Frankie Muniz, Rette Jones Racing reunite for General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Welcome to the reunion. An 11th-hour reunion, that is.

Rette Jones Racing confirmed today that Ford Performance development driver Frankie Muniz has reunited with the Mooresville, N.C.-based team to participate in Saturday afternoon’s General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway (12:30 p.m. ET on FS1).

Muniz, who has made two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this season for Joey Gase Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, returns to the ARCA platform to gain additional superspeedway experience. He’ll utilize the third ARCA Menards Series race of the season to contend for his first career victory.

“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!’

“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.”

In just his third career ARCA Menards Series start last spring, Muniz started his No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang 10th and hovered inside the top 10 for a majority of the 76-lap race before finishing ninth.

In his return to the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Muniz hopes to improve his craft, deliver his second career top-five finish and put Rette Jones Racing back in the spotlight.

“I learned a lot at Daytona and Talladega in the ARCA Menards Series last year,” Muniz said. “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 Friday and be ready to get to work and put ourselves in the hunt Saturday.”

While currently on a one-race deal with Rette Jones Racing, which will officially kick off his limited sophomore season in the NASCAR-owned series, Muniz is upbeat about the remainder of the 2024 season.

“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.”

Muniz will showcase the Ford Performance colors on his No. 30 Ford Mustang for his second tango with Talladega.

“Without Ford’s support, 2024 would not be possible,” said Muniz. “They have been an unbelievable partner, and I’m excited to represent them on Saturday and throughout the year.”

Crew chief and co-owner Rette is excited to be paired with Muniz again.

“I am stoked to work with Frankie again this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway,” said Rette. “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. 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.”

Muniz has 20 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, with a career-best finish of fifth at Michigan International Speedway in August. In all, Muniz has delivered one top five and 11 top-10 finishes. In his inaugural year of stock-car competition, he maintained an average finishing position of 11th.