Frankie Muniz Has Been Quietly Killing It In ARCA

What’s Happening?

There’s a new points leader in ARCA and his name is Frankie Muniz! The ARCA rookie has recently put together a string of 3 solid finishes of 11th at Daytona, 6th at Pheonix, and now 9th at Talladega to capture the points lead in NASCAR’s designated feeder series.

You Need To Know:

• Frankie Muniz has had a long love affair with racing, not only as a fan but also a driver. While he is currently amidst his first full-time season on the national stage of the ARCA Menards Series, he has participated on and off the last several years in other divisions. He got his start in racing in 2004 when he participated as a celebrity entrant in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race at Long Beach. He finished 7th there and subsequently 3rd the next year. The rest, you can say, is history.
• Frankie Muniz was a racing fan long before ever considering driving. He was the guest pace car driver in the 2001 Daytona 500. He would stay for the entire race and even got to meet his hero, Dale Earnhardt, shortly before the race. As he stated on the MTV show, True Life, he bore witness to the crash that would claim Earnhardt’s life. In the mid-2000s, he explored potential ownership in a NASCAR team which led to the chance of a lifetime to test a car. He had the driver’s itch ever since.
• There was a lot of fanfare for Muniz heading into the 2023 season. With a large and growing fan base curious to see how the child star would fare in his first fulltime season, he was certainly one of the more popular drivers in the field heading into Daytona. Now that he has the points lead, there is no doubt bound to be a lot of celebration in the fan club for the No. 30 driver.

There’s a new points leader in @ARCA_Racing, and his name is @frankiemuniz. 👀 pic.twitter.com/sTlQZd3uSr

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) April 22, 2023

With this milestone now checked off, it’s time to move onto the next one, leading many fans to wonder when, not if, he will get that coveted first win.

The Main Character

Frankie Muniz is living out his dream! He is now a real racecar driver and your current 2023 ARCA Menards Series Points Leader!

I had a dream last night that I was at Talladega today and that I won… Then I realized I AM racing at Talladega today. Now I just have to win to make my dream come true. If you're not first, you're last! Be sure to tune in! @FordPerformance @HairClub @ARCA_Racing pic.twitter.com/u0nofl0hYt

— Frankie Muniz (@frankiemuniz) April 22, 2023

Peter Stratta caught up with Muniz after learning he was the new points leader.

.@frankiemuniz is unofficially the ARCA points leader after finishing 9th from @TALLADEGA.

“I want to win the championship,” said Muniz, who’s learned a lot between Daytona and now. #GeneralTire200 #ARCA pic.twitter.com/EzmH1E3GRL

— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) April 22, 2023

In The Stands

Jordan H. claims that Malcom is in the middle no longer!

Zachary W. Jarrells looks back, thinking that he never would have believed that Frankie Muniz would someday become the points leader of a nationally touring NASCAR sanctioned series.

Yes, Robert Olmstead, Dale Earnhardt most certainly would have been proud.

jesus dircio found a snapshot of how it all started. Apparently this Muniz character had a job before racing?

On Your Screen

Black Flags Matter host, Darian Gilliam, reports that Muniz is now officially the ARCA points leader.

Frankie Muniz officially being the ARCA points leader 🤯

— Darian Gilliam (@BlackFlagMatter) April 22, 2023

Frontstretch Media caught up with Muniz. He wants to win the championship!

"I want to win the championship."@frankiemuniz talks about his run in the #ARCA race at Talladega and goals for the season after departing with the points lead:

(via @FSBradH) pic.twitter.com/o0KJJUboal

— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) April 22, 2023

From The Pressbox

Phil Spain, NASCAR journalist, applauds Muniz for being rather sporty in his No. 30 Ford.

I’ll say this though about Frankie Muniz. He’s not out there just riding and playing around. Even though his Hollywood star isn’t as big as it was when he was younger, he wants to be seen as a race car driver when he’s out there. No different from Paul Newman back in the day.

— Phil Spain (@philenespanol) April 22, 2023

NASCAR on NBC breaks the news of a new points leader at ‘Dega!

Hard to be in the middle when you’re out front.

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) April 22, 2023

Only time will tell how the rest of the season will shake out for Muniz. But you better believe that we at the Daily Downforce will have you covered following this incredible story.

For further reading, you can check out this DDF story from his race performance at Daytona earlier this season:

Frankie Muniz Shows Out At Daytona