When you think of drivers who have been able to increase viewership in NASCAR within the last 20 years, names like Danica Patrick, Hailie Deegan and Bubba Wallace come to mind.
In 2023, a new name entered the stock car scene that everybody turned their attention toward. Not because they were screaming through the ranks like Connor Zilisch. Not because they were breaking barriers for women like Deegan or Patrick, nor breaking barriers for racial minorities like Wallace or Daniel Suarez.
This driver changed the game in the sense that racing wasn’t even their first career.
Frankie Muniz is recognized most as a Hollywood actor. Having starred in movies such as Big Fat Liar and Agent Cody Banks, as well as the titular character in the hit TV show Malcolm in the Middle, Muniz has gained critical acclaim throughout his nearly 30-year career in Hollywood.
However, the Wood-Ridge, N.J., native has always had an interest in racing that heightened after attending the 2001 Daytona 500. The thirst for auto racing went beyond fandom — Muniz wanted to drive a car himself.
After originally attempting an open-wheel career in the late 2000s, Muniz turned his attention to stock car racing a dozen years later. The opportunity snowballed into a full-time endeavor in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023 with Rette Jones Racing.
For little to no stock car racing experience before the 2020s hit, Muniz impressed in his lone full-time ARCA season. In the 20-race season, more than half of Muniz’s results were top 10s, including a top five at Michigan International Speedway, where he finished a career-best fifth. He even spent a majority of the year second in points behind Jesse Love before a performance decline late in the year dropped him to fourth.
Yes, it’s today’s ARCA, so there wasn’t a ton of competition, but for the car he was driving and the people he was competing with, it was an impressive season for the actor-turned-racer.
But Muniz’s fame as an actor resulted in more eyes being placed on motorsports. Not just any motorsport — the ARCA Menards Series. While ARCA very rarely has its ratings released, there were certainly a demographic of people who tuned into ARCA races solely because they were made aware of Muniz’s presence in the field.
This season, Muniz has had scattered starts throughout the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series, and ARCA. He has remained loyal to Ford, despite a lack of any full-time effort. Recently, Muniz forged a relationship with Reaume Brothers Racing, a mainstay in Trucks and ARCA. He signed a five-race deal with the team midway through the season: four Truck Series races and one ARCA race, again at Michigan.
Results be damned, the pair have only grown their relationship, and on Oct. 22, it was announced that Muniz would run full-time for the team in 2025.
This is a great chance for the Truck Series to get more eyes on its racing. The Truck Series has a much bigger audience than ARCA as is, so expect there to be an even bigger spike in viewership from the casual fan base that wants to see one of their favorite actors perform in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
Much like Deegan when she first joined the Truck Series, there shouldn’t be much in the way of expectations for the rookie. Reaume isn’t one of the top dogs of the Truck Series, and it cannot be emphasized enough that Muniz will be a rookie learning the ropes of several racetracks he’s never seen before.
At the same time, Muniz has an opportunity to fill the void of noteworthy people trying their hand at working their way through the ranks of NASCAR. Patrick retired. Deegan is headed over to Indy NXT and open-wheel racing. Wallace and Suarez have already made it to the top echelon of NASCAR.
The lower series lacks one of those X-factor drivers. Sure, there are some pure talents like Zilisch or Carson Kvapil that are exciting to watch as they make their way through the ranks. However, the lower series needs a driver who isn’t your traditional stock car driver trying their hand at said stock cars — or, in the case of Muniz, stock trucks.
Muniz will replace Lawless Alan in the No. 33 — Alan’s 2025 plans are currently unknown, but he has been capable of taking Reaume’s trucks and ARCA cars to great finishes, so that ought to give Muniz some confidence for next season.
Don’t be shocked if the ratings for the Truck Series see a spike next year because of Muniz’s presence. Fans are probably waiting for Muniz to be taken three-wide so they can say, “Hey look, Malcolm in the middle!”
The Truck Series will benefit from having a star like Muniz in the field next season.
After all, Muniz is already used to starring in things.
Truckin’ Tidbits
- Kevin Harvick Incorporated and Rackley W.A.R. have formed a partnership beginning in 2025. The two teams both compete in the zMAX CARS Tour, and KHI has several active NASCAR and ARCA drivers signed to its agency. KHI team owner Kevin Harvick will serve as a team consultant, while KHI driver (and son of Rackley co-owner) Dawson Sutton will drive for Rackley full-time in 2025.
- Zilisch will drive the No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Stefan Parsons is the usual driver of the part-time truck, while Zilisch has made several Truck Series starts this season with Spire Motorsports. However, Connor Mosack will drive the No. 7, forcing Zilisch into the Henderson ride, though it’s unclear how the deal came together.
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter. He has also assisted with short track content and social media, among other duties he takes/has taken on for the site. In 2025, he became an official member of the National Motorsports Press Association. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight coordinator in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.