World-renowned for his role in the famous ‘Malcolm in the Middle’, actor Frankie Muniz has decided to make a complete leap into another industry: the world of motorsports. Muniz has been leaning towards cars over Hollywood cameras for several years now, but he has just announced that he will dedicate himself full-time to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the 2025 season.
The 38-year-old famous driver, who started racing in 2004 and began his professional career as a pilot in 2006, joins Reaume Brothers Racing team with the number 33 F-150 in the third category of NASCAR.
What did Frankie Muniz say about being a full-time NASCAR driver?
In an exclusive interview with People magazine, Muniz said: "I don't want to say it was about time, but this has been a dream I've had forever," he confessed.
"I started with the open-wheel route. I thought I would go to IndyCar, the Formula 1 route, but I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to try NASCAR. I wanted to do it, I grew up watching NASCAR. I was a big fan of the category but I didn't necessarily think it would be something I would have the opportunity to do," he said.
Muniz has just competed in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023, where he finished in the top 5 once and in the top 10 eleven times, ending up in fourth place at the end of the year. By joining Ford Performance, Frankie also took part in limited races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Mustang Challenge Series.
The former child star acknowledges that she still has a lot to prove: "I want people to know that I have dedicated my whole life to this," she told People. "This is what I love. When I'm not in a race car, I'm thinking about being in a race car. I'm training. I'm in the simulator at Ford. I'm working with my engineers and my team and doing everything I can. Watching old races on the tracks where I'm going to race to be as prepared as possible."
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a category of motorsport organized by NASCAR and features modified street pickups. It is one of the three national divisions of NASCAR, along with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Cup Series. The 2025 season, in which Frankie Muniz will participate full-time, is scheduled to begin on February 13 with the Fresh From Florida 250 at the Daytona circuit.