One day, she was racing Daytona. The next, she was shooting for Victoria’s Secret.

NASCAR driver, model, and trailblazer Toni Breidinger is living two worlds, and paying the price to stay in both.

In this episode of The Burnouts, Toni sits down with Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni to reveal the brutal, behind-the-scenes reality of motorsports. She opens up about being told she needed $1–2 million just to race, moving across the country at 18 with no funding, and surviving by doing Instacart by day and cold emails by night.

Toni breaks down why talent isn’t enough in NASCAR, how social media literally saved her career, and what it’s like being the only woman racing NASCAR full-time—from unequal pay to brand sponsorship politics. She also shares how she navigates modeling in a male-dominated sport, why she turned down six-figure OnlyFans offers, and how she built a sustainable career when every race depends on sponsorship dollars.

Whether you’re chasing a nontraditional career, building a personal brand, or betting on yourself when the odds feel stacked against you, this episode is packed with raw honesty, hard lessons, and real strategy.

Chapters

00:00 – unequal pay & being the only woman in nascar

03:00 – starting racing at age 9

06:30 – realizing racing costs millions

09:00 – told she needed $1–2 million to compete

11:00 – moving cross-country at 18

13:00 – instacart by day, cold emails by night

16:00 – how social media saved her career

20:00 – brand deals, sponsorships & unequal pay

25:00 – modeling, victoria’s secret & sports illustrated

30:00 – turning down six-figure onlyfans offers

36:00 – funding races & surviving motorsports

48:00 – what’s next: the road to the cup series

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About The Burnouts
The Burnouts brings you raw, unfiltered conversations with today’s top founders, creators, athletes, and culture-shaping entrepreneurs. Hosted by Stanford roommates turned startup co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, the show goes beyond the headlines to reveal the real stories behind ambitious careers.

Past guests include Paris Hilton, Chelsea Handler, Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and more.

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