Alan Conklin || Issue 6 || October 28, 2024
The name Fankie Muniz is usually associated with the Fox hit TV show “Malcolm in the Middle”, which ran from 2000 to 2006. Rightfully so as in 151 episodes the show racked up nearly 100 Emmy nominations, winning 29. Its streaming availability on Hulu and Disney Plus also keep it relevant as many rewatch or discover it for the first time. But even as the show’s main star, Malcolm, Muniz hopes that in the near future he will be known as NASCAR driver first, actor second.
At age 38, Muniz is certainly on the older side of full time NASCAR drivers, but he is no beginner to racing. Despite his early start as an actor, Muniz had always wanted to be a racecar driver. He got his first chance to experience this during the 2004 Toyota Pro/Celebrity race, then dabbled with American open wheel racing in a variety of series throughout the rest of the 2000s. In the 2010 he took a step back, only appearing in a few select one-off races. But as the 2020s came around he had shifted his focus to NASCAR. He dabbled with NASCARs lesser known ARCA Menards series with a few races in 2022, before going fulltime in 2023 with Rette Jones Racing.
He had a successful season with them, which led him to move up to part time racing in NASCARs third and second tier series, the Craftsman Trucks and Xfinity, for 2024.
He made the most out of these opportunities, as the team he had run part time for this year, Reaume Brothers Racing, has signed him to pilot their number 33 Ford fulltime in the Truck series next year. Getting a full time ride in one of NASCARs three premier series is a huge part of eventually becoming a Cup series driver. Muniz hopes to take full advantage of this opportunity in his continued pursuit of a lifelong dream.
The Hudsonian 