'Malcolm in the Middle' star Frankie Muniz back at Daytona and rising up the NASCAR racing ladder

Actor Frankie Muniz will try to make his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 35 Ford for Joey Gase Racing at Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Frankie Muniz was running late. Or so he thought.

The 38-year-old actor-turned-race-car-driver was wandering through the Daytona International Speedway infield on Friday with no idea where to go. He was lost, essentially feeling like “ Malcolm in the Middle " of nowhere.

He asked for help and quickly got pointed in the right direction. But a minute later, he was back. He had forgotten he was now on Eastern time, so the Scottsdale, Arizona, resident was actually two hours early for the Xfinity Series drivers’ meeting.

It was the latest round of confusion for Muniz, who had to wait until last week to announce his racing plans for 2024. Muniz, who competed in the entry-level ARCA Series last year, will try to make his Xfinity Series debut in the No. 35 Ford for Joey Gase Racing at Daytona.

“It was a really interesting offseason,” Muniz told The Associated Press on Friday. “Everything was done a long time ago and then it wasn’t and then it was and then it wasn’t and then something else was done and it wasn’t. All things out of our control.”