Frankie Muniz was overcome with emotion after claiming his maiden Pirelli GT4 America victory alongside teammate Tyler Stone at Road America.
The Malcolm in the Middle star, 40, fought back tears as he and Stone secured first place in the Am class in Race 1 on Friday, August 28, driving a Ford Mustang GT4. The pair finished 17th overall in the multi-class race, with Stone crossing the finish line just half a second ahead of the driver behind him.
Muniz described the result as “unbelievable” and said the victory came at an especially important moment in his life.
After embracing members of his crew, Muniz wiped tears from his face and explained why the win meant so much to him.
“I’m emotional because I’ve honestly had two of the worst weeks of my entire life, to be honest. I came here, really low.”
“Had a good day yesterday, and felt really good today…so to get this win is just…thank you, God, my team, Ford. This is unbelievable.”
“I feel so incredible. I’m so excited for Tyler, he drove so good! This is amazing.”
Fans watching the GT4 America Series celebrated Muniz’s emotional victory, with one social media user writing: “That’s a long time coming for Frankie, good to see.”
Another wrote: “Hell yeah! Way to go Frankie. Thats huge. Keep it up!”
A third added: “Very happy for him. He deserves it.”
Muniz, who also competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, shared footage of the celebrations on Instagram. The video was accompanied by Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” while Muniz wrote:
“Are you kidding me!?!? “We won at Road America in our @fordracing Mustang GT4 car! I’ve been pretty low these past two weeks, but God is good and gave us this win right when I could use it most!!
The two-time Golden Globe nominee also praised Stone and the TechSport Racing team.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my teammate @tstonem3 and my team @techsport_racing for being absolutely incredible all weekend,”
“This Mustang was a rocketship! Let’s get another win tomorrow!”
Stone returned the praise in a social media post about the team’s “great day” in Wisconsin.
“@frankiemuniz4 drove an incredible first stint and put us in position to fight up front, and after falling back at the beginning of the second stint, we were able to fight back for the win.
“We are truly blessed and grateful to be teammates in this position. Thank you to @techsport_racing and crew for all the work they put in to get us ready for the green flag and a big thanks to @fordracing for an excellent race car, for all the support this year and for this incredible opportunity!”
Footage shared online showed Muniz celebrating as Stone crossed the line in the TechSport Ford Mustang.
Frankie Muniz and Tyler Stone have taken their maiden victory in Pirelli GT4 America, winning the Am class in Race 1 at Road America. @frankiemuniz was very emotional, as he saw his teammate cross the line with the TechSport Ford Mustang.🎥 SRO | #GT4America
Why Frankie Muniz left acting for racing
Muniz began pursuing a career in open-wheel racing after stepping away from acting following his hugely successful run as the star of Malcolm in the Middle. Although he was once considered “one of Hollywood’s most bankable teens,” he chose to leave Los Angeles to focus on racing.
During an appearance on the Steve-O’s Wild Ride! podcast in 2021, Muniz explained his decision.
“When Malcolm ended, I got signed to BMW to race cars. I said to my agents and manager, ‘Look this is what I want to do. I’m not trying to just do it as a hobby, I want to be the best I can be’. Like anything, if you want to do something the best, you’ve got to put in the time, you need to get in the work.”
“So I didn’t think that it was humanly possible to continue acting or continue in the entertainment business while doing the racing thing.
“I’m so happy I went racing, I love every aspect of it and now it’s becoming a part of my life again. But I look back and I go, ‘Did I make a mistake leaving at the height of my career?'”
“Like when I had hundreds of offers…I could have kept going non-stop, and I said, ‘No, I don’t want to’. Now I look back and I go, ‘I wonder what my life would have been if I stayed’.”
“I look back and I go, ‘Thank goodness I left!’ Because I appreciate life in general more, I’ve started taking more in and I look back at the success I had and go, ‘That was really cool’.”
Muniz previously said he was a “much happier person” after leaving Los Angeles for Phoenix, Arizona, and changing careers. His emotional GT4 America triumph at Road America marked a major reward for the years of work he has put into motorsport.
