How Frankie Muniz’s lifelong car obsession fueled his racing dream

Actor turned racer Frankie Muniz disclosed his childhood obsession with cars and revealed how it got him into racing in the future. He also discussed his long road trips owing to his love for driving.

Muniz made his full-time Truck Series debut earlier this year with Reaume Brothers Racing. There has been quite a bit built up for him prior to making it into full-time stock car racing. He is better known as an actor, having acted in the popular sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, where he was the protagonist. However, his inclination towards racing isn't new.

Recently speaking to Jim Farley on the DRIVE podcast, Frankie Muniz revealed that he has been a car enthusiast since his childhood. He also mentioned waking up early in the morning to catch up with Formula 1 and IndyCar races.

"I remember way before I ever thought I would be a race car driver," Muniz said via Farley on X. "Cars were my life as a kid. All I wanted was matchbox cars and remote control cars. And I remember getting up at, you know, five, six in the morning when I was six years old and turning on the Formula 1 race. I remember just loving watching Formula 1 and IndyCar."

The ice-breaking moment for Muniz came in 2001 when he had the opportunity to drive the pace car during the Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 that year. He met Dale Earnhardt right before he got into his car.

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Frankie Muniz reveals leaving his show's shoot to get his license

Frankie Muniz was a child actor in the early seasons of Malcolm in the Middle, and he revealed that the producers were quite strict with the shoot schedule and the actors weren't allowed to ask for off days.

However, the day Muniz was supposed to get his license, he took a day off and went for a drive.

"I just loved cars. The day that I was getting my license, we were filming Malcolm in the Middle, and you're not really allowed to ask for days off. But I was like, no, you don't understand. It's my 16th birthday. I'm going and getting my license. Like that's the priority of my life."

He then revealed that he had recently driven across the country, solely because of his love for driving.

"And once I had that, we just get in the car and just drive forever and listen to music. And I'm 39 years old now. I literally just drove across the country. I drove from Phoenix to Charlotte. I literally love being on the road."

Frankie Muniz's first race this season in the Truck Series was rather competitive, where he managed to finish in 10th place. However, his performance has since plummeted and has remained out of the top 20.