As Hailee Deegan leaves, Toni Breidinger takes her place. A Victoria’s Secret model and driver Toni Breidinger will be a new face on the grid for the 2025 NASCAR Truck season. The 25-year-old rising star already ran a couple of races in 2023 and one race in 2024, both for Tricon Garage. However, for the upcoming season, Breidinger is expected to compete on a full-time basis.

The person she’s replacing, Dean Thompson, still has a good prospect in the NASCAR world as per the newest rumors.

Why Toni Breidinger replacing Thompson is the best thing to happen

She will replace Dean Thompson in the #5 Toyota truck and is eager for her full-time debut. However one has to wonder about poor Thompson, who is left on the lurch. Fortunately for his fans, there is still a NASCAR future for the 23-year-old driver. As per some rumors, he could be headed to the Xfinity Series for 2025. Without a doubt, Breidinger is a hugely talented driver and Tricon Garage felt that she deserved a ride.

This was even if some fans did not share the same opinion. Thompson has not been particularly impressive, having picked up six Top 10 finishes in 2024. Meanwhile, Breidinger’s ARCA campaign has raised plenty of eyebrows, with 11 Top 10 finishes, on her way to fourth in the championship. Normally, when a driver is replaced by another driver, they are not particularly happy about it. Their career could be in limbo. However, with Dean Thompson, Breidinger’s arrival could be a blessing in disguise. For the moment, he is hunting for a seat to remain in the NASCAR scene. However, if the rumors of his future are true, then it bodes well for the young. driver.

Eric Estepp said on his YouTube channel, “As far as Dean Thompson’s future. He did release a statement on social media today. I’m not sure where he ends up. My friends at the Daily Downforce have sources telling them he will end up at Sam Hunt Racing taking his funding to the Xfinity Series next year. So Dean Thompson fans, rest assured he’s going to race next year, probably in decent equipment.”

Sam Hunt Racing is a fairly decent team in the Xfinity Series. While the team has not won any races during its tenure, the 2024 season witnessed some incredible performances. Most of them came at the hands of Corey Heim, who was able to steer the car to three Top 5 and one Top 10 finish. The problem for Thompson is that Heim performed a little too well for the team. While SHR didn’t have a full-time driver, Heim was able to outperform all drivers in the team’s history.

While an Xfinity promotion would certainly be an upgrade for Thompson, he hasn’t had the best of seasons at Tricon. Although there were a couple of top-10 performances, none of them stood out. He didn’t manage to break into the top 5 in any race, which can be a crucial factor for some teams.

What can one expect from Breidinger’s debut Truck campaign?

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Toni Breidinger is pretty much following in the footsteps of a few female NASCAR drivers. The big question is if she can surpass all of them and bring some glory. Danica Patrick came in with much fanfare but did not make as much of an impact. Similar things can be said for Natalie Decker and even Hailie Deegan.

Deegan’s Truck Series career was fairly average, with a few bright spots, including a career-best 7th place. In 2024, she moved up to the Xfinity Series, but her career was rudely cut short. Now, the 23-year-old is expected to make her open-wheel debut in the Indy Lights Series.

For Toni Breidinger, things might be better than Hailee Deegan. While Deegan had an overall higher finish in the ARCA Menards Series, Breidinger had a more consistent performance during her years racing in the league. Additionally, Breidinger also has better prospects in terms of bringing sponsors. The driver has the highest number of followers, not just in the Truck Series, but compared to most drivers in the Cup Series as well.

The bottom line is that Toni Breidinger has a fair amount of pressure on her. She needs to hit the ground running and make an impression on her fellow drivers. As Estepp mentioned, she comes into the team with significant backing, and she knows how to market herself. If she can also let her driving do the talking, Breidinger could go far in her NASCAR career.