“Really, to be a good actor or good race car driver or whatever, you really have to give it your all. You can’t do it halfway.” Frankie Muniz knew getting into racing couldn’t be a half-baked effort. All those years ago when Jeff Gordon met him on the set of Spin City and got his roots into racing. While racing has seen drivers branch out into acting, entrepreneurship, and even YouTube, it’s rare for an established actor to shift gears into professional driving full-time.

Despite Muniz’s limited prior experience, he proved his dedication with an impressive Daytona run, showing he is more than just a celebrity taking to the wheel. 

After more than two decades, Muniz fulfills his long-standing dream

Frankie Muniz’s passion for becoming a NASCAR driver took flight in 2001 when he served as a celebrity pace car driver. That day, he spent time in Kenny Schrader’s pit box, experiencing the electrifying atmosphere of the Daytona 500 and the thunderous roar of the cars. Fast forward to today, Muniz is no longer just a spectator. He is tearing up the track in his very own Ford Mustang Dark Horse. In his rookie season, he secured an impressive 11th-place finish in the Truck Series race, marking a strong debut in the sport.

Speaking of the achievement he had, the actor said, “We went, we finished 11th. You know I couldn’t ask for anything better. I think this truck was so fast. I mean like we were in the second pack. I passed all our second packs and had a straight away to the front pack. And by myself caught them…..Last year, I didn’t have the opportunity to do that this fully does that right. Hopefully I earned respect.”

The Daytona 500 was a chaotic one with 8 caution flags and multiple wrecks. The most deadly one came when Rajah Caruth lost control, hit other drivers, and consequently led himself into the wall. The wreck involved seven others along with stage 2 winner Matt Crafton. However, it did not bring down Frankie Muniz. He was able to steer through the 100-lap race and land himself in a sizable good position. His performance this weekend was a good starting point for the season, especially considering Muniz’s limited track time in 2024 was due to his commitment to working on his new film. However, he found the balance rewarding, and his experience with Renner gave him a clearer vision of what he wanted for the future. 

For Muniz, currently, victory and establishing himself as a good driver are extremely important. Speaking of how he has felt during Ford meetings in front of the other experienced drivers, Muniz said, “You know I am in Ford Technical meeting with other drivers and still think they look even though we are manufacturer teammates. Still don’t think you know what I can do or not.  So want to earn their respect too. The only way to do that is doing on track. We have finishes like these, we were smart.” With a solid debut and a determination to prove himself, Muniz is not just chasing a dream—he is carving out his place in the NASCAR world, one lap at a time.

Daytona 500 results, twist and turn of events

While for Frankie Muniz, the tracks did not hold much drama, it wasn’t the same for others. “Biggest win of my life” Parker Kligerman shouted once he made it to the victory line. However, fate had some other plans. In a post-race inspection, Kligerman was disqualified from the first position. Instead, the winner of the race was Corey Heim. It was later revealed that Kligerman’s car did not match the height requirements, and it was too below the required specifications.

Speaking of the sudden victory, the 22-year-old said, “It’s certainly not as thrilling as winning the race on the racetrack. But I don’t know. I’ve been on the wrong side of it several times in my late-model career. It’s cool to kind of get a big win like that, I guess.” Speaking of how the entire race panned out, Heim further added, “Honestly, pretty impressed with everyone that we kept it straight for as long as we did. They piled it up a little bit on the last lap. Compared to last year, it was such a big upgrade as far as the quality of racing.”

In a race filled with unexpected turns, Heim’s victory may have come off-track, but it proved once again that in NASCAR, the race isn’t truly over until the inspection is complete.