The 37-year-old initially found fame as the star of the hit 2000s sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, followed by a starring role as Agent Cody Banks alongside Hilary Duff in the popular franchise. 

But following years in Hollywood, he’s opted for a dramatic career change driven by a long-held passion for automobile racing. 

On Wednesday, Muniz revealed that he will now compete full-time in the ARCA series, owned by NASCAR, and he’ll be driving a No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette Jones Racing.

It’s a decision that hasn’t just come out of the blue, since Muniz has had a love for “fast cars” since he was a child. The actor turned racer shared with Nascar.com that he drove a race car for the first time in 2004 at the annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in California. 

Muniz competed in several races during his time in Hollywood, nearly bagging an IndyCar contract in 2010—which was pulled following a serious crash in which he broke his back. But 12 years later, he is behind the wheel again and isn’t looking back. 

“Finally making my dream a reality”

His motivation to take on full-time racing was also spurred by the birth of his son in March 2021, he said. Announcing the decision on Instagram, Muniz wrote: “Finally making my dream a reality, this one is for my son and showing him that you can always chase your dreams.” 

Speaking to People, he explained: “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.”

“I have a lot to learn and I know that,” Muniz added. “But I’m going in, I’m putting in a hundred percent because I don’t wanna look back at this opportunity and go, man, I wish I tried harder.”

Muniz will compete this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.