Frankie Muniz’s latest trip to the racetrack ended in a frightening incident that forced him to withdraw from a special racing event at Daytona International Speedway. The Malcolm in the Middle star has been building his racing career alongside his Hollywood legacy, competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series over the past two seasons. On Wednesday, November 11, he was behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang at Daytona, preparing for Ford Racing’s Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic, a charity exhibition. However, his outing was cut short after he crashed during a practice session ahead of the event.

Muniz was transported to a local medical facility after the crash. His team, Reaume Brothers Racing, confirmed that he was awake and alert when taken for further evaluation. Muniz was scheduled to represent Team Air Force alongside NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric of Team Penske in the exhibition event, but Ford factory development driver Jenson Altzman had to take his place in the lineup.

Details surrounding the cause of Muniz’s crash were not immediately disclosed. However, Brad Keselowski, who was also competing in the event, offered some reassurance about whether a mechanical issue had contributed to the incident. Keselowski said Ford Racing had reviewed the available data but found no indication of a problem with the car before the crash.

The crash occurred during a practice session at a time when the speedway was not open to the public. Photos of the wreck, though, showed the roof of Muniz’s Mustang crushed and the front end badly damaged, and where the car came to rest suggested he had hit a tire barrier on the infield road course section, early in the lap. Safety crews had to cut the roof away to get him out. Per Complex, Muniz had also posted the second-fastest time in practice before the crash.

Eyewitness Van Richmond told WESH 2 News that Muniz “did not slow down at all” when he was supposed to take a 90-degree turn. Richmond said it took about 20 minutes to get Muniz into an ambulance after he was cut free, and the station’s reporter, Hayley Crombleholme, said another person at the scene described it as the hardest hit they had ever seen. Video shared by an eyewitness showed Muniz being wheeled to an ambulance.

An anonymous Reddit user who claimed to be working with another Mustang team at the event said Muniz was complaining of severe back pain, which is why crews took extra precautions and removed the roof. The same user suggested the cars’ street-style boosted brakes behave differently from the manual brakes in Muniz’s Mustang and can stop responding if pressed too hard. None of this has been verified, and Ford Racing has not offered further details on the cause of the crash, though it has indicated that a mechanical failure was not behind it.

The event was particularly meaningful to Muniz because of his family’s military background. His father served in the Navy and Air Force, while his grandfather served in the Navy during World War II. Speaking to Page Six, Muniz said racing and raising awareness gave him a way to give back to the families who have given Americans so much, and that he especially wanted to honor his father and grandfather. In a late-October interview, he recalled that some of his favorite childhood memories were of visiting his dad on base, and called the race “our way of saying thank you.”

Ford organized the race to honor all six branches of the United States Armed Forces, with 12 drivers divided into six teams competing in Mustang Dark Horse R cars. The exhibition was also designed to benefit six nonprofit organizations supporting military members and veterans through the Proud to Honor Fund. Muniz had been looking forward to the opportunity, which made missing it a disappointment that went beyond the racing setback.

Thankfully, the positive news arrived soon afterward. Ford Racing confirmed that Muniz had been released from the hospital on Wednesday evening, reportedly around 8 p.m., several hours after the crash, and the driver also shared an update himself in a statement released through Ford Racing.

“I am a little sore, but my Mustang did its job in protecting me,” he said, while thanking Ford Racing, Daytona International Speedway, hospital staff and everyone who had reached out with messages and prayers. He also expressed disappointment at missing the event and the opportunity to race in honor of veterans, saying he had been “looking forward to honoring the service of our veterans” and racing against the other drivers in the field.

Bryan Cranston, who played Muniz’s father on Malcolm in the Middle, had planned to attend the race to support his former co-star. Hours after the crash, he told Entertainment Tonight, which had been on site to interview Muniz, that Muniz was fine and had turned into an “impatient patient” waiting to be released.

Cranston, who stayed in touch with him during the checkup, said drivers enter the sport knowing there is a level of danger. He also said that after playing Muniz’s dad for seven years, he watches him race with a parent’s nerves, and his usual thought is, “Slow down. Take it easy. Be careful!” Still, he added, Muniz loves racing.

The race, though, went ahead without him, and Austin Cindric, representing the U.S. Air Force, won it. Altzman told Frontstretch that he suddenly found himself behind the wheel for an unfortunate reason, but that he was relieved Muniz was okay, which mattered most.

Muniz was not the only driver Ford lost ahead of the race. Ryan Blaney was also forced to withdraw after suffering a fall during dinner with his family and friends on Monday night, November 9. He revealed the incident the following day, explaining that it required medical attention and would prevent him from attending the NASCAR Awards banquet as well as the Daytona exhibition.

Muniz Has a Permanent Reminder of Racing’s Risks

On April 10, Muniz was involved in a crash during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. The crash began when Muniz and Tyler Reif made contact, sending both trucks into the wall and collecting Timmy Hill in the process. Driving the No. 33 Ford F-150 for Reaume Brothers Racing, Muniz was credited with 115 laps before retiring from the race following the incident. He finished 35th.

Another incident followed on October 30 at Martinsville Speedway. During the Truck Series race, contact involving Christian Eckes and Kaden Honeycutt sent Honeycutt’s No. 11 truck into Muniz’s No. 33, spinning him around. Unlike the Bristol accident, Muniz continued competing, finishing 25th.

Hence, it’s no wonder that Muniz has carried a reminder of the sport’s risks since 2006: a tattoo on his left wrist of two checkered flags with the words “Please Keep Me Very Safe.” He told The Athletic in 2024 that he went with the flags at the artist’s suggestion.

Away from racing, Muniz has also dealt with a major change in his personal life. In July, he and his wife, Paige Price, announced that they were ending their marriage after 10 years together. The couple said their relationship had evolved into a deep friendship and that they would continue raising their son, Mauz, together. In September, Muniz described the preceding six weeks as a nightmare in an emotional social media post, acknowledging that he had reached a difficult point and needed to work on himself.