Ford Racing driver Frankie Muniz injured ahead of Veterans Day race

The show will go on despite injury to a Ford Racing driver and former actor, Frankie Muniz.Ford Motor Co.'s racing division issued a statement just hours before its "Proud to Honor: Veterans Day Classic" race at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida was about to kick off, confirming that Muniz was taken to a local hospital after an accident during practice.The race was set to start at 8 p.m. on Nov. 11 with Muniz teaming up with Cup Series driver Austin Cindric on a team representing the Air Force. The statement by Ford Racing indicated that Muniz was "awake and alert" and his team would still compete but with driver Jenson Altzman partnering with Cindric in the Air Force car. "Frankie Muniz was involved in an incident while practicing for today’s Proud to Honor event at Daytona International Speedway," Ford Racing's statement read. "He was transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation. He is awake and alert."Muniz, 40, who is an Emmy-nominated actor for his role, when he was younger, on “Malcolm in the Middle," said in a media interview in late October, that he was excited to participate in the race honoring veterans because his grandfather and father served in the Navy and Air Force respectively.“Some of my favorite memories as a kid was visiting my dad on the base," Muniz said at the time. "I was always so, so proud. This is our way of saying thank you.”As the Detroit Free Press reported on Oct. 28, the event, scheduled for 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 11 on USA Network, was to feature six Ford race cars and teams competing. Each car and team was to honor a branch of the military: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard, Ford said. The event was also to be streamed live on the @usanetwork TikTok account so that fans across the country and military families stationed overseas have options to watch it.The show’s executive producer, Jesse Collins, promised it would be a "historic moment in television" because beyond the race, there will be a "star studded" concert headlined by the Zac Brown band and other artists. Also, actor Bryan Cranston and professional wrestler Adam Scherr, better known as Braun Strowman, will make appearances.More: Ford hires a former GM exec as it preps for big product launchMore: Why Ford and NASCAR are teaming up for a special race and concertJamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer at USA TODAY Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford Racing driver Frankie Muniz injured ahead of Veterans Day race