Frankie Muniz reflects on strong showing at Michigan despite “big mistake”

Entering the NASCAR Truck Series race weekend at Michigan, Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz was hoping for a change in fortune on the track. He failed to finish five of the last seven races with zero top 20s since an impressive tenth place finish in the season-opener at Daytona.

Well, chaos was his friend on Saturday. There was a  late-race pileup that eliminated several contenders from the race. Muniz cut through the grass, avoiding all of the spinning trucks and emerging through the smoke without any damage and now running third. 

It was an incredible position for Muniz, but unfortunately, the rookie driver was about to make a rookie mistake. Muniz restarted in third gear when he should have been in second gear, losing a lot of ground before the field even reached Turn 1. However, he still managed to finish 14th for his best result since that top ten at Daytona.

An ‘incredible race’

On Monday, he reflected on the wild race weekend, posting on social media: “What an incredible race! This is why I live for racing—battling side by side with some of the best drivers out there. We had a few heart-stopping moments, but we came through without a scratch on the truck. Finishing in the top 15 at the season’s halfway point is exactly the boost I needed to charge through the rest of the races. I’ve got this.”

He also touched on the “big mistake” he made on that pivotal restart, admitting that “it stung, but I’ve learned from it, and I’m coming back stronger. As a driver, you’re never satisfied until you’re in victory lane, but this felt like a win. Huge thanks to RBR (Reaume Brothers Racing) for their relentless hard work every week. Let’s keep silencing the doubters!”

Muniz is currently 25th in points (last among full-time drivers) as he learns in his first season as NASCAR Truck Series driver. The Truck Series is off this weekend as the Cup and Xfinity Series head to Mexico City, but it will return at Pocono Raceway on June 28.