Frankie Muniz Finishes 11th in ARCA Racing Debut

Publish date: 2024-05-11

Frankie Muniz NASCAR at final practice session for the Daytona 500 2023

Gallery Launch Gallery Frankie Muniz Debut Launch Gallery Getty

Frankie Muniz landed quite a bit higher than just the middle in his big race car driver debut ... nearly cracking the top 10 at a semi-pro series that was all gas, no brakes.

The actor-turned-driver raced in the ARCA Menards Series Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway down in Florida -- marking his first time revving up among other professionals. It was an 80-lap journey, with around 40 drivers going round and around.

ONE FOR THE UNDERDOGS!@GregVanAlst35 steals the lead on the last lap and WINS at @DAYTONA!@FS1 | #Menards200 pic.twitter.com/YPBh4fvvXN

— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) February 18, 2023 @ARCA_Racing

Muniz placed 11th overall when it was all said and done ... and the final lap proved to be quite dramatic, with Frankie climbing back from 12th place. Even before that, though, he was doing incredibly well ... cracking the top 10 several times throughout the course.

Frankie himself detailed the ride, saying he was ecstatic and proud of himself for being able to rank as high as he did ... pointing out that at one point, he was 24th place.

Holy moly!!! That was the most insane thing I've ever done. Got up into the top 3 before getting turned and causing damage. Went to the back and went from 24th to 11th in the final 2 laps. I'm so grateful to my team and @hairclub and sponsors for making my dream a reality!

— Frankie Muniz (@frankiemuniz) February 18, 2023 @frankiemuniz

He writes, "Holy moly!!! That was the most insane thing I've ever done. Got up into the top 3 before getting turned and causing damage. Went to the back and went from 24th to 11th in the final 2 laps. I'm so grateful to my team and @hairclub and sponsors for making my dream a reality!"

During the race, Frankie was getting props from the broadcasters for avoiding what could've been a major accident ... so, yeah, he was hanging tough with the best of them out there.

Frankie Muniz is racing in ARCA this season and he did a masterful job not crashing his #30 car at Daytona. pic.twitter.com/jVruMWV95C

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) February 18, 2023 @thecomeback

FM has been racing for years now, but it wasn't until recently that he decided to pursue it full-time ... forgoing his acting career, for now, and opting for the smell of burned rubber instead.

We actually talked to him last month about his foray into a whole new industry, and he made it clear to us that he was over the moon about the opportunity, and planned to take it seriously. Considering how well he's done for his first official outing, probably even more so.

11th for @FrankieMuniz

Enjoyed watching him race today! pic.twitter.com/Pg6In4UozV

— Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) February 18, 2023 @EricEstepp17

Congrats, dude!