Muniz: First Pro Win “Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time”

Photo: Bob Chapman/Ford

Frankie Muniz said his first professional win in motorsports “couldn’t have come at a better time” amid challenges off the track and while plotting his future in sports car racing.

The Hollywood star, best known for his starring role in the 2000’s TV sitcom ‘Malcolm in the Middle’, claimed Am class victory in Friday’s Pirelli GT4 America race at Road America, teaming up with co-driver Tyler Stone in TechSport Racing’s Ford Mustang GT4.

Muniz’s breakthrough win has come in his first year of sports car racing, alongside a parallel effort in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, also with Ford Racing, which the 40-year-old admitted has been a bit of a “whirlwind” year.

“We never tested, never driven the car, never turned it on before the first practice session at Sonoma,” Muniz told Sportscar365.

“I didn’t even know what the buttons did. It’s obviously so different from the NASCAR that I’ve been focusing on the last couple of years.

“We started with a second place at Sonoma. Then we had another podium last race at Road Atlanta; we finished third in the second race.

“To get this win… I was in tears. I’ve had had a really rough last two weeks, like honestly, the roughest of my life.

“I feel like this couldn’t have come at a better time.

“The fact that I could put my head down… I started the race yesterday, got up into the lead in the Am class and handed the car over to Tyler.

“He fell back a little bit but then he drove back through the field and held onto it. I was ecstatic, 100 percent.”

While having having spent three years in Atlantics, which was at the time on the rung below CART, and making multiple appearances in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at Long Beach, Muniz took a break from racing until returning to the wheel, but in NASCAR competition, in 2023.

However, his first taste with sports car racing, which came in the following year in the Mustang Challenge North America round at Circuit of The Americas, and followed up by an outing, also in the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, at last year’s Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational, opened his eyes to a new avenue.

“I think it just suits my driving style,” Muniz said of sports car racing. “I love NASCAR. I always say driving NASCAR sucks but racing it is the coolest thing I’ve ever done because the racing is so close.

“This, the first couple of races, I didn’t have a lot of on-track battles. So I was like, ‘Driving this car is the coolest thing I’ve ever done, but the racing is kind of, ehh.’

“But now like what we did yesterday, that was the most exciting thing I’ve ever been a part of!

“My family sacrificed a ton for me to go racing. I’m currently going through a divorce, which I don’t want, but a lot of it is just because I’m on the road 42 weekends a year racing.

“Not that this makes it feel better, getting the win, there’s times where you’re finishing 30th and you, ‘What am I doing?’

“This makes you feel like the effort was at least worth it a little bit.”

Muniz Plotting Long-Term Future in Sports Car Racing With Ford

While admitting he’s not yet ready to give up on his NASCAR dream, Muniz indicated that he sees himself in sports car racing, ideally with Ford, for the long-term.

“Without giving too much away, I’ll definitely be back in this garage next year with Ford in the Mustang GT4 and hopefully keep building up,” he said. “I’d love to drive a GT3 car one day.

“Ford is putting so much into their sports car program with the Hypercar coming out, the GT3 car, the GT4 program. They’ve got a ladder, which I think is really amazing. It just makes sense.

“We started talking about it last year after Le Mans that maybe this is the direction I should go.

“I wanted to give NASCAR another shot because I felt like I still had unfinished business. I haven’t necessarily scratched that itch yet, where I feel like I’m satisfied there because we’ve had a hit/miss season.

“But it’s stuff like this. I realized that I think this is where I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to be in sports car racing.

“The cool thing about sports cars is that you can [compete]. And with my age, me being 40 and being called a Bronze, it makes it [easier] for people that need a fast Bronze.

“This is a sport that you can do for a lot longer. I’m one of the oldest drivers in the NASCAR field, in all three series. I think there’s two or three guys older than me, but by a year or two.

“Mostly I’m racing with 16-20 year olds, whereas here, the longevity of having a career in sports car racing, it goes for as long as you really want.

“I like that aspect of it too. The events are really nice. The tracks are awesome. It’s a fun world to be in for sure.”

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