DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Actor and race car driver Frankie Muniz has been released from a hospital following a practice-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway.
The 40-year-old star of “Malcolm in the Middle” was practicing for a Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic event, a benefit race set for Wednesday night at Daytona’s road course.
“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.”
Muniz and NASCAR driver Austin Cindric were set to represent Team Air Force in an exhibition race that benefits six nonprofits that support military and veteran communities through the Proud to Honor Fund, according to a NASCAR release.
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.
Musical performances by the Zac Brown Band, Russell Dickerson, Jo Dee Messina, Brittney Spencer, and Warren Zeiders were also part of 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.
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
FILE - Actor turned race car driver Frankie Muniz leans against his truck before qualifying for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Feb. 14, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier issued a verbal reprimand to a group of advisers and staffers with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
Video shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps in front of the tomb with his wife, Jennifer, chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh.
As the group broke from taking photos, a loud laugh could be heard, and the soldier guarding the tomb shouted that “all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said that “while commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.”
“The Secretary and the entire Department have always honored — and will always honor — the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe,” he added.
The tomb is considered to be one of the most solemn and revered war memorials in the U.S., being the final resting place of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II and the Korean War. It has been guarded around the clock — rain or shine — by a soldier from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard," since 1948.
Hegseth and his staff were at the tomb as part of a larger ceremony commemorating Veterans Day that also was attended by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The incident comes a day after Hegseth narrowly survived an effort to impeach him by lawmakers in Congress.
The effort was led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and backed by Democrats. However, while Hegseth's critics were not successful in Tuesday's vote, Republicans may have only delayed efforts to impeach the defense secretary. With Democrats set to take control of the House and Senate in January, those efforts are likely to be renewed.
Hegseth rebuked the effort Tuesday in his first news conference in months, arguing that he had committed none of the high crimes required in the Constitution for his removal.
A core part of his argument included the assertion that criticisms of him and his handling of the U.S. military were tantamount to an indictment against the nation’s service members and their successes.
“On the eve of Veterans Day, these resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime,” Hegseth said Tuesday.
“This is not patriotism,” Hegseth argued. “This is sabotage.”
Following the reprimand at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, the reaction from Democrats was swift.
Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., said Hegseth demonstrated “his utter lack of fitness for his office.”
“One day after narrowly avoiding impeachment, he shows his contempt for our men and women in uniform by disrespecting the sanctity of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” she wrote in a social media post.
It was not the first time members of Trump's team have caused controversy at Arlington National Cemetery.
During his campaign for a second term, Trump attended a ceremony in 2024 to honor U.S. forces killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A campaign staffer reportedly shoved a cemetery employee trying to prevent two people from filming and photographing the event.
Trump, who had been invited by troops’ families, later shared a video on TikTok showing him at the cemetery with a voiceover blaming the Biden administration for the “disaster” of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
U.S. law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within national military cemeteries.
President Donald Trump stands in silence after laying a wreath during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, and his wife Jennifer Rauchet attend a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
