Frankie Muniz, the former child star of "Malcolm in the Middle" who has spent recent years pursuing a racing career, was taken to a hospital Wednesday after crashing during a practice lap at Daytona International Speedway, ahead of a planned Veterans Day charity race. He was released from the hospital hours later, according to multiple outlets including ESPN and Fox News.

Muniz had been scheduled to drive for Team Air Force in Ford's Veterans Day event at Daytona, where he was slated to pair with NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric. The crash happened during a practice lap while the track was closed to the public, according to Entertainment Tonight, and forced Muniz to withdraw from the race itself.

"The Mustang did its job"

Ford Racing said in a statement that Muniz was "a little sore" but described him as "awake and alert" following the crash, crediting the Ford Mustang he was driving with protecting him during the impact. Photos published by Entertainment Tonight showed the car's roof had been cut open by rescue crews to extract him, underscoring the severity of the wreck even though Muniz avoided serious injury.

FORD SAID MUNIZ WAS "A LITTLE SORE" BUT "AWAKE AND ALERT" AFTER THE CRASH

It was not the first scare of Muniz's racing career: he also crashed during a practice session in April, though he escaped that incident without serious injury as well, according to TMZ. Muniz, now in his 40s, has pursued motorsports seriously for much of the past decade, competing in ARCA and other developmental racing series as a second act following his years as a Hollywood child star.

Representatives for Muniz had not released an independent statement beyond Ford Racing's update as of Thursday, and it's unclear whether the crash will affect his racing plans going forward. Daytona International Speedway did not immediately comment on the incident or whether the practice session would face any review.