Frankie Muniz Opens Up About His NASCAR Comeback After Perceived Retirement

NEED TO KNOW

• Frankie Muniz will probably be again for his second full- time season with Crew Reaume within the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence in 2026, driving a Ford F-150

• As well as, the actor will face a brand new problem in sports activities automotive racing as an appointed driver for TechSport Racing, driving a Ford Mustang GT4

• Later this 12 months, he’ll additionally star within the four-episode revival sequence, Malcolm within the Center: Life’s Nonetheless Unfair

Frankie Muniz is once more taking to the observe in 2026 — this time as a driver in two completely different motorsports sequence.

Muniz, 40, will probably be again for his second full- time season with Crew Reaume within the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence, driving a Ford F-150. As well as, the actor will face a brand new problem in sports activities automotive racing as an appointed driver for TechSport Racing, driving a Ford Mustang GT4 within the SRO-sanctioned GT4 America season.

The Malcolm within the Center alumnus started racing in 2004 and began his skilled profession in 2006, becoming a member of Reaume as a full-time driver of the No. 33 F-150 within the 2025 season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence. His new function at TechSport Racing will see him race alongside co-driver Tyler Stone.

Talking to PEOPLE in an unique interview, Muniz acknowledged that his schedule within the new 12 months — which can embody 25 races within the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence, seven races with SRO America, and the debut of the four-episode revival sequence, Malcolm within the Center: Life’s Nonetheless Unfair — will probably be “fairly intense.”

However the actor has no plans on letting off the pedal.

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“If I am being 100% sincere, I actually thought that final 12 months was gonna be my remaining 12 months racing,” Muniz tells PEOPLE. “Simply due to the period of time and focus and every little thing that goes into being a driver on the prime stage. So after I did my final race in Phoenix a month in the past, I had this thought like, ‘Effectively, this might be the final race I ever do as a NASCAR driver.’ “

He continues: “And it was actually in that second that I used to be like, ‘No manner. I am not executed with this. The story is just not executed. I have never achieved the targets that I wish to accomplish in it.’ “

“There’s nonetheless numerous unfinished enterprise,” he provides.

Talking to PEOPLE on his fortieth birthday, the actor acknowledges racing is “not a younger man’s sport,” including, “I contemplate myself extraordinarily lucky and fortunate … I am one in all possibly 100 individuals on the whole planet which have a racing license to race NASCAR. So I do know I’ve gotta make the most of that chance.”

Whereas Muniz has a profitable 12 months, securing a Tenth-place end in his fifth profession NASCAR truck sequence begin at Daytona in February, he provides that he nonetheless is not happy.

“There’s a lot that occurs in racing that is out of your management and we had numerous issues occur this 12 months that had been out of our management, the place it felt prefer it was the universe telling me like, ‘Perhaps it is not for you,’” he says. “The highs of racing are so excessive, however the lows of racing are actually low so I went by way of a bizarre interval emotionally all through the season.”

One of many lows to which Muniz alluded was an August 2025 fall at his house (which occurred as he was altering the batteries of a Ring digital camera) which led to a wrist fracture and triggered him to take a seven-week break from racing as he recovered.

“The phrase ‘FML’ (Frankie Muniz’s Life) takes on new that means with moments like these,” Muniz wrote on X on the time. “I am disenchanted to share that I will not be racing at Darlington this weekend or for the following few weeks because of a distal radius fracture.” He made his return to racing in October, at Talladega.

Having labored as an actor because the age of eight, Muniz says he is nonetheless finding out what success means on this planet of racing.

“A lot that I’ve executed in my life — since I used to be eight years outdated, at the same time as an actor — like I form of did issues and fell into it and located success with out actually attempting,” he says, including: “That is the very first thing like I really feel like, ‘Whoa. That is manner more durable than I ever imagined it may probably be.’ However that motivates me far more proper to maintain preventing for it.”

Muniz provides that he is hopeful so as to add extra prime 10 and prime 15 finishes to his racing resume, saying: “After I’m executed with it, I wanna look again and go, ‘Okay, I gave it 100% and gave it an actual sincere attempt to I am pleased with what I did.’”

“I do not know precisely what that stage of success appears to be like like … I believe I will understand it after I accomplish it,” he says.

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