TV star-turned-NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz was transported to a local medical facility Wednesday after an incident in practice for Ford’s Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic at Daytona International Speedway, according to a Ford statement reported by Fox Sports motorsports correspondent Bob Pockrass.
Motorsport.com noted that Entertainment Tonight published a photo of the damaged Mustang reportedly driven by Muniz showing the roof had been cut away by rescue workers. No further details on injuries or the exact nature of the crash have been released.
According to Entertainment Tonight, “Frankie Muniz is in the hospital after he was involved in a crash at the Daytona International Speedway. ET was on site to interview Frankie, who was set to drive for Team Air Force at Ford’s Veterans Day Classic, when he crashed during a practice lap. The speedway was not open to the public at the time.
“We’re told Frankie was transported to a local medical facility for evaluation, but he is awake and alert. He will no longer participate in the race. It’s unclear if he will be released in time to attend the race, where his Malcolm in the Middle co-star Bryan Cranston was set to appear in support of Frankie.”
Ford also said the 40-year-old “is awake and alert,” but has not said whether he will race tonight, according to The Daily Downforce.
Beyond that, few details of the crash were available Wednesday afternoon. Ford has not said what happened in practice, whether Muniz is seriously hurt or which hospital received him. No further update had surfaced as of 3:30 p.m. ET.
Muniz was scheduled to share a Mustang Dark Horse R with Austin Cindric, representing the U.S. Air Force, in the inaugural event, which pairs 12 Ford drivers in six teams, one for each military branch. Muniz’s father served 20 years in the Navy and Air Force, according to Ford.
The incident came a day after Ryan Blaney withdrew after taking a fall Monday night. Robert Noaker of Ford’s driver development program will take his seat alongside Ben Hobson on the U.S. Marine Corps entry, according to Ford Racing. The race airs on USA Network from 8 to 10 p.m. ET.
Frankie Muniz Acting Career After ‘Malcolm in the Middle’
Muniz still acts, though selectively. He took time off from acting after the Fox sitcom ended in 2006 to pursue a racing career, according to E! Online.
Twenty years later, he came back as Malcolm. The four-part revival, Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, brought back most of the original cast, including Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek as his parents, according to The New York Times. It premiered April 10, the same day his truck wrecked at Bristol Motor Speedway. Muniz walked away uninjured.
The experience left him “happy to call myself an actor,” he told People. He would also “definitely love to jump back into that world,” he told Deadline.
Frankie Muniz NASCAR Start and Results
Muniz grew up watching NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar. He finished seventh in the 2004 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at Long Beach, California, and won the celebrity class a year later, according to Grassroots Motorsports. A pro team offered him a test, and he began Formula BMW USA competition in 2006.
With two races left in the 2009 Champ Car Atlantic season, Muniz sat fourth in points when he wrecked at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The crash broke his back, ankle and several ribs, and he stayed out of racing for 12 years, according to the Times. The birth of his son, Mauz, in 2021 brought him back.
His 2023 ARCA Menards Series season with Rette Jones Racing ended with Muniz fourth in points with 11 top-10s. In 2025, he finished the season 26th in points in his first full Truck Series year with Reaume Brothers Racing, after a ladder fall at home fractured his wrist.
This season, Muniz ranked 25th in points with 236. He had no top-10 finishes in 21 starts.
He also won the GT4 America Am championship with co-driver Tyler Stone on Oct. 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In October, Muniz said he still has “a lot more to prove to myself and to everybody.”
Is Frankie Muniz OK? TV Star-Turned-NASCAR Driver Crashes on Veterans Day