“This is your favorite President,” said President Donald Trump on the common NASCAR driver’s radio frequency, “I’m a big fan. I am a really big fan of you people”. On his Daytona appearance he had hijacked the frequency. For the first time in a long while, NASCAR drivers heard someone apart from their crew on their radios.

No car-to-car talk either; that’s been off-limits since 2012 to stop tandem drafting tricks at superspeedways like Daytona. NASCAR’s team radios are the beating heart of the sport. A live wire where drivers and crews hash out strategy, vent frustrations, and sometimes just let loose. It’s unscripted, unfiltered, and often unforgettable.

Think Kyle Busch’s fiery, profanity-laced rants that could peel paint off a car, or Denny Hamlin’s sharp, clipped “Are you kidding me?” that cut through the chaos after a tough loss. These moments don’t just reveal the heat of the race, they show the raw humanity behind the helmets.

And recently, Frankie Muniz, the ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ star turned NASCAR hopeful, jumped into this world with a radio exchange that’s got fans doubled over laughing. It happened during a Craftsman Truck Series race, with Frankie’s voice crackling through the headset, a mix of exhilaration and dread.

“Our race already at 190, which is a good thing, that means I’m alive!” he shouted, his heart rate spiking as he wrestled the No. 33 Ford F-150. So it’s just Frankie, his spotter Travis, and the open airwaves. Travis fired back with dry wit: “If it’s already at 190, you might not be alive that long, so let’s try to get that thing down, I’d say. Pull a little tape off of her, Frankie.” It’s classic NASCAR radio of part coaching, part ribbing, all in the thick of a 150-mph storm. Frankie kept the energy up, half-gasping, “My 39-year-old heart’s about to explode!” Travis, unfazed, teased, “Bro, I thought you were 40,” and Frankie shot back, “I always round up. Travis, I’m sorry if I’m joking the car. Too many chicken tenders.”

That’s when it went off the rails with chicken tenders. Travis didn’t let it slide: “Future note, no more chicken tenders before race time.” But Frankie wasn’t done spilling his guts. “I never eat chicken tenders before, I was trying something new,” he admitted, then pivoted to the truck: “I’ll say this, I wouldn’t touch the truck. It’s really good, I just need to drive harder, but it’s really good. Like, literally so good.” You can hear the kid who once outsmarted his TV family now geeking out over horsepower. Then, he dropped the gauntlet: “So is Kyle Larson ready for when I’m about to give him?” Travis, ever the hype man, replied, “I think you should go, uh, push him around a little bit under caution and let him know what’s up.” It’s a dare that echoes Busch’s “I should beat the shit out of him” rants except with Frankie’s wide-eyed charm.

NASCAR radios have seen it all. Kyle Busch‘s message to Carson Hocevar at Atlanta is just one of the instances. “Go tell that 77 he’s done that same f***ing move ten times. I don’t care if I wreck the whole f***ing field, I’m over him. He’s a f***ing d*****bag, I’m going to wreck his ass.” Or take Denny Hamlin at Phoenix in 2025, losing to teammate Christopher Bell by a whisker and barking over the airwaves, his voice dripping with disbelief. These outbursts are NASCAR’s lifeblood where raw emotion meets high stakes, and fans eat it up.

Frankie’s no Busch or Hamlin yet. He’s a rookie in the Truck Series, driving for Reaume Brothers Racing. His 2025 season started strong with a 10th at Daytona (after a DQ bumped him up), but it’s been a grind with 24th at Homestead, 29th at Kansas in 2024. His ARCA run in 2023 (fourth in points, 11 top-tens) showed promise, and he’s all in, telling PEOPLE, “I’ve dedicated my life to this.”

Kyle Larson, though is a different beast. The 2021 Cup champ moonlights in Trucks and dominates like his wild Homestead win in March 2025, spinning out, dropping back, then storming to victory in the No. 07 Chevy. Frankie’s call-out is gutsy, but Larson’s a mountain to climb. Still, that radio chat is gold. It’s not just Frankie’s hustle—it’s the humor, the heart, the tenders. “I’m finding my zen moment,” he, and on the air, you feel it: a guy trading sitcom fame for racing glory, one unhinged transmission at a time.

There a chatter among the fans too

“Not gonna lie this is how I’m gonna act when I get in a NASCAR,” one fan said, and you can see why Frankie’s “I’m alive!” freakout is every rookie’s dream, bursting with Busch-level intensity minus the swearing. “Spotter not sure how to respond to all that 😅,” another added, and it’s true as Travis was stumped, like Busch’s crew after a tirade, but Frankie’s chaos was all tender-fueled joy. It’s the kind of raw energy that makes you want to grab a wheel and hit the track yourself.

“Not gonna lie I kind of thought of Ricky Bobby when he got to drive a NASCAR for the first time 😂,” a fan chimed in, and it’s spot-on—Frankie’s “heart’s about to explode” line could’ve been ripped from Talladega Nights. It’s Ricky Bobby reborn, but real, racing a truck instead of shaking and baking. You can almost hear Will Ferrell’s voice in Frankie’s panicked glee, making it a laugh-out-loud moment that sticks with you.

“Man these deleted scenes from Miracle in Lane 2 are wild,” someone wrote, tying Frankie’s kid-racer TV movie to this real-life madness. It’s a gut punch of nostalgia. Back then, he was a fictional underdog in a wheelchair; now, he’s living it, battling NASCAR’s big dogs. Seeing him channel that old role into this radio rant feels like a full-circle win, wild and heartfelt.

“I’ve seen enough. Give him the second Red Bull F1 seat,” a fan declared, dreaming big after Frankie’s bold Larson jab, while another begged, “Need more Kyle Busch mic’d up moments.” That Larson call-out was over-the-top, sure, but it’s got fans hyped as has his rival reference. Despite this, fans want more of those Kyle Busch mic moments. His unfiltered side is one they always enjoy.