After a month and a half spent watching from afar, Hollywood star turned NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz is set to make his Craftsman Truck Series comeback.

The 39-year-old announced in a post on Monday that he has been given “the green light” by doctors to return behind the wheel of the No. 33 Reaume Brothers Racing Ford at Talladega Superspeedway, having recovered from a broken wrist.

“I’ve been itching to get behind the wheel, and this break only fired me up more. Super motivated to crush it and finish the season strong,” Muniz wrote.

The ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ star injured his wrist not while racing, but while busy on a ladder in his backyard. “Yesterday, I fell from the top of a ladder while changing the batteries in a Ring camera in my backyard,” Muniz wrote in late August. “Note to self: heed the ladder warning that says, ‘Do not sit or stand on top step.’ In hindsight, a taller ladder would’ve been smarter.”

In his absence, RBR has fielded Mason Maggio and Tyler Tomassi in the No. 33, with neither able to crack the top 20 at Darlington, Bristol, New Hampshire, or the Roval. Muniz will be hoping to end this spell of disappointing results at Talladega, a track where he has yet to race in either the Truck or Xfinity Series.

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That being said, during his time in the ARCA Menards Series with Rette Jones Racing, Muniz managed two ninth-place finishes on the 2.66-mile tri-oval, perhaps giving him some hope of a positive result on Friday.

Talladega will serve as the second of three Playoff Round of 8 races in the Truck Series, with championship favorite Corey Heim having taken the checkered flag at the recent opener at the Roval – his 10th win of the season.

For Muniz, however, who failed to qualify for the Playoffs, he’ll simply be hoping the Love’s RV Stop 225 can kickstart a positive end to a tricky season for the No. 33. Through 18 races so far, Muniz has finished a high of 10th at the opener in Daytona, since which he has cracked the top 20 just twice. 

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Whether or not this will prove not only his first, but also final season in the No. 33 remains to be seen, with the team’s plans for next season not yet clear.

That being said, even if Muniz were to leave the team, it seems unlikely he’ll be closing the door on his racing career.

Speaking to the LA Times in July, Muniz admitted: “If I wanted to go racing for fun. I would not be racing in the Truck Series. I’d be racing at my local track or I’d be racing some SCCA club events. I want to be one of the top drivers there are.

“I want to make it as high up in NASCAR as I can. And I’m doing everything I can to do that.”