Gil Linster is tied for second place with Claudio Cappelli in the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series standings – Both drivers delivered two strong performances at the season opening races in Valencia
- After the 2026 OPEN season opener in Valencia, Gil Linster is currently in second place
- The NASCAR Euro Series title is the objective for the Luxembourger
- He and Claudio Cappelli are tied for second place, each with 11 points fewer than Thomas Toffel
“I love it,” said driver Gil Linster, piloting the #50 Hendriks Motorsport Ford. The Luxembourger has his sights set on the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series OPEN title, and he’s off to a strong start. Following the first races of the season at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, the experienced NASCAR competitor expressed his satisfaction. Linster secured second place in the standings, tying with Claudio Cappelli on points, and sits just 11 points behind double-race winner Thomas Toffel. He proved his intention to be a contender for the championship under the Spanish sun.
“It was a really cool race for me,” he said on Saturday when he finished second. “I took it really easy at the beginning. I knew we had a slightly softer setup, so we struggled a little bit more with the tires on the long runs. So, I just took it easy. I tried to just find my group, go with them. Sometimes you are a little bit lucky. I think today I can really say I was a little bit lucky with the 24 and the 11. I don’t know what happened, but yes, for sure I’ll take the points, and P2 is a great, great performance today.”
On Sunday, Linster ended up third after a strong battle. “For me, today was just about managing. Again, I knew the #24 had slightly fresher tires than me, so I just tried to manage mid-race,” he said. “In the end, I recovered a little bit of the gap. I fought – I think I needed one more lap to really attack him. But it was a great battle. I think for the fans watching the broadcast, it should have been very interesting today. And, yeah, it was a great battle for us.”
Cappelli, the Italian roofer, is now tied on points thanks to an impressive climb from 17th to third in Saturday’s race. This achievement earned him four bonus points for the most positions gained. He backed up this strong showing on Sunday with a sixth-place finish, which not only put him atop the Legend Trophy standings – the special class for drivers 45 and over – but also elevated him on level with Linster in second place overall. The driver, recognizable by his infamous beard, clearly enjoys wrestling the pure V8 machines on European tracks and consistently proves to be a contender for podium finishes and race wins.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Cappelli after Sunday’s race. “I knew I stressed the tires a lot yesterday, so today it was very difficult for me to stay within the top-3. So, my focus was from third to sixth. I made a mistake, I’m sorry, I touched Gil a little bit because he braked a little bit earlier and I touched him, which made me lose the car. But it was a nice 360 spin, they said, so it looked good.”
The OPEN championship hunt continues for Linster and Cappelli on May 23-24 at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. They will be looking to close the gap on Toffel, who currently leads the OPEN division standings after securing two race wins at Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
