“My favorite racecar driver”: When a young Frankie Muniz appeared alongside Jeff Gordon in a Television show
Frankie Muniz, an actor turned race car driver, did well-known roles in his acting days. He did a scene in one of the widely recognized classic American sitcoms from the 90s: "Sin City." The episode from November 17, 1998, featured a scene of NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon's cameo that led to Muniz's career in NASCAR.
In the scene, Muniz played the role of a sick kid in the hospital, and Jeff Gordon, the four-time Cup Series Champion, made a sudden appearance and surprised the former. Gordon asked the latter how he was doing, and Muniz replied:
"Wow! Jeff Gordon. My favourite NASCAR driver."
Frankie Muniz was very young when he played the role of the sick kid in the sitcom series. He reminisced about his first meeting with Jeff Gordon and opened up about it in an episode of Dale Jr. Download. He said:
"It was a funny skit. So I met him when I was maybe 10 or 11...I don't know if I'm allowed to say that in this building, but I became a big Jeff Gordon fan just because he was always nice to me."
The New Jersey native is well-known for his FOX role in the sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle." He has also done some other movies, including Deuces Wild (2002), Big Fat Liar (2002), Agent Cody Banks (2003), and Racing Stripes (2005).
Frankie Muniz has also showcased his dominance in the racing industry. He won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race held in 2005, and then took to open-wheel racing in 2007. He ran in the Atlanta Championship under Jensen MotorSport, Pacific Coast Motorsports, and Team Staragred World's banner.
Last year, Muniz competed in the ARCA Menards Series and finished fourth in the points table at the end of the season. This year he competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman and Xfinity Series.
Frankie Muniz is all set for the 2025 season to race full-time
Actor-turned-racer Frankie Munix announced that he is all set to compete in the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series with his new team. He signed a deal with Reaume Brothers Racing to race full-time in the truck series. In 2024, he competed in the Xfinity Series as a partial program for Joey Gase Racing.
Muniz couldn't finish his first two races due to a slow truck from the small organization in the Xfinity Series. Later, the driver shifted his focus back to the Truck Series. During the Baptist Health 200 race held at Homestead-Miami track on October 26, 2024, the actor-turned-racer finished in P33.
Frankie Muniz shared his goal and plans for a full-time driver. He said:
"I want to be the best, but realistically, the series is tough. There are a lot of good drivers and a lot of good teams, but I think if we could consistently be in the top 20, that would be a huge achievement for us." (via ESPN)
Muniz has been a racing enthusiast for decades and landed a chance to drive the pace car during the 2001 Daytona 500, where Dale Earnhardt Jr. passed away.