Frankie Muniz races in NASCAR Truck Series
Frankie Muniz, the former “Malcolm in the Middle” star, is set to make waves in the NASCAR Truck Series. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Muniz has signed with Reaume Brothers Racing for several races in the 2024 season. He will compete in the NASCAR Truck Series events at Nashville, Bristol, and Kansas, and will also make a single appearance in the ARCA Menards Series at Michigan.
Muniz expressed his excitement about the new venture. “I’m really excited to begin my NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career with Reaume Brothers Racing,” he said. “I visited the shop a few weeks ago, and I am very impressed with what all Josh (Reaume) has done to elevate his program. Being able to align myself with a program that is growing rapidly will only further elevate my performance behind the wheel. This year being a continued year of development in my career, it feels reassuring to partner with a program quickly developing to be a race-winning and championship-contending organization. I’m prepared to take on Nashville in the No. 22 Ford F-150!”
Josh Reaume, owner of Reaume Brothers Racing, also shared his enthusiasm. “Frankie brings a very unique opportunity to our race team in both his relationship with Ford Performance and his identity away from the racetrack,” Reaume said. “We are excited to expand our relationship with Ford and also leverage on Frankie’s popularity to attract more partnerships and expand our racing schedule over time.”
Muniz, 38, began his racing career in 2004 but took a break before returning in 2021. He made his stock car debut at Kevin Harvick’s County Raceway and joined the ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2023 with Rette Jones Racing. During the 2023 season, Muniz earned 11 top-10 finishes and a fourth-place finish in the final standings. This year, he competed in two Xfinity Series races, finishing P33 at Daytona and P30 at Phoenix.
“I am very fortunate to have the unwavering support of Ford and Ford Performance through my NASCAR journey, and I am very humbled yet excited to be teamed up with Joey Gase Motorsports to attempt my NASCAR Xfinity Series debut next weekend at Daytona International Speedway,” Muniz said before the Daytona race.
With the completion of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season, Muniz has concluded his rookie season in stock car racing. The actor-turned-racecar driver finished fourth in the series standings with one top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. His season was highlighted by a fifth-place showing at Michigan International Speedway, but he also faced challenges with six DNFs and only seven lead-lap finishes out of the 20-race season.
Muniz has been the subject of various rumors regarding his future in racing. Following the ARCA season finale at Toledo Speedway, Muniz hinted at his plans but did not provide specifics. “I do know what my plans are. I don’t know when we’ll be announcing it officially. We want to make sure that when we do make the announcement, that we have all our ducks in a row and all that. So it’ll be sooner than later but more later than sooner,” he said.
One thing is certain: Muniz will not return to Rette Jones Racing full-time in ARCA in 2024. However, he may still participate in some ARCA races. Team owner Mark Rette confirmed that Muniz is working on plans to compete in about 8-10 speedway races, depending on sponsorship.
In addition to his ARCA plans, Muniz is poised to compete in the NASCAR national ranks. Sources have indicated that two teams are frontrunners for Muniz in 2024: RSS Racing and ThorSport Racing.
RSS Racing, a family-owned organization under the Ford banner, could have Muniz as a teammate for the full 2024 Xfinity season. The team plans to field three entries in 2024, with Ryan and Kyle Sieg in two of the cars. Muniz’s most likely racecar number with RSS would be the No. 38.
Muniz has also been linked to ThorSport Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series. ThorSport, which currently has two drivers still alive in the playoffs, has an open seat due to Hailie Deegan’s departure to the Xfinity Series with AM Racing. Muniz could join both RSS and ThorSport in 2024, splitting the No. 13 truck with another driver.
While Muniz is double the age of 2023 ARCA champion Jesse Love, he remains determined to succeed as a racecar driver. Rette attested to Muniz’s determination but noted that he still needs more development. “It was great to have Frankie in a car to teach him what he needs to be taught in a very short amount of time was great,” Rette said. “I still feel like he needs more development, but obviously time’s not on his side. Everything is situational. So at the end of the day, it was great to have him, but when you get into these deals and you unfortunately do not have that type of experience, you need to do this for a couple of years, not just one. That’s OK. He did a good job.”
In 2024, Muniz is poised to substantially increase his laps in a racecar, running full-time in NASCAR and part-time in ARCA.
