"It’s not racing anymore" - NASCAR Euro Series driver Gil Linster deems F1 a "reality show", compares it to "real racers" in stock car racing

The modern-day race fan is spoilt for choice in terms of different genres of racing available to them to watch, be it stock car racing such as NASCAR or open-wheelers such as Formula 1. Despite Formula 1 dominating in European circles and boasting a truly global presence, NASCAR remains the most-watched motorsport genre in America.

Gil Linster, a Luxembourg native and a driver in the sport's European counterpart - the Whelen Euro Series, gave his thoughts about the disparity in popularity and viewership. Linster claimed that the open-wheeled road course-focused Formula 1 does not capture his interest.

The 30-year-old driver told motorsport.com:

"For me, maybe some people will not like me for it, but Formula 1 is not racing anymore. It’s like a nice, good reality show. All the celebrities want to be there. Get nice pictures. Pay a lot of money to be around."

Testing before the 2024 ARCA Menards season goes live at the famed Daytona International Speedway, the Elite 2 division driver elaborated on why NASCAR captures his interest:

"Then you have the real racers, and those are the NASCAR drivers. Even now, I have even more respect for them. The speed, the risk you take, it’s just like crazy. It’s just pure racing. You can change whatever you want in NASCAR, but still, you have to be crazy to drive those things."

It remains to be seen whether Gil Linster will run a part-time or full-time schedule with a grassroots or nationwide stock car racing series soon.

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NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driver details first Daytona 500 experience

A self-proclaimed fan of NASCAR, Gil Linster recently got his first taste of driving at Daytona after being on the spectators' side of the fence for years.

Linster elaborated on the experience to motorsport.com and said:

"For me, Daytona was like what you see in the movies, it’s a big dream. You hear about NASCAR. You want to be at Daytona. You want to race at Daytona, especially the Daytona 500."

He further added:

"Then, when I showed up, it was like, 'No way. It’s a huge track. It's crazy.' It was my first time to see the flyover. The whole atmosphere was just ‘wow.’ Even a week later, I was still asking myself if it was real."

The 2024 Cup Series season kicks off this year at the Daytona International Speedway with the famed Daytona 500 on February 18, 2024, at 2:30 pm ET.