Is Frankie Muniz really a NASCAR driver?

Yes—Frankie Muniz is an active professional stock-car racer competing under the NASCAR umbrella. He ran the full 2023 ARCA Menards Series season and began making select starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024, continuing to pursue opportunities into 2025. While he has not raced in the top-tier Cup Series, his ARCA campaign and Xfinity entries mean he is legitimately a NASCAR driver in the commonly understood sense.

What “NASCAR driver” means

In motorsports coverage and fan conversation, “NASCAR driver” typically includes competitors in NASCAR’s national series—Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck—as well as drivers in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards platform that feeds those divisions. Because ARCA is part of NASCAR’s development ladder and Xfinity is a national NASCAR series, racing in either qualifies a driver, in practical terms, as a NASCAR competitor.

The points below outline how the term is used and where ARCA fits within NASCAR’s structure.

• NASCAR national series: Cup Series (top level), Xfinity Series (second tier), Craftsman Truck Series (third tier)
• Development pathway: ARCA Menards Series (plus ARCA East/West) is owned by NASCAR and functions as a key feeder series
• Common usage: Media and teams routinely refer to ARCA and Xfinity competitors as NASCAR drivers

Put simply, participation in Xfinity or ARCA places a driver within NASCAR’s ecosystem, and the label “NASCAR driver” is widely applied accordingly.

Muniz’s racing résumé

Early motorsport background

Long before his Xfinity appearances, Muniz transitioned from acting into serious motorsport, competing in open-wheel racing in the mid-to-late 2000s, including the Atlantic Championship. That period built his foundation in race craft, fitness, and sponsor relations—skills he later carried into stock cars.

ARCA Menards Series (2023)

Muniz ran the full ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2023 with Rette Jones Racing. He opened the season strongly—spending time atop the standings early—and closed the campaign inside the top tier of the championship, recording multiple top-10 finishes and gaining experience on a mix of superspeedways, short tracks, intermediates, and dirt ovals. The ARCA season established him as a committed, full-season stock-car competitor.

NASCAR Xfinity Series (2024–2025)

In 2024, Muniz stepped up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for select events with lower-resourced teams, marking his debut in one of NASCAR’s three national divisions. He continued to pursue part-time Xfinity starts into 2025 while exploring additional stock-car opportunities as schedules, sponsorship, and team seats allowed. Although he hasn’t raced in the Cup Series, his Xfinity appearances place him squarely within NASCAR’s national-level competition.

Common misconceptions

Because “NASCAR” is often shorthand for the Cup Series, there’s frequent confusion about who qualifies as a NASCAR driver. Here are clarifications that put Muniz’s status in context.

• NASCAR isn’t just Cup: Xfinity and Trucks are national NASCAR series, and ARCA is NASCAR-owned and developmental.
• ARCA counts: ARCA competitors are part of NASCAR’s ladder system and are widely recognized as NASCAR drivers.
• Actor-to-racer trope: Muniz’s racing involvement spans years; his move into ARCA and Xfinity reflects sustained commitment, not a publicity stunt.

Understanding NASCAR’s multi-series structure helps explain why Muniz’s ARCA and Xfinity participation legitimately qualifies him as a NASCAR driver.

How to verify Muniz’s current schedule and results

Driver schedules and entries can change frequently due to sponsorship and team availability. For the latest, consult official and authoritative sources that track entry lists, qualifying results, and finishes.

1. NASCAR.com: Official entry lists, weekend schedules, and race results for Xfinity and national series
2. ARCARacing.com: Official ARCA Menards Series news, schedules, and results
3. Team announcements and social accounts: Updates from teams Muniz drives for and from Muniz himself
4. Racing-Reference and similar databases: Historical stats, series-by-series results, and career summaries

These sources provide real-time confirmation of when and where Muniz is racing, plus how he finishes.

Bottom line

Frankie Muniz is indeed a NASCAR driver: he completed a full ARCA Menards Series season in 2023 and has made part-time starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since 2024. While not a Cup Series regular, he competes within NASCAR’s sanctioned ecosystem and continues to build his stock-car career.

Summary

Muniz’s status is legitimate. He raced full-time in ARCA in 2023, moved into select Xfinity events starting in 2024, and remains active in NASCAR-sanctioned competition. Calling him a NASCAR driver is accurate, even though he hasn’t (yet) raced in the Cup Series.

Is Malcolm a NASCAR driver?

Yes, Frankie Muniz, the actor who starred as the titular character in Malcolm in the Middle, is a professional NASCAR driver who is competing full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for the 2025 season with Reaume Brothers Racing. He transitioned from acting to racing, making his NASCAR debut in 2024 and quickly becoming a full-time driver by 2025.
 
Key Details

• Actor to Racer: Frankie Muniz is best known for his role as the child prodigy Malcolm in the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. 
• NASCAR Debut: After a lengthy break from racing following an acting career, Muniz made his return to the sport by competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023 and 2024. 
• Full-Time Status: He is scheduled to drive full-time for Reaume Brothers Racing in the 2025 season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. 
• Motivation: Muniz stated he wanted to prove he belongs in the series and has an “unfinished business” in the racing world, which is why he prefers the clear, objective results of racing over the subjective nature of acting. 

Is Frankie Muniz really a race car driver?

Frankie Muniz. Francisco Muniz IV (/ˈmjuːnɪz/; born December 5, 1985) is an American actor and racing driver. Muniz came to prominence in the 2000s playing the title character of the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006), for which he was nominated for an Emmy and two Golden Globe Awards.

Is Frankie Muniz turning into a full-time NASCAR driver?

Frankie Muniz to drive full-time for Reaume Brothers Racing in 2025. Reaume Brothers Racing announced that Frankie Muniz will drive full-time for them in the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

Did Frankie Muniz qualify for NASCAR?

Actor-turned-driver Frankie Muniz leans against his truck before qualifying for a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway in February. Frankie Muniz may be the only actor who has been nominated for an Emmy award and driven in a NASCAR event at Daytona.