Frankie Muniz hospitalized after Daytona practice crash, will miss race

NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 12, 2026

Muniz crash response

Muniz was hospitalized after a crash during practice at Daytona International Speedway, turning a routine session at Ford’s Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic into a medical situation and taking him out of the race before the event could move forward. Ford said Muniz was awake and alert after the crash and was taken to a local medical facility for further evaluation. The company also said he will not participate in the race. No details were released about Muniz’s injuries or about what caused the crash. Ford said it found no data indicating a car malfunction at the time of the incident. The crash took place while the track was not open to the public, so the incident played out away from fans and turned a practice run into the day’s main story.

Muniz race plans

Muniz had been scheduled to represent the U.S. Air Force in the event and to share a Mustang Dark Horse R with Austin Cindric on the U.S. Air Force entry in the inaugural team event. That made his role more than a standard seat in the field. He was part of a structured lineup built around military branches, with each entry carrying that theme into the race weekend. The event featured 12 Ford drivers across six military-branch teams, which gave the program a broader identity than a single-car effort. Muniz’s place with Cindric put him in one of the most visible entries in the field, and the crash ended that plan before the race could get underway. For Ford, the result was a sudden change to a lineup that had been set up around a specific team concept and a specific tribute to military service. The team format gave the event a different feel from a standard race weekend, with drivers grouped into branch-based entries and each car tied to the same larger theme.

Daytona event setup

The crash landed in the middle of a weekend plan that was supposed to move from practice to qualifying and then into the race itself. Qualifying was scheduled to begin after practice, and the race was set to follow qualifying with live coverage on USA Network at 8 p.m. That sequence made the practice session a key part of the day, because teams were already working through the final steps before the field took the green flag. Muniz’s crash interrupted that progression and shifted attention away from the competition and toward his condition. The event also carried a charity purpose. Ford said the race was designed to raise money for the Proud to Honor Fund, which supports military-focused nonprofits. That gave the day a purpose beyond the track, with the field and the team structure built around military branches and the charitable tie-in. The combination of the branch-based teams, the live race schedule and the fund-raising goal made the weekend a highly organized showcase for Ford’s program.