Frankie Muniz Becoming Full-Time NASCAR Race Car Driver

Frankie Muniz is racing towards a new career…

The 37-year-old half-Puerto Rican Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actor has announced plans to compete as a full-time racecar driver in the ARCA Menards Series.

Frankie MunizThe series is a low-level feeder series for NASCAR — one that typically features less-experienced drivers — and will serve as a starting point for the former Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks actor’s stock-car career.

Muniz got behind the wheel of the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing during a test session last Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

“I wanted this my entire life,” he said.

His first of 20 scheduled races in 2023 will come at Daytona on February 18.

“I want to prove to people that like I’m here to take it seriously,” Muniz said during a half-hour Zoom with reporters. “I’m not just here for a fluke. I’m not just here for publicity. I wanted this my entire life, you know what I mean?

“I’m mad I waited 12 years after my last racing experience to get here. I want people to look at me and see me on track and go, ‘Wow, he belongs,’ and I’m ready to prove to everyone that I do. Hopefully I do.”

A longtime racing enthusiast, Muniz drove the pace car for the 2001 Daytona 500 — a race in which seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt died in a wreck on the final lap. Coincidentally, the chassis of the car Muniz is scheduled to drive at Daytona in the ARCA season opener was driven by Sterling Marlin 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 show has brought me and my daughter so much closer together. I love your show,”’ Muniz recalled. “And it was like insane to me that Dale Earnhardt is telling me that.”

Muniz said he first started thinking about becoming a professional driver in 2004 after competing in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach, California. He’s also raced in Formula BMW events as well as the Champ Car Atlantic Series.

His last full-time season came in 2009. He said he broke his back, broke an ankle and had a pin inserted into his hand following a crash. He has raced sporadically since.

“I just took longer to heal than I thought,” Muniz said. “Not that you have to essentially start over, but I missed an entire season and I got an opportunity to be in a band. I know that sounds crazy. I was touring the world playing drums, so a lot of things just kind of took over my life and I dove in 100%.

“I’ve always thought in the back of my mind I was going to go back racing. As the years have gone on, it felt further and further away. So when I had my son 19 months ago, it honestly made me go, ‘What am I? Who am I? Who do I want to be to my son or what I want him to see me doing?”’

He expects plenty of Malcolm in the Middle‘ jokes during races, so much so that he’s considering making T-shirts to sell at events.

“I’m going to capitalize on that before someone else does,” he said.

Antonio Garcia Wins Third IMSA SportsCar Championship This Season at the Virginia International Raceway

Make that No. 3 for Antonio Garcia

The 37-year-old Spanish professional race car driver and Jan Magnussen won at the Virginia International Raceway on Sunday for their third IMSA SportsCar Championship victory of the season.

Arnold Garcia & Jan Magnussen

Garcia took the lead in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R with just more than 12 minutes remaining in the 2-hour, 40-minute race when Alexander Sims — who had dominated with Bill Auberlen in the No. 25 BMW — made a late pit stop.

Garcia finished 12.031 seconds ahead of the No. 67 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook, and they increased their season lead to 16 points over Sims and Auberlen.

“It’s unbelievable for us to come away with a win,” Magnussen said. “Honestly, in the middle of the race, it kind of looked like a situation of, ‘OK, we aren’t losing too much in the championship, a couple of points here, a couple of points there, but we would still stay in the lead of the championship.’

“Then, for things to turn around like they did in the last half hour with the BMW coming up short [on fuel] and the Ferrari falling off, it was a crazy, absolutely crazy result. Such a fantastic result for the whole team.”

Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella were third in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE.

Sims and Auberlen ended up fourth.