Frankie Muniz Says Dale Earnhardt’s Final Advice Changed His Life Forever

Frankie Muniz is opening up about a chilling and deeply personal memory with Dale Earnhardt -- revealing the NASCAR legend’s final words to him before the 2001 Daytona 500 shaped the way he’s lived ever since.

The "Malcolm in the Middle" star tells Babcock on TMZ Sports that he only had a brief interaction with Earnhardt before the race that ended in a fatal crash … but it left a lifelong mark.

“Going back into those moments made me realize the things he did say to me in the short time I got to talk to him right before the start of that race,” Muniz recalled. “It impacted every single thing I did as a person.”

Muniz -- the Grand Marshal for the 500 in '01 -- reflected on the upcoming anniversary for a new FS1 documentary, "We've Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later."

He tells us Earnhardt gave him advice that hit harder after the tragic crash later that day.

“He literally said to me, ‘Hey, man, enjoy the ride. You never know when it’s going to end,’” Muniz said. “And I’ve always done everything with that mentality. Even as an actor, I tried to really just enjoy myself and knew that eventually, opportunity goes away.”

The actor-turned-racer says that moment -- paired with experiencing NASCAR up close -- sparked his passion for the sport, ultimately steering him toward a career behind the wheel, culminating in his participation in the Craftsman Truck Series this year.

“It’s actually this tight-knit community,” he explained. “Even though you’re battling with each other and competing with each other, it’s a little traveling circus. We go city to city to compete and I truly love it.”

The emotional connection runs even deeper ... Muniz recalled Earnhardt thanking him personally for the impact "Malcolm" had on his family -- something the actor says he didn’t fully understand at the time.

“I have to say thank you because your show has brought me and my daughter so much closer together,” Muniz remembers Earnhardt telling him.

“At the time, I didn’t really know the impact of what that meant,” Muniz admitted. “To know that now that my show, in the last days of his life, did bring him closer to his daughter, that means a ton.”