

Definitely. So when I first moved to North Carolina, like, it's definitely like a thing like for like, guys, like, guys like, come at you like, in the sport. Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. So whenever there's like a younger girl coming into the space, I always make sure to kind of like rally behind her and be like, hey, like, don't answer that DM from that driver. There's like, there's a few that like, yeah, they're like, known for it. So I try to like, be on the lookout for the young girlies and help them out. So.

Nice of you. Are there any up and coming young women in the sport that you've helped to mentor or that you want to shout out?

Yeah, so there's a couple girls in the Toyota system and I've been able to see them grow over the last few years, which has been very exciting. Isabella, she's in the ARCA series, which is what I was racing, racing last year. So I'm always very excited to cheer her on. And then Peyton's also like a young girl too, in the Toyota system. Toyota does do a good job versus the other manufacturers to actually support female drivers. They're the only ones with female drivers.

So, yeah, Toyota is the only one with female drivers.

Yeah. And they're a development system. Yeah.

Wow.

Which is crazy. Yeah. So, yeah, props to Toyota for that, for actually believing in the girls and giving them a fair shot. But yeah, it's exciting because I feel like I've been able to watch a few of those girls come up through the sports.

So how many different manufacturing companies are there? Yeah.

Oh, I feel like that's important. So basically in NASCAR right now there's three main manufacturers. So there's Toyota, Ford and Chevy. So I've been with Toyota this entire time. I'm a Toyota girly.

Did you know you wanted to work with Toyota or like, what was that decision making process?

Yeah. Honestly, I feel like Toyota's kind of been a trailblazer in a sense in the NASCAR space. They're one of the newer manufacturers in the space and I feel like they're the ones that like, initially took like, like a big initiative on driver development, like scouting younger drivers, scouting females, focusing on inclusion and diversity in the sport. So I feel like they were kind of on the forefront of all that. So I feel like at like a young age, they were kind of the ones that I was like, okay, like, I feel like if I'm going to be with a manufacturer, they're going to be the ones that reach out.

And they were something I wanted to walk back to because I'm genuinely curious is, so you move to North Carolina by yourself, you're 18, and you have no idea how you're supposed to raise this one or two million dollars? And was what was that process like? So did you start investing this time and energy into social media and then you started recruiting the sponsors or when did you hit your goal of, okay, I have enough money to be able to raise successfully?

So it was definitely a long process. When I first moved to North Carolina, it was a lot of just cold emails, not much success. And with like, my social media at the time when I first moved to North Carolina, like, I may be like, I don't even think I had 10,000 followers. Like, to me, I was like, I just want 10,000 followers. Like, you know, baby steps. And I feel like I put a lot of focus. I wasn't really doing much, which also I feel like is hard. Like when you're. It's kind of a cycle. Like, if you're not competing and racing, it's like, well, what content do I put out? Because I'm not really doing much to put out. So I feel like I put a lot of emphasis on, you know, reaching out to companies so I can get on the racetrack so I can make content. So it's kind of a cycle that's, like, really tricky to break, honestly. So I kind of got lucky. I feel like almost like with COVID just having that kind of like, moment where, like, nobody's doing anything and kind of like being able to put out my content and it going viral. But yeah, it's a tricky cycle because same with like, also, you know, being competitive in the sport, like, you want to obviously do well, but to do well, you need tea time, and for tea time, you need sponsors. So I also feel like that's also why girls are kind of at a deficit in the sport, just because we don't have, like that same funding to get that seat time to do as many races as our male teammates. So it's just like a cycle that's so hard to break.

Honestly, what do you think throughout your career is a failure you faced or something you did wrong that you learned from?

Oh, I feel like I. I've had so many failures. But it's interesting now Cause I feel like I'm able to just take them with so much more grace. Cause I've noticed that my failures. I would have been devastated at the time. But then fast forward a few months, I'm like, wait. That actually led me to a different opportunity. So I feel like there's been times where I've lost a sponsor right before race and I haven't been able to race. And I was devastated. And then I got a whole new opportunity after that, so. So, yeah, I feel like I've definitely had like those moments of like, oh my God, like I lost this partnership, how am I going to race? And it's like led me to a different partnership that actually made more sense for me.

So if you don't have a sponsor, you can't race. That's how it works.

Yeah. Yeah. It's scary. Yeah. There's been times, like even the past few years where I'm like, I don't have a partner for this race, like, how am I going to do? And it's just like a scramble to make it work.

And who now is the person who pitches and gets those sponsors?

I actually have my hands and everything still. I'm very much kind of a control freak. So I'm very involved in all the pitches and everything. But I do have a team around me that helps kind of like in the early stages of like reaching out to people. But I'm definitely very involved in like anything like concepts and kind of like creative ideas and everything like that. I feel like I'm very.

Yeah, watch us through. What does a pitch look like?

So I would say a lot of pitches kind of just start off of like, hey, like, are you interested in supporting this female athlete, race car driver? And then once we kind of like get like, hop on that call. Hop on that zoom call, that's when I kind of come in and I'll kind of give them some of my creative ideas. And I really cater it around the brands and I try to look at, at like, what does this brand need from me? Like, what can I help them with? I know what they can help me with, but what can I help them with? What are they looking for? Like, what demographic do they want to reach? And I feel like that's very important. Like, you want to always be telling them, like, what can I do for you? Like, how can I help you? Because you already know how they can help you, like, give you money.

This is something we've learned so much in our sales pitches. Is continually thinking about, okay, if we're going for a brand partner, we're bringing someone into the fiat ecosystem. First things first is like, how can we benefit you? And then going into, okay, how can we partner together?

Exactly, exactly, exactly. Yeah. So I think. And there are so many ways that you can, like, be creative and, you know, I feel like a lot of people in the NASCAR space are so traditional in some ways where they're like, I have a race car. We can put your logo on my race car and on my suit. And to me, I'm like, that's just like, so basic. That's just like, I feel like times are changing and, like, a lot of people, like, haven't really evolved. Like, that's great, like, to be on the race car and to be on the race suit, but there's so much more you can do beyond that and be more like, what are some of.

Those ideas that you have that are even more than that?

Yeah, I mean, I think just like, around, like, social media, different content that you can create. You know, having like, influencers come out to races, creating content around that. It really just depends on the brand creating activations at tracks. We've done activations with raising canes. Yeah. It's not just about, like, putting a logo on a race car and like, hoping people see it. I just feel like times are changing and I feel like it's interesting seeing how some people are so stuck in old ways. And it's funny, people are like, oh, wow, you're getting all the partners. It's like, yeah, because I'm like, actually trying and like, putting in the effort and trying to, like, evolve and like.

Do something different because you're being a value add to them in a way they haven't seen before.

Exactly.

You have to be, is there anything we haven't covered that you feel like is really important for people to know about your journey or just generally about the. The sport?

I feel like with social media, so many people think I just, like, popped up out of nowhere. Like, there's so many people who think I'm a model who, like, just happened to decide to, like, drive a race car one day. I'm like, no, I've been doing this for so long. So I feel like that's like, one thing that I try to like. It's hard because I don't want to answer, like, mean comments, but I'm like, I wish I, I could, like, explain myself.

I saw you. I was looking at an interview and you said that. You said I'm a racer first and a model second. How has that process been like for you explaining that to people?

It's hard because I feel like people tend to be a little bit narrow minded and don't really like actually want to like do the research and see that. I've been like racing for so long. I have been doing this since I was nine. And it's funny because you get those comments where people are like, oh, she's just doing it to be famous. Like, hey, if I want to be famous I can go do something else. That's way easier. You know what I mean? Like you can do that in like so much easier ways than this sport.

I mean so much of your sponsor money that is so interesting to me goes literally right back into your business. Like what does that look like in terms of the money you're bringing in? What percent is going to you versus what percent goes to the business?

Yeah, honestly, I'm putting it all back into my racing. She's going all back in. Yeah, I'm reinvesting it back into my racing career because like I said before, it's very expensive sport but yeah, it's how I am able to race and compete.

What is the biggest brand deal you've turned down because you're like, this just isn't, isn't aligned.

Definitely those like companies that reach out that are like only fans but not really like those like exclusive like content websites. I'm not like down for that with exclusive content websites. People have offered me money like upfront, like, hey, like if you join this platform we'll give you like this advance of XYZ amount of money and like how much money? Ballpark, like six figures, which is a decent amount.

People are offering you like six figures to join only fans and you're like, absolutely not, Absolutely not.

It has nothing really to do with like showing skin, quite honestly. It's just I don't feel like people need to pay for my content. Like I don't want my fans to have to pay.

Yeah, well, I don't think only fans is reaching out to Lewis Hamilton and being like, hey, we'll offer you $1 million to get on there and you know, pop some skin. Like I don't think that that's happening.

I also don't want to sexualize my uniform and like my sports. I feel like the guys don't have to do that, but I feel like.

I feel like you should do it and then just post content of the car. The car is naked I don't understand you guys, like, and it's like you, like, opening the door in slow motion. I feel like it could be a great up front. They can try and sue and then you can do a whole PR thing around it. Yeah. I said I would create exclusive content for them. It's me and the race. You're opening the door in slow motion. I don't understand the issue, but you're so right.

I mean, that's just really offensive that they're approaching you and honestly feels kind of predatory because there's no way they're going to these men and asking, hey, can you join our platform?

For sure? Yeah. I feel like it's. It's an interesting thing to navigate being a female in a male dominated space. And I feel like you just have to be so strategic and almost like, on, like, edge at times with, like, how people are going to, like, interpret something just because, like, you're a female, which sucks.

But just, I mean, I love also how respectful you are and how thoughtful you are in the sense that you literally have been in Sports Illustrated, Victoria's Secret, and you're still here saying, I'm actually very mindful of when I want to show my skin or not.

I feel like it just has to be something that feels, like, empowering for myself. And, you know, the reasons why I did Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated is like, the core. People around me were like. I mean, there was, like, so many amazing athletes in the SI swim issue and so many girls that were just, like, so inspirational for me. So just like it was like the whole vision behind it was very much for, like, I don't know, just felt like very, like, empowering and like, females, like, girls, girls. I love that.

That's what we want to create with this podcast is we honestly want it. Like, our dream is that it becomes like a career platform or something where girls can invest in each other's stuff. Like, I feel like that's. That's where we want it to go.

Thank you. Thank you so much for coming on the Burnouts. I learned so much today about your career, about the sport, and I can't thank you enough.

Thank you. I'm so happy to be on. Thanks, guys.

We're honored that you came. Thank you.

You know, I'm honored.

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