Gil Linster completes an impressive ARCA debut after he finished seventh in the Hard Rock Bet 200 at Daytona and brought home Kimmel Racing’s Ford Mustang in one piece.
Gil Linster made a highly successful debut in the ARCA Menards Series after he survived the chaotic 80-lap race at the Daytona International Speedway to finish seventh in yesterday’s Daytona 200 – branded as the Hard Rock Bet 200 for this year.
Linster, who raced Kimmel Racing’s No. 68 Ford Mustang with backing from Luxembourgish vape company HOOSH, survived eight restarts and several near-misses.
His ARCA journey began in January when he entered the pre-season test at Daytona, which allowed him to earn a superspeedway license after his performance was deemed satisfactory by NASCAR and ARCA officials.
With an opportunity to race an ARCA race in the cards, the 30-year old driver then worked hard to earn the funding that he needed to enter the Daytona 200.
Thanks to the support of HOOSH and several other partners, he was able to secure his ride in a matter of weeks, giving him the chance to race at NASCAR’s most famous track.
It will not be an easy weekend for Linster however, as 49 other drivers also entered the race, meaning that he had to fight his way to the 40-car grid. He also needed to qualify on speed alone as his ride doesn’t have the owner points to automatically qualify through provisionals.
A calm Practice day saw Linster finish 24th with a time of 50.581 seconds, but things began to change when NASCAR announced that ARCA will be racing on Friday night instead of Saturday due to weather concerns.
It meant that Qualifying and Race will take place on the same day, giving Linster a busy day to do. Nevertheless, he mastered the occasion as he placed the HOOSH Ford Mustang on seventh place in Qualifying, easily securing him a spot in the field.
Time passed by and after an equally chaotic Truck Series race that was won by Nick Sanchez, Linster prepared himself for the 80-lap race.
He started well, but drama immediately began on lap 4 when Gus Dean made a bad block on teammate Toni Breidinger after receiving a push from Leland Honeyman, creating a multi-car pileup that Linster narrowly missed.
Midway through the race, Linster found himself in a pinch when Thomas Annunziata made an inopportune push that send the Luxembourger sideways. In a showcase of great skill, Linster saved his car from a certain doom and continued racing.
Eventually, the race came down to an Overtime attempt that was caused by Marco Andretti’s late crash. Linster restarted in 16th and chose to stay at the back when chaos ensued entering Turn 3.
Simultaneous pushes from both Andy Jankowiak and Armani Williams resulted in Jack Finch and Andrés Pérez de Lara making contact, creating another multi-car pileup that eliminated the majority of the front runners.
Linster found enough room to put his car away from the crashing drivers and he cruised his way to the finish line. Not only did Linster finish seventh, he also brought home an undamaged HOOSH Ford Mustang.
“That was amazing!” said Linster post-race. “I had a feeling that I was going to be involved in almost every single crash, there were cars passing left and right and I was lucky in some of them.”
“Coming to the last lap I was 16th, I was just going for the move on the third line. Then the next big crash just came flying into me and I was so lucky to get through it. I ended up with a seventh place finish, which is an amazing result and it was just an amazing experience!”
Linster not only proved that he’s ready to compete in the United States, he also secured more funding for his EuroNASCAR 2 campaign after he revealed that HOOSH would give him a bonus if he finished in the top-20 at Daytona.
“For sure this will be a big boost for myself and for the partners, who all can’t wait to see what I can do,” said Linster on how it’ll affect his upcoming EuroNASCAR campaign.
“My partners at HOOSH told me that we will give you a little bit more budget with a top-20 finish so now I’m in a good position! We have a top-10 and I can’t wait to talk to the guys and earn that big boost for the EuroNASCAR season.”
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.