Friday 5: Frankie Muniz wants to show ‘I’m where I’m supposed to be’

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The ink has faded, a sign of how old the tattoo is. For years, it served only as a reminder of what was, a message once so meaningful that Frankie Muniz wanted it with him forever. But when his path sent him in a different direction, the tattoo lost its luster. 

Etched on his left wrist are twin checkered flags and the message “Please Keep Me Very Safe.” They have a renewed meaning as the actor/drummer returns to what he says is his true passion — racing.

Now 37, married, a father and nearly two decades removed from starring in the TV show “Malcolm in the Middle” and the “Agent Cody Banks” movies, Muniz will make his ARCA Menards Series debut Saturday at Daytona International Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

He insists this isn’t a publicity stunt. Instead, he’s trying to make up for lost time in following a dream. One he marked with that tattoo more than a decade ago.

“This is relevant again,” Muniz told NBC Sports as he looked at the tattoo. “I’m so excited about that.”

He recalls the day he got the tattoo. He wasn’t sure what type of racing image he wanted when he met the artist. Muniz thought about having a race car as the tattoo. It likely would have been an open-wheel car. Stock cars were not on his radar at the time. 

He ran 32 races from 2007-09 in the Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship Series, a stepping stone to what is now the IndyCar Series. Among his teammates then was Simona De Silvestro, who has started the Indianapolis 500 six times. 

So, what kind of tattoo to get?

The artist had an idea. 

“It turned out great,” Muniz said.

Muniz was geared toward a racing career as a second act in his life until a crash in 2009 left him with a broken back and other injuries that took time to heal.