Frankie Muniz announced Friday that he will compete part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024, beginning with next Saturday's season opener at the Daytona International Speedway. Muniz will drive the No. 35 Ford for Joey Gase Motorsports and make his NASCAR debut after competing full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023.
Muniz, who achieved fame as an actor as the star of works like "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Agent Cody Banks," resumed his oft-overlooked racing career in recent years to pursue a dream of racing in NASCAR. After running late model stocks on the west coast and with an extensive open-wheel racing background, Muniz ran the full ARCA season last year for Rette Jones Racing, finishing fourth in points with one top five, 11 top 10s and a best finish of fifth at Michigan.
"I know that moving up to Xfinity is a big leap for me, given my limited experience in stock cars," Muniz said in a press release. "I understand the challenges ahead and know it will not always be easy. I want to thank Wayne Auton and Brett Bodine at NASCAR for believing in me and allowing me to compete in the Xfinity Series this season. I know that I have an enormous amount to learn, but you won't find someone more dedicated than I am when it comes to chasing a dream."
Now 38 years old and some years removed from the height of his fame as an actor, Muniz has joined a select group of drivers who have made the transition from show business to racing. Speaking to CBS Sports last year, Muniz had expressed that building respect among his competitors was a goal of his, and he was able to do just that by running competitively on a week-to-week basis in ARCA.
Several of Muniz's best runs in ARCA came on tracks that he will race on in NASCAR. He just missed out on a top 10 with an 11th-place run at Daytona last year, then followed it up with sixth-place finishes at tracks like Phoenix and Charlotte, a ninth-place finish at Talladega, and a career-best fifth at Michigan.
Muniz's full 2024 schedule of Xfinity Series starts will be announced at a later date.
