How NASCAR’s Toni Breidinger, first Arab-American female driver, preps for Talladega

After Toni Breidinger graduated from high school in northern California,  there was only one place she wanted   to be: the little town of Mooresville, NC, aka “Race City, USA.”

“If you want to be a singer, you go to LA,” said the 21-year-old. “You want to be a NASCAR driver? You go to North Carolina.” Breidinger said she loves her adopted hometown because “any time I’m driving down the highway, I see [NASCAR fans] with racing numbers on their cars.” (Mooresville is home to more than 60 racing teams as well as several race-car manufacturers.)