Frankie Muniz Announces Full-Time NASCAR Career Change

Frankie Muniz is known to most people as an actor, but the Malcolm in the Middle star's love of car racing dates back almost as far as his acting career itself. Next year, fans can get used to seeing him out on the racetrack instead of on the screen. 

On Oct. 22, NASCAR team Reaume Brothers Racing announced that it signed a contract with Muniz to have him as a full-time driver for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' 2025 season. It marks a major step in Muniz's racing career as he takes on a full-time position with Reaume Brothers after participating in part-time competition  throughout the 2024 season. 

Getting to drive the team's Ford F-150 in races is an honor for Muniz.

"I’m incredibly excited to join Reaume Brothers Racing full-time in 2025," the actor said in a statement. “My longstanding relationship with Ford has been a game changer, and I am thrilled to help facilitate additional support allowing us to tap into their exceptional technical and engineering resources. I’m confident that this synergy will elevate Reaume Brothers Racing and help us achieve great things together. I can’t wait to get started."

Team owner Josh Reaume is similarly excited for the partnerships with Muniz and Ford to blossom. "We’re thrilled to welcome Frankie to our team full-time and to expand our relationship with Ford Performance," he said. "Their support has been invaluable, and we believe that with Frankie’s passion and our collective momentum from this year, we can make significant strides in the upcoming season."

While the career move might come as a shock to some, those who've been following Muniz for years know racecar driving has long been a passion of his. In 2001, Muniz drove the pace car for the Daytona 500 when he was just 15 years old; coincidentally, he also met Dale Earnhardt before the race where the legend ultimately crashed and died in the final lap. 

Muniz's car racing career unofficially started when he participated in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in 2004. He went on to sign a two-year deal with Jensen Motorsport as a driver and was in 14 races during the 2006 Formula BMW USA season. In 2007, he graduated to the Champ Car Atlantic Series and competed the entire season of 12 races. He later signed with Pacific Coast Motorsports in 2008 and Team Stargate Worlds in 2009. After competing in the 2011 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, Muniz took a step back from racing for a bit. 

Muniz made his stock car racing debut in October 2021 with High Point Racing for the SRL Pro Late Model series. In January 2022, he drove for Fast Track Racing in the ARCA Menards Series test at Daytona International Speedway. A year later, Muniz announced he was joining Rette Joins Racing full-time. Earlier this year, he made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut with Reaume Brothers Racing.  

If you're interested in seeing Muniz get back behind the wheel, tune in to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs Oct. 26 at 12 p.m. ET on FS1.