The former child star was behind the wheel at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When a name like Frankie Muniz pops up at Charlotte Motor Speedway, they’re usually making a celebrity appearance as Grand Marshal, or a guest of a driver.
But former child TV and movie star Frankie Muniz is a driver.
He races full time in NASCAR’s Truck Series.
“It’s one of those iconic tracks,” Muniz said. “I actually came here in 1993 and slept in an RV in the infield. It was probably my first race ever.”
Muniz was the star of hit sitcom “Malcolm In The Middle” from 2000-06. He’s also known for his starring role in the 2003 movie, “Agent Cody Banks.”
But deep down, he was always a wheelman, and that rose to the surface in a celebrity racing event in Los Angeles.
“I was always a fan of racing. I never thought I’d be a driver. I won that. The feeling was so incredible,” Muniz said. “I knew this was the world I wanted to be in 100 percent after that.”
Muniz has worked his way all the way up to one of NASCAR’s three national series, where he has one top-ten finish for Reaume Brothers Racing this season.
Because of his big name, he still has to prove he belongs.
“It’s a process I’m still working on,” Muniz said. “We’ve shown we have a lot of speed, but we’ve had a lot of unfortunate luck. You need the result at the end. People at the end only look at the finishing position.”
While racing is his main gig, Muniz still acts now and then. In fact, he just participated in a reboot of “Malcolm In The Middle.”
“I had a blast,” he said. “I knew it’d be fun. I didn’t know how much I’d love every minute of it. We immediately went back as if we never spent any time apart. I think people are going to love where the characters are.”
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