Frankie Muniz steers from ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ to first racing season at Daytona Speedway

Actor Frankie Muniz is returning to the public eye not as part of a film or TV show but as a race car driver.

The former star of “Malcolm in the Middle” will drive the No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette Jones Racing in NASCAR’s ARCA Menards Series. The first race of the season will be Feb. 18 at the Daytona International Speedway.

Mr. Muniz, 37, said in a tweet Wednesday that racing competitively is a dream come true. He’s also doing it for his son by “showing him that you can always chase your dreams.”

Finally making my dream a reality, this one is for my son and showing him that you can always chase your dreams.

Excited for this opportunity with Rette Jones Racing, Ford, and our partners to go full time racing for an ARCA National Series Championship in 2023. pic.twitter.com/OhbFnlMNKW

— Frankie Muniz (@frankiemuniz) January 11, 2023

He elaborated on his new pursuit in an interview with People magazine.

“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,” Mr. Muniz told the magazine.

Mr. Muniz acknowledged he’s going to have a steep learning curve on the track. The “Agent Cody Banks” star has been a fan of race car driving since the mid-2000s, but he hasn’t raced competitively since 2011 when he placed second in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Now, as he enters racing for his first full season, Mr. Muniz is balancing his competitive edge with the understanding that he’s just getting started.

“I don’t have 10 years of opportunities,” the former actor told People. “I gotta make this happen right now. So, in that sense, I’m just eager to get rolling. I want to be competing for wins, but I’m also realistic.”