Malcolm found himself in the middle of a huge multi-car crash on his debut in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series racing event last year.
However, just like the character who made him famous, Frankie Muniz is a quick learner and is back for more at Daytona this week.
The 39-year-old Hollywood actor surprised the world when he revealed his ambition to become a NASCAR sensation 12 months ago.
Muniz had spent three years racing open-wheel cars after leaving showbiz behind in 2008 following the end of Malcolm in the Middle.
His ambitions to reach IndyCar were wrecked by an accident a year later where he broke his back and had pins inserted into his wrist.
Over a decade later, Muniz finally returned to his driving career in the ARCA Series, which is NASCAR’s fourth-tier racing division.
“I want this more than I’ve wanted anything in my life,” Muniz told The Athletic ahead of his Daytona debut in 2023.
“I want to prove it to myself, I want to prove it for my family and I want to prove to everyone else that I belong and I’m a race car driver.
“I hope people accept that.”
After 20 races in the ARCA Menards Series, Muniz had honed his racecraft enough with 11 top-10 finishes.
He made his NASCAR Xfinity bow at the Daytona International Speedway last February – but then disaster struck.
“I was the most calm I’ve probably ever been in a racecar,” Muniz later said after sitting in the middle of the pack on the 37th lap of the 120-lap United Rentals 300.
Unfortunately for the Agent Cody Banks star, John Hunter Nemechek bumped Jesse Love which caused an avalanche of a 10-car wreck.
Muniz, who was driving for Joey Gase Racing, got caught up in the huge multi-car crash and was forced to retire early.
In videos shared online in the aftermath, the former sitcom hero needed to be held upright by two members of the AMR Safety Team before he limped to the ambulance.
Muniz avoided serious injury and later said of the crash, as reported by the Sun: “There was nowhere for me to go.
“I got hit from behind into the 42 and then the 42 got moved and the 18 was stopped and I went right into him.
“I don’t feel there was anything I could have done there.”
This year, Muniz is combining his two careers upon making his full-time debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Reaume Brothers Racing.
“This has been a dream of mine forever,” The two-time Golden Globe nominee told People Magazine. “I grew up watching NASCAR.
“I was a huge fan, but it’s not something I necessarily thought that I’d ever get the opportunity to do.”
Muniz will be racing a customised No. 33 Ford F-150 at Daytona on Friday, which features imagery from his Sci-fi/Thriller Renner.
It will be the start of an epic crossover between NASCAR and acting, with Malcolm in the Middle’s Disney revival going as far as adjusting his production schedule to accommodate his driving career.
Speaking to Fox’s Bob Pockrass, Muniz said: “We have been talking about doing like a reboot – a reunion show of Malcolm – I think for over 10 years now; before all the reboots started coming back. They’re working around my NASCAR schedule.
“They told me I’m the first person they’ve ever had to work around a schedule [with] because normally an actor is just committed to the acting, but obviously I was a racecar driver before they greenlit the show.”
Who’s the boss of him now?