'Malcolm in the Middle' star Frankie Muniz released from hospital after crash

'Malcolm in the Middle' star Frankie Muniz released from hospital after crash Advertisement Updated: 3:52 AM CST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jeff Stitt Digital Curator 'Malcolm in the Middle' star Frankie Muniz released from hospital after crash Updated: 3:52 AM CST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jeff Stitt Digital Curator Frankie Muniz, an actor and professional racing driver, has been released from a hospital following a practice-lap crash. Muniz was practicing for a special Veterans Day race on Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway. Advertisement Muniz, known for his role as Malcolm in TV's "Malcolm in the Middle," was set to be part of Ford Racing's 12-driver lineup in Wednesday's "Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic," a benefit race at Daytona Speedway's road course, according to an October press release from NASCAR. “I am disappointed I won’t be able to take part in Ford’s Proud to Honor event tonight," Muniz said in a statement. “I was looking forward to honoring the service of our veterans and racing against these other amazing drivers.” Muniz said he was a “little sore," but the Mustang he was driving did its job to protect him. “I want to thank everyone at Ford Racing, Daytona International Speedway and the staff here at the hospital,” Muniz said. "I especially want to thank everyone who has reached out and for all the prayers.” ET said it had a TV crew at the speedway at the time and said they had been set to interview Muniz when the crash occurred. ET also reported that the track was not yet open to the public at the time of the crash. Muniz, alongside driver Austin Cindric, had been planning to represent Team Air Force in the exhibition race, which kicked off at 8 p.m. ET. The event benefits six different nonprofits that support military and veteran communities through the Proud to Honor Fund, according to NASCAR. Half of ticket proceeds benefit Blue Star Families, NASCAR said. A dozen Ford Racing drivers were split into six teams to race head-to-head in Mustang Dark Horse cars in honor of a branch of the U.S. military. Other drivers/teams in the race are: U.S. Army: Brad Keselowski and Joey Hand U.S. Marine Corps: Robert Noaker and Ben Hobson U.S. Navy: Ryan Preece and Logan Sargeant U.S. Space Force: Noah Gragson and Layne Riggs U.S. Coast Guard: Joey Logano and Ty Majeski Musical performances by the Zac Brown Band, Russell Dickerson, Jo Dee Messina, Brittney Spencer, and Warren Zeiders were also part of the event. According to the Ford Veterans Day Classic website, actor Bryan Cranston, who played Muniz on-screen dad in "Malcolm in the Middle," was scheduled to be a special guest at the event. Muniz was nominated for an Emmy and two Golden Glove Awards for his work in “Malcolm in the Middle” and was one of the best-known child actors of his time. He has also appeared in films such as “Big Fat Liar,” “Deuces Wild," "Agent Cody Banks" and “Racing Stripes.” According to his website, Muniz took a hiatus from the entertainment world in 2006 to pursue professional racecar driving. He began competing in the Formula BMW USA Championship and later went on to race in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship from 2007-09. Muniz was fourth in the 2009 championship standings with two races to go before a season-ending injury resulted in multiple surgeries, the website said. In 2024, Muniz ran 38 races each on the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts and trucks series. He's participated in 117 trucks series races over the last three years, with one top-10 finish at Daytona in 2025. _____ The Associated Press contributed to this report Make WISN a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Police: 1 killed, 4 injured in D.C. shooting; Suspect shot himself after police standoff Brooklyn building collapse killed 2 children and 6 adults, mayor says Why are gas prices dropping and how low will they go? WATCH: Ocean liner SS United States is sunk off Florida's coast after a long goodbye