Frankie Muniz will reunite with Rette Jones Racing to compete in Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, the organization confirmed on Friday.
The 38-year-old driver will get behind the wheel of the familiar No. 30 Ford Performance Ford Mustang for the General Tire 200, the same entry he piloted full-time in the series last season. Mark Rette, co-owner of Rette Jones Racing, will be the crew chief for this weekend’s race.
“I’m back home with Rette Jones Racing at least for one weekend,” said Muniz with a smile. This was a last-minute opportunity that came to fruition after I received a call early this week, and after talking it over with my wife, she said, ‘Let’s go win, Talladega!’”
Last season, driving for Mark Rette and Terry Jones, Muniz finished fourth place in the final standings, after recording a single top-five finish at Michigan International Speedway, and 11 finishes inside the top-10.
“We are so excited to be back in the ARCA Menards Series. I’m also thrilled to be back with Mark (Rette), Terry (Jones), and the entire Rette Jones Racing team this weekend at Talladega. I know we will be doing more ARCA races this season together as the opportunities align. “This is a great opportunity for me to build some confidence behind the wheel and see if we can’t continue to build on together what we accomplished last April.”
This season, the ‘Malcolm in The Middle’ star is competing on a part-time basis in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, running the season-opener at Daytona and the fourth race of the season for Joey Gase Motorsports in the No. 35 Ford Mustang.
In a press release, Muniz says he plans to run some more races in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, while also spending the summer behind the wheel of a Late Model.
“I’m going to be busy, but I’m thankful for that,” Muniz added. I hope to get another opportunity or two in the ARCA Menards Series, but I plan to return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and spend the summer behind the wheel of a Late Model. This is our unofficial early start to the summer.”
Last season at Talladega, Muniz finished ninth for Rette Jones Racing, a result he’ll look to improve on in Saturday’s event.
“I learned a lot at Daytona and Talladega in the ARCA Menards Series last year. ARCA is a developmental series. The competition is tough, and there really are some talented drivers behind the wheel. Daytona was a good beginner’s course, but I was more comfortable at Talladega, and I think that showed in our performance during the race last season.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that we can continue to progress during practice on Friday and be ready to get to work and put ourselves in the hunt on Saturday.”
Mark Rette, co-owner of the operation, is pretty excited about the prospect of Muniz’s return, saying: “I am stoked to work with Frankie again this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Despite some bumps in our rookie season, we had a blast together, and I consider Frankie a friend.”
“To have trust in Rette Jones Racing to give Talladega another try really means a lot to Terry, me, and the rest of this team,” added Rette. “I think Frankie will be able to pick up right where he left off last April, and we should have the opportunity to contend not only for a strong finish but maybe even a win.”
There are 34 drivers entered in Saturday’s General Tire 200. With Muniz added to the No. 30, all entries have drivers. However, two drivers who originally entered the event have withdrawn, those being No. 36 for Ryan Huff for Ryan Huff Motorsports and No. 63 for John Aramendia and Spraker Racing.
