"Guess who's back?": Frankie Muniz announces hometown NASCAR Xfinity appearance at Phoenix Raceway

Actor-turned-racer Frankie Muniz is set to make his Xfinity Series return at Phoenix Raceway this weekend.

Frankie Muniz, star of the hit show Malcolm In The Middle, and part-time NASCAR driver, made his Xfinity debut earlier this year at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. The 38-year-old, who competed full-time in the ARCA Menards Series last season, piloted the No. 35 Ford Mustang for Joey Gase Motorsports at Daytona.

While his first outing at the speedway didn't go as per his hopes, courtesy of a DNF, Muniz will be back for his second Xfinity race of the season in Phoenix, hoping for a redemption.

It was originally reported that team owner Joey Gase would compete in the #35. However, plans have since changed, with Muniz now confirmed to take the wheel of The Hot Chick Ford Mustang for JG Motorsports in the upcoming Phoenix race on Saturday.

Frankie Muniz shared the news on social media platform X, writing:

"Guess who's back? Back again. The Hot Chick is back, tell a friend! Can't wait to get back in the @xfinityracing car this weekend at my hometown race at Phoenix Raceway in my Ford Mustang Dark Horse!"

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What did Frankie Muniz say about his first Xfinity Series race in Daytona

The 38-year-old put on a resilient display on the track in NASCAR's season-opening weekend. However, Muniz's race was cut short after completing only 37 laps as he was caught in a significant wreck.

Reacting to his performance, Frankie Muniz expressed a blend of disappointment and determination. He said after the race (via TobyChristie):

"It’s bad luck really, because that’s what getting through something like that is — you get lucky if you make it. Unfortunate, because we were literally trying to be cautious. Even the whole first run we were chilling where we were and just kind of getting comfortable. I just did my first real pit stop ever. I had hoped to do more than that to get more experience, so it’s unfortunate."

Muniz remained appreciative of the efforts of Joey Gase Motorsports and emphasized his eagerness to continue learning and improving as a driver. He said:

"Joey Gase Motorsports worked really hard. Obviously, they’re trying to teach me really quickly. I’ve got so much to learn, but unfortunately we’re done early, and by the looks of it, it’s gonna be another crash-filled race, and if we could have just finished we probably would have had a really good finish, but it is what it is. I hate the term ‘that’s racing’. It’s my least favorite term in the history of life, but it is; especially here. We didn’t do anything wrong, we just got caught up in whatever happened."