Muniz has a little bit of a storied history at Daytona. So in that sense, if I can be successful as a race car driver, and people take me seriously as a race car driver, not necessarily having that actor/race car driver title, that would be pretty cool for me." Do you think of Paul Newman as a race car driver? Do you think of him as an actor? Do you think of him as having amazing salad dressing? "But I want people to think of me as a race car driver. "Obviously I have my past and people will maybe know me as being an actor or whatever else I've done," Muniz said. Now he knows he needs to prove he belongs by his performance. But so far a majority of the response has been extremely positive." "I didn't know if I maybe expected as an outsider, being an actor, if people would take it seriously or if they would kind of push me off to the side and think that it was just some kind of fluke. I've had so many drivers reach out and send messages like, ‘Hey, any way I can help?’ "I didn't expect so many people to be interested in the story right now," Muniz said. It is more like an independent league baseball team with veterans and also young drivers trying to learn how to race. The ARCA Series is a stepping stone to NASCAR’s top level but wasn’t absorbed under the NASCAR umbrella until a few years ago. He wants to give his best, unsure of what that will be on the results sheet. But in that same sense, it motivates me that I've got to take advantage of the opportunity I have today." "Now that I'm back racing, I go, ‘Man, why did I wait so long?’ Realistically I'm old to be getting started in the stock-car world. That's what I've always said I felt like I was the most comfortable doing of all the things I've gotten to do. "I felt like I want to be a race car driver. "It honestly made me go like, ‘What am I, who am I, who do I want to be to my son, what do I want him to see me doing and reaching a goal or trying?’" Muniz said. The birth of his son nearly two years ago had Muniz reflecting on his own life. But as the years have gone on, it felt further and further away." "I've always thought in the back of my mind I was going to go back racing. A lot of things have just kind of taken over my life and I dove in 100 percent. I play drums and I ended up touring the world playing drums. "I got an opportunity to be in a band," Muniz said. He missed an entire season and then opportunities came around other than racing. In 2009, Muniz was seriously injured in a racing accident in which he broke his back and an ankle and had a pin put in his hand. "So it's hard to kind of balance doing multiple things that are difficult."įrankie Muniz discusses if he had trouble being taken seriously by teams and sponsors in his quest to be a full-time driver. And everything that you do in preparation, training, being with a team, you need to because you're competing against people that that's their lives. "If you want to be a race car driver, you need to be a race car driver. "If you want to be the best or you want to do anything successfully, you really need to give 100 percent to that thing," Muniz said. Muniz tested at Daytona last month and was hanging out at the NASCAR test at Phoenix. I want people to look at me and see me on track and go, ‘Wow, he belongs.’" You know what I mean? I'm mad I waited 12 years after my last racing experience to get here. "I want to prove to people that I'm here to take it seriously. "There also really wasn't social media as much back then, so maybe the word didn't spread that I was a race car driver in the past as easily as it does these days. "I was a pretty serious racer, but it's been so long," Muniz said. Muniz has always loved racing and nearly went Ind圜ar racing in 2010. This isn’t just some hey-this-seems-cool fling. The 37-year-old Muniz, whom most people know from his roles as Malcolm in the hit TV show from 2000-2006 and as the star of "Agent Cody Banks," will embark on a full ARCA schedule this year with Rette Jones Racing. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!
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