Frankie Muniz was rushed to a local medical facility today after a nasty practice crash for the Ford Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic at Daytona International Speedway. The actor-turned-NASCAR driver, famous for his time on screen, was thankfully reported as “awake and alert” at the hospital, though we don’t know the full extent of his injuries yet.
Daytona Drama: Muniz Hospitalized After Practice Incident
This wasn’t just some fender bender, folks. Muniz was behind the wheel for Team Air Force at the 3.6-mile Daytona road course, prepping for the Veterans Day Classic. The good news is, Ford put out a statement confirming he was awake and alert as he was transported for further evaluation. You just hold your breath when you hear about these kinds of incidents, right? What a relief to hear he’s responsive.
There weren’t any fans allowed on track, so no crazy cell phone footage, but a few pictures of his battered race car hit social media. And yeah, “battered” is the word. You can tell this was a serious hit. FOX motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass dropped the Ford statement on X, echoing the update: “Frankie Muniz was involved in an incident while practicing for today’s Proud to Honor event at Daytona International Speedway. He was transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation. He is awake and alert.” That’s the kind of update we all want to hear after a scare like this.
Muniz has been all-in on his racing career, competing full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series. This 2026 campaign was his second full-time season, piloting the No. 33 Ford for Team Reaume. He finished 25th in the final standings, showing he’s really grinding it out.
Ford’s Veterans Day Classic: A Tribute with Unexpected Twists
The Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic is a really cool event, airing tonight on USA Network from 8-10 p.m. Eastern time. Ford hosts it to recognize the United States Armed Forces, with two drivers representing each of the six branches. Talk about some serious patriotism!
We’ve got some big names in the lineup, too, like 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, 2012 Cup champ Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, Austin Cindric, Noah Gragson, and Layne Riggs. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup champion, was originally set to compete for the Marine Corps, but he had to pull out after a fall on Monday night. Robert Noaker stepped in to replace the Team Penske star.
Here’s the full lineup representing the branches, it’s pretty awesome:
* U.S. Army: Brad Keselowski and Joey Hand (Abrams tank livery)
* U.S. Marine Corps: Robert Noaker (replacing Ryan Blaney) and Ben Hobson (Assault Amphibious Vehicle livery)
* U.S. Navy: Ryan Preece and Logan Sargeant (Arleigh Burke-class destroyer livery)
* U.S. Air Force: Austin Cindric and Frankie Muniz (F-22 Raptor livery)
* U.S. Space Force: Noah Gragson and Layne Riggs (X-37B livery)
* U.S. Coast Guard: Joey Logano and Ty Majeski (Fast Response Cutter livery)
Muniz was ready to represent the Air Force with an F-22 Raptor livery, which sounds incredibly cool. With him in the hospital, he’s obviously not going to be competing tonight. No replacement driver has been announced yet, so keep an eye out to see who fills that F-22 seat! It’s going to be a wild night of racing and honoring our heroes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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