Frankie Muniz opened up about his NASCAR journey, including his latest loss at the Craftsman Truck Series in North Carolina.
By Adrianne Reece Apr 22, 2025 2:30 PMTags CelebritiesNASCARFrankie Muniz
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Frankie Muniz Embarks on New Career as a NASCAR Driver
Frankie Muniz is dealing with some tough hurdles in his NASCAR career.
After the Malcolm in the Middle actor, who started professionally racing in 2023, faced some difficulties while competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on April 18, he’s now opening up about how a recent loss has affected his mental health.
"If I’m being 100% honest... Mentally/emotionally I may be at a new low,” Frankie wrote on X, formerly Twitter, April 21. “Just wanted to say it out loud.”
During the latest North Carolina race, the 49-year-old—dad to son Mauz, 4, with wife Paige Price—suffered a mechanical failure that cost him “17 or 18 laps” on the track. In a post-race interview, he revealed his “power steer line burst” and that he “ripped a hole in his hand” trying to gain back control of his car.
He was able to rejoin the competition after the mishap was fixed, finishing in 23rd place.
“I really wish we were in the race,” Frankie told NASCAR reporter Peter Stratta at the time, adding this delay was “the hardest thing” he’s ever done. “It’s really hard to be out there and wanting to do competitive lap times when you’re already kinda out of the race.”
Despite the setback, the Agent Cody Banks star had a slight rush of optimism at the beginning. He explained that his truck felt “fast” enough to keep up with his competitors—even with its mechanical error. However, he knew that he couldn’t power through that issue without potentially delaying other drivers, so he tried to “stay out of the way.”
“These are one of the ones where you go, ‘Man, if we didn’t have this [issue], we could’ve [finished] in the top 15,’” he continued. “But either way, I’m still learning. I’m getting more comfortable. It’s a learned art. I really love my team and they’re working really hard. I’m just oddly cursed.”
James Gilbert/Getty Images
This isn’t the first time Frankie has hit a bump on the road. Ever since he scored 10th place at Daytona in February, he hasn’t been able to finish above his goal of 20th place. Then, last November, he lost control of his car while competing in Arizona. But he isn’t letting these roadblocks stop him from returning to his first career: acting. Amid his NASCAR run, Frankie is set to reprise his titular role in Disney+’s revival of Malcolm in the Middle this year.
And leading up to the reboot’s release, he shared a rather unpopular opinion about his notable character.
“One thing I realized after watching all the episodes is that Malcolm was the worst character on the show,” Frankie told E! News in February, before giving his costar Justin Berfieldsome well-deserved flowers. “Reese was my favorite character, which when we filmed it, I didn't really like Reese. It’s weird how you watch it from an outside perspective and like stepping away from it, you can see something different.”
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