Frankie Muniz went from ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ to NASCAR truck driver. Up next, Pocono Raceway.

Before filming the final season of Malcolm in the Middle, Frankie Muniz was already focused on his next project. In 2005 at age 20, the actor was ready to compete in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race for his second time.

Muniz placed seventh in his debut in 2004. During his second stint, he realized that he wanted to pursue racing as a career after finishing first at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

“I was a huge racing fan my whole life,” Muniz said. “It’s not something I thought I would ever get the opportunity to do. But I did the pro/celebrity race that they used to do in Long Beach for years. I won that and I knew at that moment that’s what I wanted to try to do.

“Winning that race and crossing the finish line first was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I don’t know how to explain it. When you do it after you find success in something that’s not easy, it feels amazing.”

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Since then, Muniz, 39, has been racing professionally, and will be competing at Pocono Raceway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 33 Ford F-150 for Reaume Brothers Racing. He’ll be in action Friday at the 2025 MillerTech Battery 200.

“My path is not the usual route people take to get to become a professional race car driver, but I took advantage of it,” Muniz said. “Now, here I am, 21 years later, still trying, still racing.”

Muniz began his training at 19. He fully committed to the job after the seventh and final season of his hit Fox show, and took a hiatus from acting.

“I didn’t really even fully know the rules, but I feel like the best way to learn was to surround yourself with the best guys,” Muniz said.

His first professional race took place that same year when he competed in the Formula BMW USA Championship in Indianapolis. He had one of his best finishes of the series, finishing in 16th place. He then moved up to the Champ Car Atlantic Championships for two years (2007-2009).

“To do either job well, you have to commit yourself,” Muniz said. “You have to be full-time. You’re competing against people where that’s all they do. You can’t just jump from one to the other. You’ve got to put in time. People think racing is just one day a week, and that’s all it is. But there’s so much that goes into racing outside of the track.”

Muniz is constantly in the gym — whether he’s in the simulator at the performance center, watching film, working with the crew, or preparing for the intense elements of a race.

“My heart rate for two to three hours — however long the race is — will be at about 170 or 180 beats per minute,” Muniz said. “And then it’s 160 degrees inside the race car, so it’s like doing it inside of the sauna. There’s a lot of prep in the gym. I’m constantly trying to do those things to be ready.”

However, there are certain scenarios one can’t prepare for. In 2009, Muniz was involved in a multi-car crash during a race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The wreck resulted in a broken back, pins placed in his hand, and a 13-year hiatus from racing.

“I always knew I’d go back [to] racing,” Muniz said. “I didn’t think that there would be a 13-year hiatus. I thought it would just be until I was healed, but life kind of takes over. But I decided I wanted to go to stock car racing and race NASCAR and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to learn.”

In 2021, he made his stock car racing debut at Kern County Raceway Park in California, competing for High Point Racing. A year later, he progressed to the ARCA Menards Series, where he finished fourth in the standings, before making his highly anticipated debut in the NASCAR Truck Series.

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“There’s not a huge difference between racing cars and trucks,” Muniz said. “The truck just pokes a little bit of a bigger hole in the air so that allows for more drafting. I think people think you’re racing a truck, it must be so different. But when you’re inside of it, you don’t know the difference.”

To start the series in February, Muniz made headlines after securing a top-10 spot in the season opener at Daytona. Since then, the Arizona native has faced a number of setbacks out of his control, resulting in multiple non-finishes this season.

His fourth non-finish of the season took place at Texas Motor Speedway in May. His right tire blew, forcing him into the outside wall with 29 laps to go. But he was staying positive heading into Friday.

“I think a lot of what keeps you going and motivated is passion,” Muniz said. “The highs are so high and the lows are so low. You get angry, but you want to get to the next race to kind of change the momentum. And when that doesn’t happen, it’s hard to keep going.

“But if you have a great race like we did last week [finishing in 14th], you go, ‘OK, this is why we’re here. I love this.’ Like I said, you love it so much that it makes you hate it. But that’s what keeps you fighting.”

Although Muniz took a hiatus from acting, he’s making his return in the Malcolm in the Middle Disney+ revival that has yet to be released. He filmed the four-episode revival during his racing season, which led to a very busy schedule, he said.

“We were filming Sundays through Thursdays in Vancouver, and then raced Friday,” Muniz said. “It was nuts. It was all kind of during the bad luck streak I was having in the race car, but the filming was awesome. I had such a good time, and if we had just a few good finishes, I would have said it was a super successful six-week stretch where I had to do both. But it wasn’t really ideal to have to do both.”

If there was ever a chance to combine his two professions and take on an acting role as a race car driver, he’s ready to take on the responsibility.

“I hear they’re talking about making a Days of Thunder 2,” Muniz said. “If I’m not in it, I’m going to be pretty mad. That would be perfect because it only makes sense. Maybe it makes too much sense.”

For now, Muniz is focused on his racing career. He was No. 25 in standings for the NASCAR Truck Series this season.

“I used to say I want to make it to the Cup Series,” Muniz said. “I don’t know what success will feel like for me as a race car driver because you’re never fully satisfied. You want to keep trying to go and keep fighting.

“I just hope to keep racing for a long time and just get better and better. And I hope when people think of me, they don’t just think of me as an actor. But they think of me as a successful or good race car driver.”