Frankie Muniz is not any stranger to reinvention. From the quirky and lovable little one star of ‘Malcolm within the Center’ to a full-time NASCAR driver, his journey has been something however strange.
Nonetheless, recently, Muniz has discovered himself dealing with a few of the hardest laps in his racing profession and never simply on the observe. After a string of setbacks, together with a mechanical failure that ended his race at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina on April 18, the motive force opened up about his emotional state in a uncooked and trustworthy put up on X.
Frankie Muniz Opens Up About Psychological And Emotional Struggles
Chatting with followers in an X put up, he wrote, “If I’m being 100% trustworthy… Mentally/emotionally I could also be at a brand new low. Simply needed to say it out loud.” The vulnerability struck a chord with followers, lots of whom have watched him develop up on display and now cheer him on behind the wheel. Muniz’s honesty is uncommon on this planet {of professional} sports activities, the place drivers are sometimes silent about their struggles. However Frankie selected to share the burden he’s been carrying.
His frustration is comprehensible. In the course of the April 18 race within the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence, Muniz’s energy steering line burst, making it practically unattainable to drive. “I ripped a gap in my hand turning the wheel,” he revealed in a post-race interview with NASCAR reporter Peter Stratta. “It’s in all probability the toughest factor I’ve ever carried out.” Regardless of beginning sturdy, the setback compelled Muniz to make an prolonged pit cease.
This price him 17 or 18 laps. He finally completed in twenty third place. Whereas the consequence was disappointing, the bodily and emotional toll appeared far higher than the numbers on the leaderboard. Nonetheless, whether or not he finishes first or final, he has achieved lots. And as Frankie mentioned himself, “We’re attempting actually arduous.” Typically, that’s greater than sufficient.
Frankie Muniz Hasn’t Misplaced All Hope
Muniz has been chasing the dream of racing professionally for years. Lengthy earlier than most followers knew him as Malcolm, he had his eyes on the observe. He started stunt racing again in 2004 whereas nonetheless filming the sitcom. After years of competing in smaller races, he lastly joined the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence full-time in 2023 with Rette Jones Racing.
However it’s been a tough trip. Since ending tenth at Daytona on February 14, his efficiency has struggled to fulfill expectations. He hasn’t positioned above twenty first within the races that adopted. “Our purpose is at all times high 20,” he advised Stratta. “I’ve had dangerous luck for nearly two years straight.” But by way of all of it, he stays grateful for the folks in his nook. “I actually love my workforce. They’re sticking with me, and I hope the followers do, too,” he mentioned. “I hope they don’t activate me.”
Even his spouse, Paige Muniz, whom he calls “tremendous supportive”, has tried to joke by way of the robust moments. “Possibly it’s you,” she advised him playfully. “Like, perhaps you’re simply not good.” Muniz doesn’t shrink back from the criticism. “I imply, individuals are going to say what they do,” he mentioned. “However you realize, we’re attempting actually arduous.”
The stigma of being a Hollywood actor attempting to compete in a sport as cutthroat as NASCAR hasn’t made the highway any simpler. “I feel at first, perhaps folks thought racing was like a interest,” he admitted. “However you earn respect or the popularity as a driver and never simply as an actor whenever you’re on the market competing and beating them, proper? That’s what I’m attempting to do.” And Frankie’s not simply doing this for himself, he’s doing it to encourage his son.
