Emmy-nominated actor and NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz was transported to a medical facility on Wednesday, Nov. 11 after an incident during practice at Daytona International Speedway ahead of Ford’s “Proud To Honor Veterans Day Classic.”
Ford and the team Muniz drives for in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
, Team Reaume, said in a statement that the 40-year-old “was taken to a local medical facility for further evaluation and is awake and alert.”It’s unclear if Muniz will participate in Ford’s event where he was set to partner with Cup Series driver Austin Cindric on a team representing the Air Force.
Ford’s exhibition race at Daytona is the first of its kind, aiming to showcase the manufacturer’s top drivers while also honoring the military.
USA Network will have live coverage of the race on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET and it will feature 12 drivers paired into six teams. Each team will represent a branch of the military.
Drivers will be competing in Mustang Dark Horse Rs, a car that was designed for International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) competitions. Other drivers set to race in the event include Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Layne Riggs, Noah Gragson, Ty Majeski, Joey Hand and Logan Sargeant.
Ryan Blaney was supposed to race in the exhibition as well, but withdrew on Tuesday after he “accidentally took a fall that required medical attention.”
Before putting on a firesuit and getting behind the wheel of a NASCAR truck, Muniz was a young star in Hollywood and an Emmy-nominated actor for his work on “Malcolm in the Middle.” He also starred in films such as “Agent Cody Banks,” “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” and “The Black String.”
Muniz began stockcar racing in 2023 at the lower-level ARCA Series. Last year, he began driving full-time in the Truck Series for Team Reaume in the No. 33 Ford, notching seven top 20 finishes over the past two seasons. He had four top 20 finishes in the Truck Series this season.
Earlier this year, Muniz and Tyler Stone were the drivers for the championship-winning team in the Am Class of the GT4 America Series, a sport-car racing circuit where Muniz piloted the TechSport Racing Ford Mustang.
“Going into this, I've never raced sports cars," Muniz said after winning the championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "My first time ever in a GT4 car was for the first practice session at Sonoma. I thank Ford Racing for pushing me in this direction. It was so incredible. I feel like halfway through the year, we really figured everything out and we won a few races and put ourselves in the position to win the championship.”
Muniz is expected to continue racing in both NASCAR’s Truck Series and the GT4 America Series in 2027.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frankie Muniz hospitalized after accident at Daytona ahead of Ford exhibition race
