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Frankie Muniz, ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ star, begins NASCAR career


There could be a reboot for actor Frankie Muniz soon, one appropriately titled “Malcolm in the Middle of the Pack”.

Muniz, who starred in “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Agent Cody Banks,” announced this week that he will compete as a full-time racer in the ARCA Menards Series. This is a low-end model for NASCAR — a vehicle typically reserved for inexperienced drivers — and would be the starting point of Muniz’s vintage driving career.

Muniz 37 years old behind the wheel of the number 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing during a test session on Friday at Daytona International Speedway and said, “I want this all my life.”

The first of his 20 scheduled races in 2023 will take place in Daytona on February 18.

“I want to prove to everyone that I’m here to take it seriously,” Muniz said during a half-hour Zoom to reporters. “I am not here just for luck. I’m not just here to promote. I want this all my life, you know what I mean?

“I’m crazy because I waited 12 years after my last racing experience to get here. I want people to look at me and see I’m on the right track and say, ‘Wow, he belongs,’ and I’m willing to prove to everyone that I do. Hopefully I can.”

A longtime racing enthusiast, Muniz drove the speed car for the 2001 Daytona 500 – a race in which seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap. Coincidentally, the chassis of the car Muniz intended to ride at Daytona in the opening game of the ARCA season was driven by Sterling Marlin on that fateful day more than two decades ago.

Muniz said Earnhardt signed his jacket before the race and even told him how much he loved “Malcolm in the Middle.”

“He said, ‘Your performance has brought me and my daughter so much closer together. I love your show,’” Muniz recall. “And I felt crazy when Dale Earnhardt told me that.”

Muniz has long been a racing enthusiast and he first started thinking about becoming a professional racer in 2004 after entering the race. Toyota The celebrity/pro race in Long Beach, California. He also races in Formula BMW car events as well as the Champ Car Atlantic Series.

His last full-time season came in 2009. He says he broke his back, broke his ankle and got a pin stuck in his arm after a collision. He has raced sporadically since then.

Instead of immediately returning to racing, he became the drummer for the indie rock band Kingsfoil. More recently, he married Paige Price and they have a son in 2021.

“It just took me longer to recover than I thought,” Muniz said. “You don’t have to start over, basically, but I missed a whole season and I got the chance to join a band. I know that sounds crazy. I was touring the world playing the drums, so a lot of things took over my life and I dived 100%.

“I always thought in my head that I would get back into racing. As the years went by, that feeling became more and more distant. So when I gave birth to my son 19 months ago, it really made me think: ‘What am I? Who I am? Who do I want to be for my son or what do I want him to see me do?’”

Muniz decided he wanted to race again.

“That’s what I always say I feel most comfortable doing. … In fact, I was too old to get into the racing world,” he said. “But also in that sense, it motivates me that I have to take advantage of the opportunity that I have today.

“I don’t have time to wait. So hopefully that helps with development, let’s go a little faster because I’m motivated. I am in the right mindset.”

He’s expecting more “Malcolm in the middle” jokes during races, to the point where he’s considering making t-shirts to sell at events.

“I’ll take advantage of that before anyone else does,” he said.



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