What happened to Malcolm in the Middle star, Frankie Muniz? The former child actor ditched Hollywood for racing, making his debut in Nascar’s Xfinity Series – and he’s also married with a son
- Muniz has been driving competitively for decades, but started taking the sport more seriously after he welcomed his first son in 2021 – he just made his debut in Nascar’s Xfinity Series racing event
- The actor, whose career began at age 11, became a well-known name on the Hollywood circuit during the early 2000s, after starring in films like Big Fat Liar with Amanda Bynes, and Agent Cody Banks
Not all former child stars end up following the same acting career path that they’ve become oh-so-familiar with from a young age.
Take Frankie Muniz – who made quite the jump transitioning from his gig on Malcolm in the Middle to becoming a Nascar racing driver. According to People, 38-year-old Muniz has been driving competitively for decades, but started taking the sport more seriously as a career after he welcomed his first son in 2021.
“It hit me when I had my son,” Muniz told People. “I want him to grow up seeing me reach for my dreams and work hard for something that I’m passionate about, and the one world where I feel like I still have unfinished business was the racing world. So I’m going to go racing.”
This month, Muniz made his debut at Nascar’s Xfinity Series racing event, where he finished 33rd out of 38 after getting into a multi-car crash, as reported by Sky News.
In an interview on the Nascar news website, he said, “[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.”
Muniz 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.”
Here’s what else Frankie Muniz has been up to lately.
Malcolm in the Middle’s Frankie Muniz is a Nascar driver
Muniz broke into the professional driving scene last year, per People. He described his journey in an interview with the Associated Press: “The only thing I can compare it to is like going to a new school,” he said. “You can feel like you’re the man in one school and when you go to that new school, you’re like, ‘I don’t know anybody. Are people going to welcome me here?’ I have a little bit of that feeling. Like even walking in the garage, I don’t know if people accept me there yet.”
