‘Hopefully I earn respect’ — Hollywood actor turned NASCAR driver claims top-10 finish at Daytona 500
Malcolm is no longer happy finishing in the middle of the pack.
Actor Frankie Muniz, who is set to appear in a reboot of the sitcom that made him famous, sealed the best result of his NASCAR career in Daytona Beach.
4
The 39-year-old Malcolm in the Middle star took up racing in 2008 but a significant injury resulted in a 14-year break.
On Friday, he finished 11th in the NASCAR truck series before being bumped into the top 10 after Parker Kligerman's disqualification.
"We finished 11th, I couldn't ask for anything better," Muniz told . "I think this truck was so fast.
"We were in the second pack, I passed all the second pack... straight away to the front pack, and by myself caught them. I can’t wait for Talladega, because this truck is good."
MORE ON NASCAR
"10th Place finish last night at Daytona in the first race of my full-time NASCAR season! I was screaming," he added on Instagram.
Agent Cody Banks actor Muniz, who is set to race at the iconic Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, says he has had to battle for respect due to his unusual route into NASCAR.
“I know I have to prove myself here," he added. "Last year, I didn’t have the opportunity to do that. Not that this fully does that.
"This is great. This is a step. Hopefully, I earn respect.
Most read in Motorsport
“I’m in the Ford technical meeting with the other drivers, and even though we’re teammates I still don’t think they know what I can do or not.
"So I want to earn their respect too, and the only way to do that is to do it on the track.”
4
Muniz was involved in a huge multi-car crash on his debut in NASCAR's Xfinity Series at the same track last year.
John Hunter Nemechek bumped Jesse Love which caused an avalanche of a 10-car wreck.
In videos shared online in the aftermath, the former sitcom hero needed to be held upright by two members of the AMR Safety Team before he limped to the ambulance.
"There was nowhere for me to go," he said after avoiding serious injury via :
";I got hit from behind into the 42 and then the 42 got moved and the 18 was stopped and I went right into him.
"I don't feel there was anything I could have done there."
4
4
Muniz spent three years racing open-wheel cars after leaving showbiz behind.
His ambitions to reach IndyCar were wrecked by an accident a year later where he broke his back and had pins inserted into his wrist.
In December, it was confirmed that Malcolm in the Middle is returning to screens.
Original stars Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek are also reprising their roles alongside Muniz.
“Malcolm (Muniz) and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party,” a Disney+ description revealed.
Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz limped to an ambulance after horror NASCAR crash
Topics