Malcolm in the Middle is about to be in front of the racing pack. Frankie Muniz, who starred as the titular Malcolm in the hit Fox series for seven seasons, is rolling up to a new and thrilling career high.
On Tuesday, Frankie revealed in an exclusive interview with People that he recently signed on to be a full-time NASCAR driver.
Frankie is joining the Reaume Brothers Racing team and will start competing full-time next year. So, keep a look out for his car, No. 33.
According to People, Frankie started his racing career in 2006 and has been competing for a while as a part-time driver. In fact, he’s already competed in a few NASCAR races.
The Associated Press reported Reaume Brothers Racing team owner Josh Reaume said in a statement that they’re “thrilled to welcome Frankie to our team full-time” and praised his “passion” for the sport.
Frankie told People that he’s had his sights set on becoming a full-time NASCAR driver for awhile now.
“I don’t want to say it’s a long time coming, but this has been a dream of mine for forever,” he told the publication.
Frankie added that he initially thought he’d be a Formula 1 driver but knew he wanted to try NASCAR racing. Specifically, Frankie will be racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. “I grew up watching NASCAR,” he said. “I was a huge fan, but it’s not something I necessarily thought that I’d ever get the opportunity to do.”
But don’t think Frankie is casually taking to his burgeoning career path. “I want people to know that I’ve literally dedicated my life to this,” he told People, saying he’s constantly thinking about and training for racing in an effort to “be as prepared as humanly possible.”
Notably, Frankie isn’t done acting for good. In fact, he’s appeared in a series of TV shows in recent years, including Nora from Queens, New Amsterdam, and The Rookie.
Still, while he told People he hopes to “prove” he can do both, his focus is decidedly on racing right now.
“The kid from Malcolm in the Middle is racing in NASCAR. You know what I mean? And that’s what people say, but I am. I did it,” he said, later adding, “I don’t want to just have made it to NASCAR — I want, when people think of the truck series, they think of NASCAR that they think of, oh, ‘I want to watch Frankie. He’s competitive. He’s this,’ So I’m doing everything I can.”
You can read Frankie’s full interview with People here.