Toni Breidinger is someone who usually stays cool under pressure. But Daytona wrecks are always special, and one such incident brought out her fiery side too. But it was what she vented about afterward toward her own teammate in an interview that landed her in trouble.

Breidinger fell into trouble for her choice of words

In a recent conversation, Samantha Busch asked Toni Breidinger if she ever gets angry or short-tempered. She detailed the turn of events that took place at the ARCA Hard Rock Bet 200 in 2024 when she got wrecked by her teammate Gus Dean, but her post-race comments landed her in controversy.

“Yeah, so I’m a very calm person. It takes a lot to make me mad, like in my everyday life. With racing, I’m a little different. I can definitely get spicy. I hold a grudge,” Toni continued.

“Cause some people, I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ I think only one time I said something in an interview, I got in trouble for it, but it wasn’t that bad. I got wrecked at Daytona, and I got so mad.”

To this, Samantha asked her what the reason was she got into trouble. And she said, “Cause I said his dad was writing the checks.”

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Both shared a laugh about it as Breidinger added how the incident was true. In February 2024, Gus Dean collided with Breidinger, resulting in her No. 25 Toyota Camry turning in front of the field, collecting Kris Wright and Amber Balcaen, two fellow Venturini Motorsports drivers.

Breidinger’s night was done because of the collision, and she did not mince words when talking about Dean’s mistake. Dean was a third-generation driver. He won at Daytona, and his victory was very special for him because he did it to honor his grandfather.

“I’m trying to be nice since the No. 55 is my teammate, but it’s disappointing,” Breidinger said in her post-race interview in 2024.

“It’s so early on in the race, an unnecessary move. Even later in the race, it would’ve been a bad move. I mean, you’re not clear. It’s unfortunate that he has a lack of respect for his teammates and other people on the track who work really hard to get here, when his dad is just writing the check. I think that has to do with his lack of respect.”

The comment ignited instant controversy. After the wreck, Gus Dean didn’t even mention Toni Breidinger in his post-race interviews.

But regardless, she explained during the conversation with Samantha about how she’s a totally different person on track, and whatever she said about Gus Dean was just out of anger and because of genuine reasons.

Toni Breidinger’s racing career ahead of the 2026 season

In 2026, Breidinger will join the Rackley WAR team for a partial schedule in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. She will drive the team’s No. 27 Chevrolet in eight races this year. She will start the season opening with the Florida 250 on Feb. 13 at Daytona International Speedway.

Raising Cane’s, Celsius, and Sunoco will sponsor her schedule, and this collaboration will be her first Truck Series endeavor with Chevrolet.

“I’m looking forward to starting this next chapter with the Team Chevy family,” Breidinger said in a team release. “Chevrolet’s passion for motorsports and commitment to performance are unrivaled. With their support of Rackley WAR’s growing program, I’m confident they are going to provide me with the resources to compete for wins.”

Breidinger’s reach extends beyond the motorsports world. She became the first NASCAR driver to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and she leads all NASCAR drivers in the Sports Business Journal’s rankings of engagement and social media value.