Muniz: “Feels So Good” to Earn First Championship With Ford

Photo: Bob Chapman/Ford

Frankie Muniz said winning his maiden championship in his first year of sports car racing “feels so good” after a down-to-the-wire Pirelli GT4 America season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Muniz and co-driver Tyler Stone came out on top of the Am championship thanks to Muniz’s charge through the field in the second half of Sunday’s 60-minute contest, which saw the No. 30 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang GT4 finish the race second in class.

While entering the title decider with a nine-point lead in the standings, the No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 EVO of James Clay and James Walker Jr. had led the race in class and appeared to be in position to snatch away the championship in the final race.

However, Muniz got past a fading Walker Jr. for position for third place with 17 minutes to go, and then made a pass on second five minutes later, which solidified the title.

“I’ve never been in this position, obviously,” Muniz told Sportscar365. “You want to fight and go but at the same time you’ve got to finish the race.

“I knew it was a long stint left. I reeled them in and I saw the leader right there; I knew the points position.

“I battled them; I tried to be a little cautious but then I realized you can’t be. I’ve got to race how I’ve been racing the second half of this season and just go for it.

“I got by two of the cars and I knew we were in the championship lead at that point so I kind of started driving 90 percent, just to make sure I didn’t throw it off by myself and just bring it home.

“The Mustang GT4 car was fast enough to win in class but I wanted that championship.

“This feels so good. I never thought I’d experience this and at 40 years old, it feels really good.”

It came in a season that saw Muniz claim his first career victory in pro racing at Road America in August and go on to claim two additional class wins with Stone en route to the championship.

While having been running a parallel program in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, of which he skipped this weekend to focus on his title chances at The Brickyard, while also going through a rather-public divorce, Muniz admitted that he started losing his way in the summer until the breakthrough win.

“I’ve been questioning what I’m doing the last year,” he said. “Racing is such a hard business. The highs are super high and the lows are really, really low.

“You mix that in all the personal stuff I was going through at home, you go, ‘Should I be doing this? Should I just focus on something else?’

“Mid-season we started winning and feeling like, ‘No, I belong in this series and I want to keep proving it.’

“Thank you to Ford for believing in me. The last couple of years, they’ve really supported me so much.

“I’m so happy to bring the Mustang GT4 car a championship and we’re going to repeat it next year.”

Ward: Muniz Has Worked “So Hard” for Breakthrough Title With Ford

Ford Racing’s global customer racing manager Chris Ward, who was on the TechSport pit box to witness the GT4 America title, credited Muniz’s determination as a developing sports car racing driver in being key to his championship-winning season.

“I’m so pleased for both Frankie and for Tyler,” Ward told Sportscar365. “Frankie’s first season in sports car racing, at all, and to deliver the GT4 America Am championship is such an achievement for him.

“I know he’s had a tumultuous year. I couldn’t be happier for him and look forward to hopefully having him back next year and defending the championship.

“He’s worked so hard for this. The dedication, the time, the commitment that he’s put in with the support of all the Ford Racing teams, the entire TechSport Racing team, they’ve done a tremendous job all year.

“Frankie’s attention to his time in the simulator at our technical center in Charlotte, the preparation for every weekend and the support that he’s had all around him has gotten him to this point.

“I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Dylan Spaulding contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John