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Frankie Muniz: From Hollywood To The Race Circuit

Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today

Frankie Muniz and the race car, a Swift 016 powered by Mazda-Cosworth, that he raced at Friday's Cooper Tire Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda race at Sebring International Raceway.

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By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: March 21, 2009

SEBRING - You blink your eyes in four/tenths of a second.

"Five-tenths of a second," says Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actor-turned-race-car driver Frankie Muniz, "can be the difference between first place and 15th place in a qualifier."

At 23, the actor known best as the star of "Malcolm in the Middle" on TV and the movie "My Dog Skip" is entering his fourth year as a full-time, professional race car driver.

Muniz said he looks only forward from, never back at, his decision to leave a secure and successful career in Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming one of the best in a competitive business where a half second can make the crucial difference.

"As 'Malcolm' was coming to an end, which was in 2006, I decided I'm going to put acting on hold and pursue professional race car driving, not knowing how far I'd get or how serious it would become," he said.

Competing now in the Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda series, the equivalent of being one step away from the Major Leagues in baseball, Muniz has committed himself totally to racing.

"I'm taking this 100 percent serious, this is my job now, I'm racing at a very high level of competition," he said. "And I'm having the time of my life."

Asked if he will act again, he answered, "I'm not saying no, but if the racing continues the way it is, then no. I'm having such a great time at this, and you can't do both at the same time and take both seriously."

With the Atlantic Championship series offering a $1 million prize for the top driver over its 12-race series, Muniz said, he's honored to be competing at this level.

"To jump to the highest level, you have to prove yourself at this level, winning or finishing in the top five consistently," he said. "And everyone at this level is good enough to race at the top level."

Muniz, who was raised in Knightsdale, N.C., and now calls Scottsdale, Ariz., home, said his acting career, which began at age 8, has brought him "many really amazing things." One of the best, he said, was the opportunity to try his hand at racing.

At age 18, he entered a celebrity grand prix race in Long Beach, Calif., finished in first place, and was thrilled when a racing team offered him a two-year contract.

"I think every young guy's dream - I know it was one of mine - is to be a professional race car driver," he said. "But it's really hard to make it a reality ...

"If I had not done that celebrity race, I might never have had this opportunity. Having this opportunity, I'm working hard to get better and better, and I hope to keep progressing and make it to the top."

Beyond time on the track and time with his crew, Muniz's work toward his goal includes running five miles and lifting weights virtually every day. Drivers have to be at their peak condition both mentally and physically, he said.

He learned that racing is not only fast and exciting but also, literally, a heart-pounding challenge. Two years ago, at a Road America race in Wisconsin, Muniz had his heart monitored during a one-hour race.

"Over that full hour, my heart rate never fell below 170 (beats per minute)," he said. "It's like sprinting uphill for an hour, with no break."

He'll typically loses five pounds from his 130-pound frame during a one-hour race, and said every driver needs both strength and endurance.

"Even to hold the wheel, we pull three to three and a half Gs in the corner on a turn," he said. "So it's very physical, you have to be in your best possible shape."

Above all, Muniz said, he enjoys the many challenges of racing and the fact that, unlike the acting profession, he's judged strictly on his results. An actor's success, he said, can hinge on other people's opinions.

"With the critics, for example, if they say you stunk, then you stunk, even though you could have given the best work you've ever done," he said. "Whereas in racing, your results say everything.

"People only think of you being a celebrity as a race car driver if you're winning, if you're up front, and that's where I'm trying to get to," he added. "That makes it more gratifying if you do succeed. You have to work hard and the whole team has to work hard and put it all together."

Right now, Muniz said he's concentrating solely on becoming the best race driver he can become. Down the road, though, he has his eyes already set on competing at the top level in another professional sport.

"My next goal after I'm done racing - which, who knows, it could be 10, 15, 20 years - is to play on the PGA (Professional Golfers Association) tour," he said. "That's the next goal in my life, to qualify for a place on the PGA tour."

Highlands Today reporter Jim Konkoly can be reached at 863-386-5855 or e-mail jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

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