Muniz in the Middle: Actor eyes future in NASCAR with full-time racing campaign in 2023

Actor and Arizona resident Frankie Muniz has made a name for himself entertaining the masses for decades. For his next act, the titular star of “Malcolm in the Middle” aims to deliver in his most ambitious performance yet: racing stock cars.

Last month, it was announced Muniz would be joining NASCAR’s developmental ranks and competing in the ARCA Menards Series — the motorsports equivalent of Single-A baseball. The actor turned driver will run a full-time campaign spanning 20 races in the No. 30 for Rette Jones Racing.

“Obviously, I have my past and people will know me as being an actor … but I want people to think of me as a race car driver,” Muniz said.

For Muniz, his introduction to racing came back in 2001, when he attended his first Daytona 500 and got to ride along in the pace car before the big event. Since that infamous day, Muniz’s affinity for motorsports blossomed as a result of the competitive camaraderie.

In 2007, Muniz turned to racing as life beyond “Malcolm in the Middle” by joining the Champ Car Atlantic Series at 21 years old. The sitcom star competed in the open-wheel series for three years with his sights set on a career in IndyCar until suffering injuries to his back, ankle and wrist, which ultimately caused him to put his dreams on an indefinite hold.

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In the time since, Muniz picked up acting roles, traveled the world as a drummer in the band KINGSFOIL and welcomed his first child. But he couldn’t silence the desire to be a racer.

“I always thought in the back of my mind I was going to go back racing, but as the years went on, it just felt further and further away,” Muniz said. “When I had my son 19 months ago, it made me go, ‘What am I? Who am I? Who do I want to be to my son?’

“I felt like I wanted to be a race car driver. That’s what I felt like I was most comfortable doing of all the things I’ve gotten to do.”

Comfortability is one thing, but the ability to execute is what garners contract consideration. Mark Rette, co-owner of Rette Jones Racing and crew chief of the No. 30, decided to take a chance on Muniz after their first meeting in October 2022.

Rette admired Muniz’s grounded personality, while the incoming rookie gravitated towards the team owner’s highly regarded status across the sport and commitment to helping him succeed.

“This isn’t a publicity stunt,” Rette said. “The situation with Frankie is, he’s going to do whatever it takes to make this happen. He knows the craft of racing, he just needs to learn our style and how stock car racing is.

“I’ve got someone with a want and a desire, but I don’t have to deal with the (teenage) immaturity.”

In ARCA, most drivers are in their adolescence, which can make it difficult for owners or crew chiefs to develop a rapport. Where Muniz and Rette felt an immediate connection was their role as fathers and people in similar stages of their lives.

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While there will be an undoubtedly steep learning curve for a 37-year-old rookie racing among drivers half his age with more experience, Rette believes the relationship they’ve already established will only strengthen, which should promote success both on and off the track.

“Realistically, I’m old to be getting started in the stock car world,” Muniz said. “But in that same sense, it motivates me that I have to take advantage of the opportunity that I have today. I don’t have time to waste. Hopefully, that helps the progression go a little quicker, because I have the motivation and I’m in the right mindset.”

Rette saw the benefits of Muniz’s hunger and intense preparation, after his driver posted top-10 speeds during a two-day ARCA test at Daytona International Speedway last month. When it was all said and done, Muniz was 10th on the speed charts out of 61 participants with a 49.403-second lap around the 2.5 mile track.

Following a successful first time on track, Rette believes Muniz can find victory lane in his rookie season, but understands there’s a greater purpose for his driver’s venture.

“He’s doing this for the right reasons,” Rette said “He wants to do this for his son and he wants to do this for himself because he loves racing, but he’s thinking long term – ownership down the road and stuff like that. There’s several avenues there in helping him grow and chase his dreams.

“We’re going to try to build this as big as we can. Whether it’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing, if it’s another year in ARCA, I want to keep him around and grow him to get to where he wants to be in this business.”

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As far as Muniz’s goals in his rookie campaign, he’d like to attract new viewers to the sport and prove his worth as a stock car driver. In reference to his on-track performance, he doesn’t want to give anything less than 100% effort, even if the results don’t reflect the work put in.

“It’d be great to win races,” Muniz said. “Every time I get out of the car, I want to look back and go, ‘That was all I had.’ I don’t want to look back and wish I had tried harder, put more effort in, spent more time with the team or trained harder. If [I do what I’m supposed to do], then I should have a pretty good year.”

Muniz will make his ARCA debut on Saturday in Daytona at 11:30 a.m. on FS1. His next start will be at Phoenix Raceway on March 10. Tickets are still available at phoenixraceway.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Muniz in the Middle: Actor eyes NASCAR future with full-time racing campaign