A familiar face is returning to the ARCA Menards Series for Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway.
Frankie Muniz, who finished fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship point standings last year, will make his second start of 2024 after placing ninth at Talladega Superspeedway in April. Driving the No. 33 Ford for Reaume Brothers Racing, Muniz is determined to improve upon a career-best run of fifth he obtained during his first visit to Michigan.
Originally known for his starring role in ‘Malcolm in the Middle,’ Muniz developed a passion for auto racing after competing in the 2004 Toyota/Pro Celebrity Race. He became a full-time driver in the Atlantic Championship Series during the late 2000s, but injuries forced Muniz to take a prolonged sabbatical from motorsports.
RELATED: Career stats for Frankie Muniz
When Muniz elected to return to the driver’s seat, he chose to focus on stock cars. Select Pro Late Model appearances during the early 2020s and an opportunity to take part in the ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway resulted in Muniz putting together a deal to compete for Rette Jones Racing full-time in 2023.
Muniz’ rookie ARCA Menards Series campaign started with promise, as he finished 11th at Daytona and recorded seven top 10s over the following eight races. Despite this, misfortune followed Muniz during the back half of 2023, which included three consecutive races that ended prematurely due to a crash.
On-track appearances for Muniz in 2024 have not been as frequent, but he is working diligently to stay involved in NASCAR. He competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener at Daytona and formed a partnership with Reaume’s operation that included his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Nashville Superspeedway.
The speed Reaume’s ARCA Menards Series cars have shown in limited starts has Muniz optimistic ahead of Friday evening. With Lawless Alan behind the wheel, Reaume’s No. 33 was a regular factor inside the top 10, with an eighth place at Charlotte Motor Speedway being the program’s best run to date.
Michigan gave Muniz his best opportunity at a victory in 2023. A similar performance on the two-mile oval this weekend could help Muniz obtain crucial momentum to close out the year and prepare for 2025.
Muniz’s pursuit of another top-five finish at Michigan begins Friday when the green flag for the Henry Ford Health 200 waves at 6 p.m. ET. FS1 will provide live flag-to-flag coverage.
General Tire Speedway Challenge reaches penultimate event
Only two races remain in the 2024 General Tire Speedway Challenge, and the fight for the championship remains wide open.
The top four teams in the General Tire Speedway Challenge are only separated by 10 points. Occupying the top two positions are the Venturini Motorsports No. 55 and No. 20 entries, the former of which currently holds a four-point advantage.
RELATED: General Tire Speedway Challenge standings
Gus Dean and Jake Finch, the two drivers who propelled Venturini to the top of the General Tire Speedway Challenge standings with victories at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, respectively, are both entered with team at Michigan. Dean will be in the No. 55, while Finch is set to pilot the No. 20.
Two efficient performances from Joe Gibbs Racing at Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway, the latter of which resulted in a victory, has the team firmly in championship contention. Gibbs is enlisting the help of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Tanner Gray to back up his Charlotte victory and close the gap on the two Venturini cars.
Rounding out the contenders for the General Tire Speedway Challenge at Michigan is the No. 2 Rev Racing entry piloted by ARCA Menards Series points leader Andres Perez. Michigan is an ideal opportunity for Rev Racing to take control of the General Tire Speedway Challenge, as Perez led a race-high 43 laps at the track last year.
Connor Zilisch all set for intermediate debut
One of the most promising young prospects in NASCAR’s developmental ladder is preparing to tackle the biggest oval track of his career Friday evening.
With Connor Zilisch having turned 18 on July 22, he is now eligible to compete on both intermediates and superspeedways with Pinnacle Racing Group. The first track up for Zilisch is the two-mile complex of Michigan International Speedway.
Already boasting a resume that includes class victories in the Rolex 24 and 12 Hours of Sebring, Zilisch has quickly acclimated himself to the short tracks of the United States. Along with leading the ARCA Menards Series East standings, Zilisch’s debut season on the platform also includes three victories in the national ARCA Menards Series.
Even though Michigan will provide a much different oval experience for Zilisch, the knowledge and success of Pinnacle Racing Group gives him an advantage. The organization picked up its first intermediate victory at Kansas Speedway earlier this year with Connor Mosack, who passed Tanner Gray for the win with 13 laps remaining.
Logging laps and avoiding trouble will be Zilisch’s two primary objectives in Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200, but the maturity that has followed him through several disciplines will be crucial in continuing a stellar rookie season.
Jeffery MacZink making first ARCA start of 2024
Rockwood, Michigan native Jeffery MacZink will chase another top 10 at his home track of Michigan International Speedway this weekend.
An infrequent competitor in the ARCA Menards Series, MacZink secured a career-best finish of ninth at Michigan during the 2021 season. Despite being six laps behind race-winner Ty Gibbs, MacZink avoided trouble all afternoon and kept his family-owned No. 65 Toyota in one piece.
Last year’s Henry Ford Health 200 was MacZink’s only ARCA Menards Series appearance of the 2023 season. MacZink stayed near his starting position of 17th for most of the afternoon, but he persevered through a late restart crash with Jake Finch to salvage a 14th place finish.
Of MacZink’s 11 recorded ARCA Menards Series starts, 10 of them have been between Michigan and Toledo Speedway, with a one off appearance at Berlin Raceway in 2014 being the only outlier. Since the turn of the decade, MacZink has only finished outside the top 15 once, which occurred at Toledo in 2022 when a crash ended his day early.
A tough field stands in the way of MacZink exceeding his previous career-best performance, but he looks to put together a flawless outing and bring his car home in one piece.
NOTES:
- One of Andy Jankowiak’s best outings in the ARCA Menards Series came at Michigan International Speedway last year, when he ran inside the top five most of the day and ended up placing fourth. Back with the series after a five-race sabbatical, Jankowiak is seeking to break through for his maiden victory Friday night.
- Greg Van Alst still finds himself within striking distance of the General Tire Speedway Challenge despite facing a 17-point deficit. Van Alst enters the Henry Ford Health 200 enjoying a successful full-time campaign that currently has him third in the ARCA Menards Series standings with a lone top five at Daytona International Speedway.
- Jason Kitzmiller is back with CR7 Motorsports at Michigan International Speedway for his fourth start in the ARCA Menards Series this year. Aside from sustaining a busted radiator at Talladega Superspeedway, Kitzmiller’s part-time campaign has been solid with top 10s at Daytona International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- Tim Richmond opened the 2024 season by missing the last-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway to pick up a career-best finish of fourth. Richmond and his family-owned team are making their first trip to Michigan International Speedway since 2021, where they ended up 17th after getting involved in an early crash.
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