Toni Breidinger really went through the wringer at Daytona today. First off, her run in the Truck Series took a nosedive thanks to a mix-up with her teammate, Dean Thompson. Just when she was dusting herself off and gearing up for a comeback in the ARCA race, lightning struck twice – this time, another teammate from Venturini Motorsports threw a spanner in the works.

Right out of the gate, she found herself in a pickle, courtesy of a teammate’s move that sent her car for a spin, putting a full stop to her race day aspirations. In the heat of the post-race debrief, Breidinger didn’t mince words, calling out the #55 for making a move that was more trouble than it was worth.

Toni Breidinger didn’t hold back in her critique of Gus Dean

Having secured a P4 spot in the ARCA qualifying, Breidinger was all set to make waves. But just as things were getting interesting, on the 4th lap, Gus Dean made a controversial move, triggering a major pile-up. And that brought the race to a screeching halt for the first caution of the evening. The damage to Toni Breidinger’s car was so severe that her car had to be hauled off to the pits.

Visibly frustrated with the situation, Breidinger vented to a Flo Racing journalist, trying to keep her cool. “I’m trying to be nice and so #55 is my teammate, but definitely is disappointing. It’s so early on in the race, really unnecessary move. Even later in the race, that would have been a bad move,” she lamented.

In fact, she didn’t shy away from calling out her Venturini Motorsports teammate for what she saw as a blatant disregard and disrespect for his fellow racers, especially given his advantageous position. “It’s unfortunate he has a lack of respect for his teammates and other people in the track that work really hard to get here when his dad is running the track. So I think that just has to do with his lack of respect.”

But the #25’s criticism didn’t end there. In a chat with Frontstretch reporters, she took another jab at Dean, quipping, “Everyone was smarter in the [Truck] race, I guess that’s why Gus wasn’t in a Truck tonight,” following her premature exit.

Despite the backlash from fans who didn’t quite see things her way, with comments suggesting a misunderstanding of the race dynamics, it’s apparent why Breidinger and her team were left fuming, especially after a rocky start in the NASCAR Truck Series.

Watch This Story: Toni Breidinger Returns to Venturini Motorsports for the 2024 ARCA Season

#25 had a disastrous Truck Series debut

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Breidinger swapped her influencer hat for a racing helmet. She made a splash in the No. 1 Toyota for her Truck Series debut this morning. And while the Venturini Motorsports driver was all the buzz, fresh off a killer ARCA season, ready to make waves in her part-time gig with the Toyota crew, she had to face the harsh reality of selfishness on the track.

She was on a roll, cruising up to P14 and looking set for a standout performance, until a conundrum was thrown her way by her own teammate- Dean Thompson- on lap 86 derailed her run.

The drama unfolded when Mason Massey hit the brakes up front, leading to an unfortunate mix-up that saw Toni Breidinger and Dean Thompson’s Daytona aspirations go up in smoke. The incident, sparked by Thompson’s attempt to give Massey a nudge that backfired, sent Massey’s truck into a tailspin, with sparks flying, and roped in Breidinger, triggering the race’s 10th caution.

The tangle left both drivers with a bitter taste, their Daytona dreams were dashed in an instant.

Read More: Toni Breidinger’s Truck Series Debut in Jeopardy After Massive Pile Up With Tricon Teammate at Daytona