‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Star Frankie Muniz to Race for NASCAR in 2025

Frankie Muniz, driver of the #22 Ford Performance Ford, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200 in Lebanon, Tenn., on June 28, 2024. Sean Gardner/Getty Images

For seven years, Frankie Muniz was the title character in the “Malcolm in the Middle” sitcom. Now, the actor is in the middle of a second career as a stock car driver. He’s certainly off to a nice start thus far, as it was just announced that Muniz will compete full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2025.

The 38-year-old will drive the No. 33 car for Reaume Brothers Racing, the same team he’s competed in for two Truck Series races this year, with two more races to go.

He finished 31st out of 38 drivers in a June race at Nashville Superspeedway and placed 29th at Kansas Speedway in September. He showed enough promise to get the keys to No. 33, which was first driven by Josh Reaume, who is the owner of Reaume Brothers Racing.

Standing in the Ford Performance Technical Center in North Carolina, Muniz revealed his 2025 plans in a video posted on X.

“I am so excited to announce that I’m going to be racing full-time next season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the No. 33 Reaume Brothers Racing Ford F-150,” Muniz said. “I can’t wait, I’m so excited to be full-time. We’re going to have so much fun next year. I can’t wait for you to watch.”

The Truck Series is NASCAR’s third tier of stock car racing, below the top tier Cup Series and the second-tier Xfinity Series. Muniz already has experience with both of the minor circuits to the Cup Series, as he also competed in two races on the Xfinity Series this year. He was 33rd at Daytona to kick off the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series and then 30th in Phoenix three weeks later.

Reaume Brothers Racing has been fielding cars since 2018 for the Truck Series, and while it has yet to win a race, it hopes that drought ends with Muniz getting behind the wheel full-time. The team released a statement in which it praised his commitment to his craft.

“This season, he has made multiple starts with Reaume Brothers Racing, demonstrating his commitment to mastering his craft and gaining valuable experience on the race track,” Reaume Brothers Racing said. “With two races remaining in the 2024 season, Muniz aims to continue building chemistry with the team and developing his notebook for the upcoming year.”

Muniz’ affinity for racing goes back many years, as he spent part of his childhood in North Carolina—a hotbed of auto racing. At the 2001 Daytona 500, and while he was starring in “Malcolm in the Middle,” the then-15-year-old Muniz was a passenger in the pace car for The Great American Race. That year’s Daytona 500 is best remembered not for Michael Waltrip winning, but it being the race that claimed the life of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Muniz also took part in various celebrity races, while his first competitive racing came during the Atlantic Championship Series from 2007-09. He performed a little better each of his three years on the circuit, going from 22^nd place in 2007 to 11^th place in 2008 to ninth place in 2009.

He then took a break from racing, both to heal from injuries and to balance his acting career. He then jumped back onto the track in the ARCA Menards Series last year, where he finished fourth in the standings, fueling the push in his racing career.

“Last year I decided, you know what, I’m not getting any younger. I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business in the racing world,” Muniz said. “If I’m gonna do it, I need to do it now. But I want to go to NASCAR racing. So, I signed up for ARCA and really went in completely blind to what the experience would be like. But, we had a good amount of success, and I loved every minute of it.”

As for what was once his day job, Muniz was a child actor who made his film debut as an 11-year-old. His breakout role as Malcolm in the FOX series ran from 2000 to 2006 and won him seven Emmy Awards. Muniz, himself, earned two Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nomination during his acting career, which continues to this day.

He’s appeared in television series such as “Criminal Minds,” “Arrested Development,” and lent his voice to “The Simpsons.” On the big screen, Muniz appeared in “Dr. Dolittle 2,” the “Agent Cody Banks” film series, and most recently, “Renner.”

Before Muniz jumps full-time to the Truck Series next year, he still has a couple of races to finish out this year. He is scheduled to compete on Saturday at the Baptist Health 200 in South Florida, and will then wrap up his part-time schedule at the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 on Nov. 1 from Martinsville Speedway.