By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Though Frankie Muniz has balanced a lot this calendar year, the 40-year-old is still dedicated to NASCAR.
Indeed, 2026 has seen the Craftsman Truck Series competitor wear a lot of hats, including one as a championship winner in the Mustang Challenge Series and one as an actor returning to his infamous role of Malcolm in the Disney+ series Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair.
Despite all this, Muniz has made 18 of 22 races in the Truck Series this year, with three top-20 finishes and a 25th place in the points with three races remaining. He is committed to returning to the Team Reaume No. 33 in 2027 to chase improvement in results.
“I am not finished in the NASCAR world,” Muniz stated. “Obviously, I want to continue in the sportscar world, but I will be racing NASCAR. As of right now, it’s not necessarily full-time, but it’s not that it won’t be.
“There’s a lot of moving pieces as always when it comes to everybody’s schedule in the racing world, and we’re ironing it out. I love Josh [Reaume]. I love my team. If I’m back in the NASCAR world, it will be with them again.
“Whether it be a part-time basis or full-time, I will be in the NASCAR Truck Series next year in some capacity.”
Muniz first entered the NASCAR circle in 2023, beginning his maiden year in the ARCA Menard’s Series. That year, he scored one top-five and 11 top-10 finishes toward fourth in the championship. In 2024, he made debuts in both the Trucks and O’Reilly Series before transitioning to full-time Trucks in 2025.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” he said. “When I do something, I do it fully. People always ask me what my hobbies are, I don’t have hobbies. When I do something, I want to do it at the highest level I can possibly do it and try to be the best.”
With a career-high finish of 10th coming at Daytona in 2025, Muniz has failed to score another top 10 since. With an average finish of 26.4 this year, he is far from satisfied of his results in NASCAR. It has gone against his lifelong passion for being the best.
“I still feel like I have a lot of unfinished business in the racing world, especially in the NASCAR world,” he said. “It’s such a tough series. It’s such a tough sport. There are so many good drivers, so many good teams, and I feel like I’ve figured out a lot.
“I feel like I’m a much better racer and driver than I was when I came in, but I’m still not necessarily seeing the results that I expect to see or want to see. So, that’s why I’m not finished yet in the NASCAR world.”
Ford Performance has been behind Muniz throughout his NASCAR tenure, backing him in every series he has competed in.
“They pushed me this year to give the sportscar world a try because they have the Mustang Challenge Series, the GT4 car, the GT3 car,” he said. “They have the Hypercar coming out. They’re really putting an emphasis on their sportscar program and I went over there not knowing what to expect and won the championship and won a bunch of races. That felt incredible. That’s not something I’ve ever done in my racing career, like to really kind of be there and feel like you can win, and it feels really good. I’m not gonna lie.”
Muniz has enjoyed racing for wins and championships and says there will be a ‘big focus’ on sportscar racing in 2027. However, speaking from the property of Talladega Superspeedway before he competes on Friday, he reiterates that NASCAR holds a key place on his goal list.
“I don’t want you guys to discount or think I’m dropping out of NASCAR. It’s not that,” he said. “Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series is the most exciting racing I’ve ever experienced.
“I’m out in Talladega right now looking at the grandstands and being here, this is amazing, but the racing and the skill in sportscar just fits my driving style really well. I’m just so confident in that car and I feel like that’s something I need to pursue because we did well and I feel like I’m just getting started in that world. I can’t wait for race one to start next year with what I finished this year.”