Frankie Muniz ‘Excited’ to Join NASCAR in Next Step of Racing Career: ‘Like Going to a New School’

The "Malcolm in the Middle" star is taking the next step in his racing career, joining NASCAR's second-tier Xfinity Series this season

Frankie Muniz is still getting comfortable with his new life as a professional racecar driver.

The 38-year-old former Malcolm in the Middle star is aiming to qualify for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ opening race this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, one year after breaking into the professional driving scene.

Muniz opened up about his upcoming racing season in an interview with the Associated Press. Last year, Muniz caught the attention of many in the racing world by finishing fourth overall in the entry-level ARCA Series last year. At times throughout the 20-race season, Muniz held the first-place position.

The actor-turned-driver’s journey into the next level of competitive racing may not be so easy, Muniz said.

“The only thing I can compare it to is like going to a new school,” he told the AP. “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 have a little bit of that feeling. Like even walking in the garage, I don’t know if people accept me there yet.”

Related: Frankie Muniz Making His Return to the Racetrack in 2023: 'I Still Have Unfinished Business'

Muniz has driven competitively for decades. But it wasn’t until Muniz and wife Paige Price had their first son Mauz Mosley Muniz in 2021 that the actor began chasing his childhood dream more seriously, Muniz told PEOPLE last year.

"It hit me when I had my son," Muniz said. "I want him to grow up seeing me reach for my dreams and work hard for something that I'm passionate about, and the one world where I feel like I still have unfinished business was the racing world. So I'm going to go racing."

Related: Who Is Frankie Muniz's Wife? All About Paige Muniz

The Agent Cody Banks star told the AP that while he found success last season in the entry-level ranks, he knows the NASCAR Xfinity Series — the racing league’s second-tier division — is “a whole different level.”

“I’m excited to prove to people that I can race in this series,” Muniz said. “I know it is not going to be easy.”

He added: “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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Muniz told PEOPLE he first "caught the bug of wanting to be a driver" in 2004, after winning at a tournament in Long Beach. And although there’s been "a steep learning curve" for the actor, Muniz said one of his biggest attributes is his “ultra competitive” personality combined with the ticking clock on his already late-blooming career.

"I don't have 10 years of opportunities. I gotta make this happen right now,” he said last year. “So in that sense, I'm just eager to get rolling. I want to be competing for wins, but I'm also realistic."

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