Frankie Muniz In The Middle Of Nascar Muddle

Former child actor Frankie Muniz’s determination to be a NASCAR star is driving wife Paige Price crackers, according to sources — who say the former model wants him to put the brakes on his budding Truck Series racing career after he was injured in a scary crash!

The 39-year-old Malcolm in the Middle alum was caught in a nasty pileup at Phoenix Raceway Nov. 8 when his Ford F-150 was smacked from behind and he slammed into a truck in front, forcing him to be rushed to a hospital.

While Muniz wasn’t seriously hurt and vowed, “We’re going to be better next year,” his wife of five years and mom of his son Mauz, 3, was deeply shaken by the close call! “Frankie has a burning ambition to become a NASCAR star, but Paige has raged at him that she would rather see him riding bumper cars at an amusement park with their son than out riskPaige was shaken ing his neck,” spills a source. “It’s putting a real strain on the marriage.”

Her fears are fueled by Frankie’s history of medical problems, says a source, who notes he has suffered bouts of memory loss due to concussions from racing dating back to his teens, as well as migraine auras that resemble mini-seizures.

Despite his medical issues, the 5-foot-5 truck jockey revealed he’s joining the Reaume Brothers racing team to compete full-time next season while also scheduled for a few more races this year. “Paige doesn’t want to be a buzzkill to Frankie’s ambitions, but she doesn’t want to be a widow, either,” says the source.