The Malcolm in the Middle star missed Ford’s Veterans Day exhibition race after crashing during practice at Daytona International Speedway.
Frankie Muniz was released from a hospital Wednesday evening after crashing during practice at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The 40-year-old actor and race car driver had been preparing for Ford’s inaugural Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic when the incident ended his participation in the event.
Team Reaume said Muniz was taken to a local medical facility for further evaluation after the crash. The team said he was awake and alert, and later reports confirmed that he had been discharged from the hospital the same day.
“I am a little sore, but my Mustang did its job in protecting me,” Muniz said in a statement released after he left the hospital.
Muniz also said he was disappointed that he could not compete in the Veterans Day exhibition. He thanked Ford Racing, Daytona International Speedway, the hospital staff and people who had sent prayers and messages of support.
The crash happened during practice for a 30-minute race on Daytona’s road course featuring 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R cars. Six two-driver teams represented the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.
Muniz had been assigned to Team Air Force with NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric. Ford announced the lineup before the event, which was designed as a military tribute and fundraiser for organizations serving military members, veterans and their families.
After Muniz was ruled out, Ford development driver Jenson Altzman took his place in the Air Force entry. Altzman later qualified fourth for the event, while Cindric earned the pole.
Cindric went on to win the Veterans Day Classic for Team Air Force, beating Robert Noaker by 0.136 seconds. Noaker had also entered the field as a replacement after Ryan Blaney withdrew because of an unrelated fall that required medical attention earlier in the week.
The race supported six nonprofit organizations through Ford’s Proud to Honor Fund. Ford said the beneficiaries were Blue Star Families, Camp Southern Ground, Disabled American Veterans, Team Rubicon, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors and the Travis Manion Foundation.
Muniz’s involvement carried a personal connection to military service. Before the event, he had spoken about members of his family who served in the Navy and about the importance of honoring veterans through the race.
His Daytona crash came during a period in which he has continued expanding his racing career beyond the acting work that made him famous. NASCAR lists Muniz as a full-time driver for Team Reaume in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026.
That racing timeline is different from some early reports that described him as beginning full-time Truck Series competition in 2023. Muniz actually competed full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023, recording 11 top-10 finishes before moving further into NASCAR competition.
Muniz has raced at Daytona several times during his stock-car career. NASCAR records show that his best Craftsman Truck Series finish at the track was 10th in the 2025 season opener.
His racing experience began long before his recent NASCAR seasons. Muniz stepped away from regular acting work in the mid-2000s and pursued professional open-wheel racing, competing in several series before later returning to motorsports in stock cars.
The Veterans Day event gave him another opportunity to try a different type of race car. The Mustang Dark Horse R used in the exhibition is a purpose-built race car that differs from the trucks Muniz normally drives in NASCAR competition.
Muniz has also competed in sports-car racing, adding another discipline to a career that has included open-wheel cars, ARCA stock cars and NASCAR trucks. His move between different forms of racing has become a major part of his public career in recent years.
Outside the track, Muniz remains closely associated with Malcolm in the Middle, the Fox comedy in which he played the title character from 2000 to 2006. The role earned him an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations.
He returned to the character this year in Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, a four-episode revival that premiered April 10 on Hulu in the United States. The limited series reunited Muniz with Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek and other members of the original cast.
The revival marked another high-profile acting appearance for Muniz while he continued racing full-time. His ability to move between television and motorsports has made his career unusual even among celebrity drivers who have competed in exhibition events.
Wednesday’s crash briefly raised concern because of the visible damage to the car and the decision to transport Muniz for medical evaluation. NASCAR and his team did not immediately provide a detailed description of what caused the incident or list any specific injuries.
His release from the hospital later in the day eased those concerns, although Muniz acknowledged that he was sore and could not race that night. No timetable was announced for when he would return to a race car.
The Daytona event continued without him, and his original Team Air Force partner ended the night with the victory. For Muniz, the immediate focus shifted from competing in the Veterans Day tribute to recovering from the practice crash that kept him out of the race.
IMAGE: Left to right: Djimon Hounsou, Stephen Moyer, Frankie Muniz, William Fichtner and Kody Swanson at the Toyota Grand Prix Celebrity Race 2011. Photo: Gordon Vasquez / Wikimedia, taken 2011-04-05, CC BY 2.0