Frankie Muniz’s NASCAR Journey Hits Early Bump, But He’s Not Backing Down
Late last month, Frankie Muniz, the actor-turned-racer, made headlines when he announced his dream of becoming a full-time NASCAR Truck Series driver.
“This has been a dream of mine for forever,” Muniz told PEOPLE at the time. “I started with open wheel racing, thinking I’d go the IndyCar or Formula 1 route, but NASCAR was always in the back of my mind. I grew up watching it, I was a huge fan, but I never thought I’d get this opportunity.”
Muniz made it clear this move isn’t about grabbing attention — he’s here to compete.
“I’ve literally dedicated my life to this,” he emphasized. “When I’m not in the race car, I’m thinking about being in the race car. I’m training, working in the Ford Performance Technical Center simulator, studying tapes, and talking strategy with my engineers, crew chiefs, and team. I’m doing everything I can to be as prepared as humanly possible.”
However, Muniz’s early test in the series came with its challenges. In one of his first big races, he suffered a “hard hit” and was visibly limping as he left the track and entered an ambulance.
Thankfully, Muniz escaped without any serious injuries and spoke with reporters after the race, reflecting on the experience with optimism.
“I’m okay, yeah,” Muniz reassured. “It was unfortunate, but I learned a lot. I got to run with some guys, made some passes, lost spots on restarts, then passed them again. It was good for me to figure out how to get by people. I haven’t really had the chance to do that much this year, so that was really positive.”
Describing the crash, Muniz explained, “I just wanted to keep going, I wanted to keep running. But there was nowhere for me to go. I got hit from behind into the No. 42, and then the No. 18 was right there stopped, and I went right into him.”
Despite the setback, Muniz made it clear that he’s far from discouraged.
Muniz will be back — ready to prove he belongs behind the wheel in the NASCAR Truck Series.
