Actor-turned-racer Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle fame debuted in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series race. However, his stint at Daytona International Speedway suffered a premature exit as he finished 33rd out of 38 racers.
The 38-year-old driver entered the United Rentals 300, driving for Joey Gase Racing. Muniz's run started at P37, and he climbed as high as P13 during his debut stint.
But things changed during lap 37 when Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love's #2 Chevrolet spun, resulting in a massive pile-up. The wreck spiraled 10 cars with it, including Frankie Muniz's #35 Ford. Muniz is worth $30,000,000 as per Celebrity Net Worth.
Post his dismal outing at Daytona, Muniz expressed his dissatisfaction as he yearned to have a better debut. He said (via Sky News):
"(The crash) was unfortunate because we were trying to be cautious. Unfortunately we're done early... we didn't do anything wrong I just got caught up."
He added:
"I was hoping my Xfinity debut would be better than this... I know I've got a long way to go, this is just the beginning."
From his choice of words, Frankie Muniz didn't seem to have gotten a satisfactory outcome at the Xfinity Race. However, the actor-turned-racer showed enthusiasm about his entry into NASCAR a week before his debut.
Frankie Muniz made a "thrilled" announcement about his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut
Finishing inside the top ten in 11 out of 20 races, Muniz became versed in motorsport racing when he debuted full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023. So it's safe to say that he is no stranger to the stock car racing scene.
A week before kicking off his debut run at Daytona International Speedway, Muniz announced his entry into the realm of NASCAR. He posted the message on his X (formerly Twitter) account saying:
"I'm excited to announce that I will be attempting to make my NASCAR Xfinity debut next weekend at Daytona International Speedway in the Joey Gase Motorsports #35 Ford Performance Ford Mustang. I cannot be more excited more thrilled for the opportunity to continue my journey."
Muniz added:
"I can also announce that I will be doing a part-time schedule in the Xfinity Series as well as many other racing series throughout the year just to continue honing my craft and keep getting better."