Frankie Muniz is set to begin on a full-time career as a NASCAR driver, marking an outstanding step in his racing journey. At 38, the Malcolm in the Middle star, who has been racing since 2004 and began his professional journey in 2006, is joining Reaume Brothers Racing to drive the No. 33 F-150 in the upcoming 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, he expressed his excitement, saying, “I don’t want to say it’s a long time coming, but this has been a dream of mine for forever.” Reflecting on his journey, Muniz explained his initial foray into racing: “I started with doing the open wheel route.
Starting his racing journey in 2004, Muniz transitioned from open-wheel racing to NASCAR, fulfilling a long-held passion for the sport
I thought I was going to go IndyCar, kind of the Formula 1 route, but I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to try NASCAR. I grew up watching NASCAR and was a huge fan, but it’s not something I necessarily thought I’d ever get the opportunity to do.”
His announcement follows a successful year in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023, where he achieved one top-five finish and 11 top-ten finishes, ending the year in fourth place in the points standings. After joining Ford Performance that year, he also participated in limited races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Mustang Challenge Series.
Muniz shared that racing full-time in “one of the three big national NASCAR series” is incredibly thrilling, though he acknowledges he has “a lot to prove to myself and to everybody.”
He emphasized his commitment, saying, “I want people to know that I’ve literally dedicated my life to this. When I’m not in the race car, I’m thinking about being in the race car. I’m training, using the simulator at Ford, and collaborating with my engineers and crew chiefs to prepare as thoroughly as possible.”
Although he hasn’t ruled out acting, Muniz clarified that his primary focus is on becoming a race car driver. He remarked, “I hope to just prove to people that I can do both. I can’t say for certain, but I’m hoping to show that this season.” He wants his fans to witness the hard work he and his team are putting in.
He noted, “The kid from Malcolm in the Middle is racing in NASCAR. You know what I mean? And that’s what people say, but I am. I did it.” Muniz expressed his determination to “turn some heads” in the racing world, stating, “I don’t want to just have made it to NASCAR — I want people to think of me when they consider the truck series and say, ‘I want to watch Frankie. He’s competitive.’ So I’m doing everything I can.”
