Update: Muniz was released from the hospital Wednesday evening. “I am a little sore, but my Mustang did its job in protecting me,” he said in a statement through Ford Racing. Ford development driver Jenson Altzman raced in his place.
Frankie Muniz, who returned as Malcolm in the revival Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair earlier this year, was taken to a Florida hospital on Wednesday after crashing during a practice lap at Daytona International Speedway.
Muniz was set to drive in Ford’s “Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic,” an exhibition race held on Veterans Day, as part of Team Air Force. He crashed during practice while the track was closed to the public and was taken to a local hospital, and he did not take part in the event, Variety reported, citing Entertainment Tonight.
His Condition
A Ford Racing spokesperson initially told People that Muniz was “taken to a local medical facility for further evaluation and is awake and alert.” Later Wednesday, NASCAR.com reported that he had been released. “I am disappointed I won’t be able to take part in Ford’s Proud to Honor event tonight,” Muniz said, adding that he wanted to thank Ford Racing, Daytona International Speedway and the hospital staff.
His Malcolm in the Middle co-star Bryan Cranston was also expected at the event to support him.
Back As Malcolm
The crash comes in a big year for Muniz’s acting career. He reprised the role that made him famous in Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, a four-episode revival that reunited him with Cranston, who returned as Hal. The original sitcom ran on Fox from 2000 to 2006 and is now part of the Disney television library through 20th Television.
The revival had to be built around his other job. Muniz has driven Team Reaume’s No. 33 Ford in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series for the last two seasons, after racing in ARCA in 2023, and the show was filmed around his racing schedule.
“I was the first person that they ever had to work around cause normally like an actor is committed to the acting,” Muniz told Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass last year. “But obviously I was a race car driver before they greenlit this show.”
A Second Career On Track
Racing has been Muniz’s second career for years, and he has made only small returns to acting through the 2020s. The revival was the biggest of them, bringing him back to the role fans know best with Cranston by his side again.
Wednesday’s exhibition at Daytona was built around honoring service members on Veterans Day, the same day Disney honored veteran cast members at Magic Kingdom. All four episodes of the revival are streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S., and on Disney+ internationally.
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