Sim racing can be just as adrenaline inducing. My heart rate gets up to 170 sometimes playing iRacing. There are things sims cannot replicate or train for, but they can get quite a bit of the fundamentals of racing, if you’re using it as a training tool to move up the ladder.
There have been a ton of discussions on here comparing sim racing and karting, so I think I’ve said my piece on this a dozen times or so.