Back in the early 2000s, Frankie Muniz was a successful child star. You probably remember him because of his lead role in one of the best sitcoms of all time, Malcolm in the Middle. Well, now that he’s all grown up, Muniz is working as a full-time NASCAR driver, and recently he got real about the thing he loves most about racing in comparison to acting.
Frankie Muniz knew how to make us laugh by playing the child genius Malcolm in Malcolm in the Middle as well as the awkward teen agent in the Agent Cody Banks movies. As for what the Malcolm in the Middle cast member is doing now, he put a pause on acting and made a turn into competitive racing. Now, with the former child star transitioning into racing full-time, he spoke on Dirty Mo Media about “the one amazing NASCAR thing” he loves about racing compared to acting. Here’s his answer:
The one amazing thing about [NASCAR] that I love, definitely compared to being an actor, is it's not subjective. I can think I did a great job in the movie and think I did a good job acting, I put my soul into a character and people see that and they were like 'Meh, it was okay.' [In NASCAR] if you're good and you belong, you're at the top of the leaderboard. At least [you] can see where you stand. I love that.
I can see where Frankie Muniz is coming from. Like with any form of art, some might think the work is great, and the other could believe its terrible. With NASCAR racing, you know for sure that there’s a winner and a loser, and it's objective. You can see the numbers for yourself, note your place among the other competitors, and then work on what you need to do to improve.
I’ve always found it ironic that Frankie Muniz drove in the direction of NASCAR racing. After all, one of his earliest roles was starring in the heavy-topic D-COM Miracle in Lane 2, which told the true story of soapbox derby racer Justin Yoder. Now, the former actor is literally behind the wheel in real life as a professional competitor.
According to Men’s Journal, Muniz drove the pace car in 2001 when he was 15 years old at the Daytona 500. He then participated in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in 2004, and he was in 14 races during the 2006 Formula BMW USA season when he signed a two-year deal with Jensen Motorsport. In 2007, the My Dog Skip actor competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Series, and he continued with teams like Pacific Coast Motorsports in 2007 and Team Stargate Worlds in 2009. After taking a racing hiatus in 2011 due to a wrist injury, Muniz made his stock car racing debut in 2021 for High Point Racing in the SRL Pro Late Model series.
The Big Fat Liar actor’s racecar driving career is far from over as NASCAR team Reaume Brothers Racing announced that he signed a contract to be a full-time driver for the upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Muniz told Dirty Mo Media that he knows he’s at a disadvantage for the 2025 series because of his lack of experience compared to the other drivers. However, he said he plans on working very hard in and out of the team's Ford F-150 car as well as in the simulator. As he said, in this profession, it's easy to see where you stand, and now he's working to raise his ranking.
.@frankiemuniz knows that, in racing, just being in the seat isn't enough to gain respect. 🏁📺 FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/OkQ3jbPhix pic.twitter.com/Bvv8pWogdCOctober 23, 2024
Even though Frankie Muniz isn’t acting so much anymore, he told People he’s not “closing the door” on it. However, he has a stronger focus on racing these days. But I hope he comes back to performing someday as I’m still crossing my fingers for the long-awaited Malcolm in the Middle revival series.
Frankie Muniz’s transition into being a full-time racecar driver makes a lot of sense as his performance on the track isn’t subjective compared to in front of the camera. However, with his current career, you can still see him on TV as he'll get behind the wheel for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs, which airs on the 2024 TV schedule on October 26th on FS1.