Frankie Muniz was working late. Or so he thought.
The 38-year-old actor-turned-race-car-driver was wandering by means of the Daytona International Speedway infield on Friday with no thought the place to go. He was misplaced, primarily feeling like Malcolm in the Middle of nowhere.
He requested for assist and rapidly received pointed in the proper course. But a minute later, he was back. He had forgotten he was now on Eastern time, so the Scottsdale, Arizona, resident was really two hours early for the Xfinity Series drivers’ assembly.
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It was the newest spherical of confusion for Muniz, who had to wait till final week to announce his racing plans for 2024. Muniz, who competed in the entry-level ARCA Series final 12 months, will strive to make his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 35 Ford for Joey Gase Racing at Daytona.
“It was a really interesting offseason,” Muniz informed The Associated Press on Friday (Saturday in Australia). “Everything was done a long time ago and then it wasn’t and then it was and then it wasn’t and then something else was done and it wasn’t. All things out of our control.”
Muniz insisted the delays had nothing to do with Ford or financing, saying “just a lot that has to come together to make it work.”
But he made it clear the scenario was removed from very best.
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“I thought I was going to spend so much time with my team and in the (simulator) and in the shop,” he mentioned. “Instead, I met my guys today; I met a lot of them today.”
Muniz nonetheless wants to qualify for the race on Saturday (Sunday in Australia), a probably daunting process contemplating six of the 44 entrants can be despatched dwelling.
So making the race is the prime aim. And that will simply be the begin of Muniz’s studying curve as he takes the subsequent step in his racing profession. Even although he is pushed competitively for many years, Muniz has but to make a reside pit cease since ARCA relaxed guidelines that make it simpler for groups to add gas, change tires and make automobile changes.
“Obviously I’m competitive and you want to go,” he mentioned. “But at the same time, I need to learn.”
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Muniz discovered a lot final 12 months. He led the ARCA Series factors standings at instances and completed fourth regardless of quite a few mechanical points late in the 20-race season. He additionally gained confidence and respect from his friends.
He turned a daily in NASCAR garages, and different groups have been keen to provide recommendation and assist. He’s not so positive that can be the case as he climbs NASCAR’s ladder.
“The only thing I can compare it to is like going to a new school,” he mentioned. “You can feel like you’re the man in one school and you go to that new school you’re like, ‘I don’t know anybody. Are people going to welcome me here?’
“I’ve a bit of little bit of that feeling. Like even strolling in the storage, I do not know if folks settle for me there but.”
If he walks around the garage long enough he probably will bump into a familiar face. Muniz shared an acting stage with NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon in 1998.
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Muniz was playing a hospitalised youngster in need of a kidney transplant on the comedy Spin City. Gordon and NBA player Jayson Williams went back and forth trying to one-up each other about what they planned to do to support the kid.
Muniz went on to land the lead role in the popular TV series Malcolm in the Middle and star in the movie Agent Cody Banks.
He hasn’t forgotten his acting roots, either. Muniz used a Hollywood head shot, complete with one hand resting on his chin, for the photo on his NASCAR credential. It stands out for sure.
And he’s hoping to do the same on the track.
“I’m excited to show to those who I can race in this sequence,” he said. “I do know it isn’t going to be straightforward. ARCA is a good sequence. There’s some actually good automobiles, some actually good competitors. This is an entire completely different degree.
“Everybody out there is good. I don’t want to call it self-doubt. It has nothing to do with that. I just have to prove it to myself as soon as we get on track. Hopefully we can do that.”
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