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Is it now the hero of “Big Fat Liar” vs. the villain of NASCAR? Typically, you’d expect the baddie to throw down the gauntlet, but in the Frankie Muniz and Denny Hamlin saga, it’s Muniz who’s stirring the pot, albeit subtly, via his Twitter. In a smart move to drum up interest in his merch, Muniz played a card from Hamlin’s old playbook, seemingly to catch the eye of not just his followers but those in Hamlin’s camp as well.

Is Frankie Muniz trying to gain some followers before making his Daytona debut?

Before Frankie Muniz rolls out onto the Daytona track for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race on February 17th, it looks like he’s keen on rallying a crowd of supporters donned in his branded gear. The Hollywood star-turned-speedster is pushing a line of merchandise featuring his likeness in what seems like an oil painting effect, all emblazoned on a sleek black tee with his name running down the side, right above the Muniz Racing emblem.

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In a cheeky tweet, Frankie Muniz informed his fans as he wrote, Breaking news: I’m gonna retire the ‘I beat all your favorite drivers’ because I got a text and those of you saw the Netflix special with my dad, he sent me a text. He says, ‘Son, you got to stop that. I don’t like it, it’s just too cocky’. I’m gonna listen to Dad on this one, so we’re gonna retire, that’s the last time,” showcasing the shirt in question.

 

Frankie Muniz is no doubt playing his cards to have a sea of his tees in the stands at Daytona, making this announcement just hours before his debut. He is teaming up with Joey Gase Motorsports for the weekend, taking the wheel of the #35 Ford Mustang, with Ford Performance cheering him on as the main sponsor. While he’s set for a select few Xfinity races this season, the specifics are still under wraps.

Watch This Story: Kyle Pettys Take On Denny Hamlins Infamous Tagline

Additionally, Frankie Muniz still needs to battle his way through qualifying to secure his spot in the lineup. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, fresh from a victory at the Clash, like all, is setting his sights on the Daytona 500—a race that’s more than just a competition to him, having claimed victory three times before.

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Denny Hamlin sets his sights on joining Daytona’s most decorated champions

Hamlin is riding the wave from his recent success in L.A. and is evidently hungry to add another Daytona win to his collection. But there’s more on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s radar this time around.

In a heart-to-heart with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Denny Hamlin shed light on what sets this year’s Daytona run apart from the rest. “We have a new Camry, and that’s going to be one difference. There’s going to be a lot of anticipation from the Ford and Toyota camp of, ‘What do we have?’ Because if you look at the qualifying results at superspeedways over the last 3 years, really since the Next Gen started, it’s pretty much in line with downforce and drag numbers,” he shared.

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Read More: Denny Hamlin Unleashes His Newfound Confidence as He Hopes to Make a “Difference” With New Toyota Camry

Currently ranked 13th for Daytona victories, Denny Hamlin is on the brink of making history. A fourth win would not only notch his name among Daytona’s top 10 victors but also see him leapfrogging legends like Junior Johnson and Bobby Isaac in the record books. But what’s more intriguing is whether we’ll see Frankie Muniz succeed with this merc move or not ahead of the Daytona 500. Stay tuned for more Daytona 500 stories.