Welcome to Momentum, a motorsports podcast powered by High Gear Success. I'm your host, Heather Wilson-Schiltz. Here we share the stories and strategies that keep the world of motorsports moving forward. And I'm excited to chat with Adam McGill, one of the most recognizable personalities in ATV racing. From chasing wins to keeping up fun for fans, Adam has built a career on grit, maybe a little crown royal and a whole lot of good stories. And today we're going to dig into his early career. What's kept him racing professionally for more than 20 years and what's next for the Gator. So thank you for joining me. Thank you for having me. I'm definitely excited and a little bit nervous about what you're gonna ask me today, so we'll see what we get into. So for those that don't know, you and I go back quite a ways because your now wife, Hayley, was actually my college roommate when we went to school at Ohio University many, many years ago now. So we've known each other quite a long time. Yeah, I'll never forget the first time. So when they got the house, when you guys got the house, I'll never forget the first time I met you. You had, I think you had your KTM jacket on and Hayley's like, she races or dad races or something has a dealership. I'm like, no way. And you know, long story short, you are the only one out of that friend group that she's still in contact with. So I think it's really funny how we go from. meeting you to now we're doing the podcast and you're still involved in motorsports and how it's like, it's almost come full circle as crazy as it is. And it's wild because this sounds so crazy to say these days, but I'm pretty sure Hayley and I met from a Craigslist ad looking for a roommate. That's how we met. So yeah, Hayley and I didn't know each other, found each other, had that motorsports tie. And what I remember most about you, I mean, you practically lived at our house too, right? Is. Yeah. You sitting on our couch working on sponsorship deals, you'd have the phone on speakerphone and you'd be talking to all of your sponsors and you've kept a lot of the same sponsors throughout your whole career. So how did you achieve that? So growing up with the factory days and before social media and everything, it was a lot of work on the phone. a lot of my strategy was I'd always make a list of people I had to call and I'd always call them. If I didn't get an answer, I would do an X. If I got an answer, but didn't get a contract, you get a check mark and so forth. And it was just day to day to day, just all the time. I mean, I come from a time where I used to fax my resumes over. I don't know if I set such a precedence when I first started working with them, when I was doing my own deals and trying to figure out my own program. I don't know if I set so much of a, like I said, precedence with them from those early days, or it's just as I've evolved and as the companies have evolved the people that we brought in and the people that we've seen go and you know, the input that I've been able to. to help with them growing year to year to year. I don't know if that's what it was, but I've had sponsors now since I think my longest standing sponsor is, I think it's DP Brakes and Larry Mills 2004. I think is when Larry jumped in and he's been through all the factory days to the privateer days to, you know, currently now. Yeah, and I'm sure brakes are definitely something valuable to not have to spend money on. You're probably not the easiest on brakes Yeah, yeah, that's yeah. At my age now, I'm harder on brakes than I am on the gas. ah How did you go about like continuing those relationships with sponsors and what are some of the more, I guess, valuable things that you've learned along the way as far as what they're looking for and what you can do for them? So I've had some sponsors in the past that have oh been in the industry a long time and had to step away due to whether they got bought out, whether they had to restructure, whether somebody new came in as far as the sponsorship side. And I stayed with those companies even through those times. So say I was getting product to where I wasn't getting product and was only getting a discount. To now it's went full circle and now I'm getting product to get and potentially, you know, getting paid to run these items. So for me, a lot of it was, I think was going through the hard times, which was like, uh, 2010, 11, 12, sticking with those companies. And then we had another rough patch, I think 17, 18. So it's, it's proving that you not only, you know, like the product, you bleed the brand and. that meant a lot and I went on my own in 2012. So it's been 12 years now, 13 years. I've been doing it on my own and I've been very lucky to do that. And a lot of the companies just, they send contracts out, dates are changed. They're like, if you're good with it, we'll keep it rolling. I'm like, yep, I'm fine with it. So it's paid off in the long run to take those lumps and to take those, that beating, guess, because the company's taken the beating as well. And when you show that you're still investing in the brand, even though they're not really investing. in you anymore, then when it comes back around, it's, tenfold. And I've had a lot of companies come back and support me more now than they did before. Um, you know, we had that little breakup. Yeah, I think the relationships are critical and it's really important to not burn a bridge, even when things aren't going super great, because just like you mentioned, things can always come back around. So to keep that relationship going, even when the times aren't the best. Yeah. Burning bridges is I've only, I would say ever burnt one, but I didn't burn it clear to the ground. I definitely caught some ends of it on fire and have been able to in my years, um, been able to mend that. And that's not a feeling that I like. And I told myself I would never do that again. And, and I will tell anybody that listens to this. Me growing up, you know, me being 38 now, some of the hardest decisions ever had to make were some of the best ones. And, you know, the, the, the, days in the factory rides, right? It's tough. It's tough to figure out what you want to ride. You know, you got to juggle that right. The financials Performance. financial. performance. So, and now it's, um, it's definitely changed a lot of the ways I look at things and how I go about stuff and how I approach ideas. and now with brands being there for so long I've got. Lifetime contracts now. So you turned pro at the end of 2005 and you've been racing GNCCs ever since, but how long have you been racing even before that? So we raced cars growing up. My dad raced cars from the early 90s all the way up. think our last race was 2000 or 2001 with the race car. And my dad's like, he's like, Jesus Christ. said, I can't drive this damn race car. I don't want to drive it no more. You want to drive it son of bitch? I said, no. He's like, what the hell are we going to do? I don't know what we're going to do. And I said, I want to race my four-wheeler. He steps back and he looks at me and he goes, What? said, I want to race my four-wheeler. He's like, all right, what do you want to race? I want to race motocross because that's what you did in the late 80s. Oh, Jesus Christ, you can't do that shit. That's way too dangerous. You got to do something else. Said, alright. I said, let's let's do woods racing. He OK. So I met up with a couple of friends and this was 2002. I met up with a couple of friends, they were all older than me, they all raced and they took me to my very first race and I'll never forget it was Reno, Ohio. In 2002, I run C class. pulled the holeshot. I was leading the race and wrecked on the last lap, went down over the hill and ended up coming back or end up third. I was 14 when I raced. had to lie about my age for two years. And then I got into GNCCs. I was 16 for three days, went to John Penton, raced that race, got up into the top 10 overall and broke a chain. Holy smokes. Yeah, so my first national had been 2003. Summer of 03. I love your dad and I did not know that he used to race cars like this is all new to me. So I love that I love that every time I see your dad. He always greets me with a hug. You know, like, Jesus Christ, come here, Heather, give me a hug. That's awesome. Yeah, that's random. I had no idea about that past. yeah. Yeah. And I've got old four wheeler pictures from I've got one of the old deck lids that we put over like, uh, where's like the, the tax and everything where all the electronics, I got the deck lid where we always put our wins. And I've got that still in my closet and I've not very many people know that we still got, you know, I got pictures and stuff and I don't have any up here that I could grab or easy, but man, that was definitely a staple. He's always like, he's always like, I knew where you wanted to go racing every weekend. said, how? He goes Because the concession stand food. You always liked these places better than this place. I'm like, dad, Gosh. I'm like, dad, come on. So also going back a little ways, you wrote a column for ATV Insider and that later led to some factory connections. So kind of tell us how that worked out. So I met up with David Schloss and there was another guy at that time that was still in the ATV Insider. And it was a bigger, like a newspaper magazine style, bigger than a Dirt Wheels and a normal magazine, but it was all racing. And they approached me, I think in 2007 or six and said, Adam, we like what you do. You're energetic. You're out and about. like, would you like to write a column in our magazine? And I looked at them. If you can proofread it and break it down into paragraphs, but everything for me is one big run on It's just written. He goes, yeah. And that column was called McGirt's dirt. So I did an XC one. And then Jason Dunkelberger did slam dunk, which was the motocross side. And we just talked about pretty much it was the social media before the social media. Is how I looked at it and it was out every month and I wrote the column every month and it was always something different. had columns that people loved to read. They loved it. And that then led to me getting a phone call and asking if I wanted to go, do a demo ride or a, uh, a ride for manufacturers with them. And I'm like, Well hell yeah, I'll go do that. They're like, all right, we're going to Rhode Island. I said, for what? They're like the new KTM. I was like. What? And I was 18. Yes, I was 18, I think, at the time, because that would have been the summer of 07. I went up there, all expenses paid, you know, all the food I could eat. And they took us out to this area. And I don't remember exactly where it was, but I remember it was Rhode Island. And I got to meet all the engineers, got to meet the shock guys, got to meet Tim Farr, it was a super cool experience. And I think that's what opened the door a little bit for me to get in with them as far as making my deal and my decision in 2008. Well, and for those that are listening to this, that maybe don't even know KTM made an ATV for a short time. So if you're like, why is Adam riding dirt bikes? Like he was going to test ATVs. Yeah. So they did it for two years. I did get to ride a pre-production 2010 model. did some, um, some durability testing on it and it never made it to the States. So it got, it was getting better year to year. Our first year was really good. mean, we killed it coming out of the gate. and then 09 we still did great. We made a few changes 2010. The bike was good. It was really good. And that's when things kind of downhill and you know, that also. the magazine, the riding in the McGurt's dirt to the KTM that also led me to go to IE1 Motorsports Park and meet all the Can-Am and all the BRP engineers and all the managers and all those people. the ATV Insider magazine, I feel like that kind of really opened the windows for me to be supported. You know, my first ever podium, overall podium at this time, they never did, you know, Pro and Pro-Am, they did overall and that was it. I got second at John Penton. I feel like that put me on the map and I was 17, I was going to prom. So I had to hurry up and get off the podium, make it to prom, get showered, take a nap, all that stuff and I still made it. But I feel like that put me there, but the McGurt's dirt from the ATV Insider really opened that window for me to meet these guys to, you you talk about attitude and personality and I've never changed. You know, I feel maybe, maybe a little bit, you know, during those young years, trying to figure out where I was, but I could tell you that I think that really opened the door for me to be able to, to talk, to learn how to read people, to understand what they need as a rider understand what they need as a spokesperson. it was definitely a turning point in my career. That, that winter of 07, December 19th, 2007, I walked out. of my job and became a factory rider. I'll never forget that. That's a good date. December 19th is actually my birthday. Well, your boy signed for a factory ride that day. There was a long period there where there was the paycheck didn't come, you know, trying to get all the things figured out. That got tough, but the date was really bad ass. So you've connected with these manufacturers and different people in the industries, but one of the things that I love about you too is that you really connect with fans. And you told me a while back that one of your favorite trophies is actually a guitar that fans gifted you. So why is building relationships with fans so important to you? So the fan relationship to me, I feel has kept me in the sport so much longer than my performance side has. And I remember talking with a family in Indiana, the Myers family, and he goes, Adam, you need to get more involved with youth. So what do you mean? He goes, you need to be at the starts. You need to do that. And I'm like, you know, I'm involved with, at this time I was still involved with kids, but I was very I wouldn't say choosey because it sounds bad, but I was like, if I knew you, I migrated to you, right? And the same for others. But I said, you know what? Hell with it. Not the word I would use, but hell with it. I'm already there. Let's try it. So I started doing it. And then it started to become one of the things where they would then not expect it. But I had a family come to me and they said, they said, Adam, you know what our son told us? I what? like, he said me and Adam McGill are buds because he comes to my start and he gives me a fist bump every start. And so, and then that point now, because now I'm accountable. So if you want to create long lasting relationships and you want to create a brand and you want to create those things, you have to start young. And that is where I've been focusing on, because if I can get. Parts Unlimited. I can get. OBOR, and I can get Lone Star and I can get AXIS and I can all the companies that supported me and get these kids to get on it, right? Not a full ride, but get them to buy the gear at a discount or get them to buy this and this, this. can, I can develop those relationships early and get kids that will bleed brands early that are good kids. That will be good for the brand. Not necessarily maybe the fastest, but they're very good for the sport. They're out there. They're hanging out with other kids. They're wearing the hat that I give them on the podium, or they're wearing the shirt that they, you know, they got from their sponsors. Those are like those relationships that people don't see is, it's creating those long lasting, but we talk about. The trophy. This is something that I might get a little choked up because this one means a lot to me. There's a lot of them in this room that means something. This one means a lot because this is something that wasn't given out as like a normal award, like a most improved rider, or rider of the year, or something like that. This was an award that a bunch of families went in, bought the guitar, took it to a shop, had it decal'd up. And then surprised me with it at the banquet. So they brought, they brought up, they brought up all the kids that wanted to be there. Right. And the stage at the banquet was full. I mean, flooded. I'm like, and my wife is freaking out. Get your ass in here, get your ass in. I'm in the back, you know, drinkin' crown, hangin' out with everybody. And so I go in there and they announced me to come get it. I'm not a loss for words on it. I don't like being a loss for words on it, but that was. I like like nobody ever tells you you're doing a good job, you know, nobody ever says like, hey, good job or you ever hear anybody say, man, thank you for working hard today, right? You always hear about the negatives and all the hey, you messed up or hey, I got a problem or like this was. This was like a happy trophy. You know, this. It says you like, you're doing good things. You're doing great stuff for like people to do this and to do it at a banquet when it's like other people's moments. It's not my moment to take that away from somebody, but these families felt that strong about that. To make it that big of a point to put, to like give me, God, I sound like a wuss. To give me a moment. to have with these kids. And what's funny is it came up on my memories. I think it was yesterday or two days ago on my Facebook, that picture. I'm just like, how weird. How weird. And you have a huge fan base and um affectionately known as the McGill Mafia. So how did that name come about? So the mafia started early. started 2010, 2011. And it was with, um, with Can-Am with the Warnert Racing BRP team. And that, and I, it always felt like, like I loved my KTM ride. I liked the guys. was great. It was fun, but there was something about those Can-Am, the Can-Am guys, Todd Sterner. I still talk to him. You know, to this day, he was my mechanic, you know, Mark Warnert I still keep up with him, right? Um, Dustin pressure, which was Bithell's mechanic back in the day, I still keep up with him. Um, and so like, when I, whenever I went to the races, it felt like family. And so what, what goes with McGill? I don't know. So we decided mafia. So we had the mafia that was under the tent. And if you wanted to be a part of the family, you had to work and you had to bleed and you had... once you was in, you was in. And that's where the, the mafia came about was that. then it rolled into what we are now, which that was the whole nother way we got that. And if you want to talk about that, we can, but it's the McGill mafia third out is like, you have to be the family. You've got to be family. You've got not necessarily blood, but water. You've got to be willing to, you know, I'm taking bullets for these kids and these other riders. You got to be willing to take one for me if I need it. And that's what it's about. It's about bringing people together. And, and the mountain bike community is a lot like that. It's like, if you're on a bike, you're cool, right? You're sweet. Get out here. It doesn't matter if you're in shape. Doesn't matter if you are. You're one of us and that's like the community that I grew up in on ATV. If you're here, you're hanging out, you're part of this. You know what? You're cool with me. Come on in, get under the tent. And so that's, that's where the, the, mafia started. It's the mafia for the family, but minus the illegal activities. Yes, or there could be some because there could be some actual members here. We don't know. So now you're known as the Gator. Where did that nickname originate from? So. I love, I love to sit down in the evening and have my favorite beverage. And I've sat in there and I've got a fire going, got the dogs and everything and got the TV going and my mother calls. And I forget what year this was. This might've been like 15, 16. And my mom calls and she goes, she goes, Kurt, which Kurt's my middle name. And that's, that's a whole nother story. She goes, Kurt, I'm proud of you. I'm thinking like, what? She goes, I'm proud of you. I'm like, you're going to have elaborate mom, break this down a little bit for me. She goes, you never force the issue. She goes, you're very smart. You're very methodical on how you race. You don't take big risk unless there, unless the risk is a guarantee. Right. And I said, mom, you know what? I was like, holy shit. She goes, what? said, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a gator. She goes, what? I said, I just lay around in the pond, float around. wait for you to come down, get a drink of water, you turn around, look at something else. Bam. I got you. And so that's how that started. And I was just like, I've never given myself a nickname, but like that one stuck like, like that one, that one stuck crazy. so now, now it's come to the point to where it's taken on this whole other, this whole other world that now it's like people. Don't even say Adam. just go GATOR! I mean, it's it's a it's nuts. People don't say here comes Adam. They might say McGill, but it's like here. When you say the Gator, it is just an eruption. You know that we're going to have a good time. It's almost like a stage name. So it's like my normal name is Adam. My stripper name is Gator. It's all like almost like two lives. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. I did not know that backstory, but, it makes sense though. I mean, it does. It fits. It fits very well. like, people are always like, why are you so mean or why are so this? And it's like, I'm not being mean. It's just, I don't change for people. I am who I am. I treat everybody the same, right? I'm a ball buster. And everybody's like, why are you like that? said, because my skin's all leathery, but deep inside, I'm soft, man. I said, you can't get under the skin unless I really want you in there. So I've got a huge, really... tough scaly exterior but once you get in here, it's all love baby. I love that. ah You have a lot of love for the military too. So you do some activities, Vintage for Vets. You've donated money, you've done fundraisers. So why is that so important to you? The veteran thing is is very important to me because I have a lot of I've had a lot of friends serve and I've lost a lot of friends and We couldn't we couldn't do this. You couldn't do this podcast. I couldn't race. we couldn't talk about stuff. if it wasn't for them so in 2000 what was it? 17 2017 I think it was I'd have to look back but I decided I wanted to do something and I chose, wanted to do Vegas to Reno and it was the hardest, the longest desert race in America at the time. And it's one of the toughest, right? It's 10 hours plus to finish this event. The strategy, the, the, the, the, the everything you got to do. There's so many moving parts, right? Cause you're going from this point to this point. You're not running a circle. And I said, whatever money I raise after the race is done, I will then donate. Thinkin' you know, let's. Let's try something right. I raised some money. I got to do the event. finished the event and I was able to donate money to a veteran and It feels good to help people and you know, not necessarily veterans, but people in general. Right. And I've got like all kinds of stories about like, like things like that and It felt so good to help that I wanted that next feeling, right? So it was like a drug. And I decided, you know what? I'm going to do Vintage for Vets. I love two strokes. You know, veterans are older, right? You know, in theory. So then it's like, we like two strokes. We like old bikes. We're going to do this for a cause. And then it just erupted into what this is now, which is, you know, I've got the Vintage for Vet thing going on, which people were donating to all the time. I've got a buddy race that goes on a FastTraxx Motoplex in the fall that we raise money with that people bring their old two strokes out and show them off and hang out and race. my mom told me she goes, you're put on this earth to help people. She goes, that's why it feels so good. And like one of the most memorable things I've ever gotten. And I think if I'm getting this wrong, you know, I extremely apologize, but I was given this. And this is a challenged coin and a soldier or a veteran gave this to me and challenged me to be better than I was the day before and I've always tried to live by that and I think it's fitting Every day is something different. So I'm hoping that this will be You know some some I guess courage Another coin. mean, I've got a flag, a flag hanging up there that I, I mean, I could show you, but that they flown behind an aircraft in Afghanistan. sent me the flag, put it in a shadow box. It just, it's cool to be involved with these guys. And I've had even some tell me that that like my YouTube stuff that like some of my Instagram stuff has helped them get through hard time. said, why the like, you take my mind off of stuff, Adam. And I'm like. I never, all I do is ride a four wheeler. And that's where it becomes very impactful is all I'm doing is riding a four wheeler to me, but to them, I'm doing all these other great things that I don't even know I'm doing. And maybe that's where being a good person, like my mom said, it pays off. Yeah, I definitely believe being a good person, um, pays off in the long run. mean, you could be the best racer, but if you're kind of an asshole, it really, it doesn't matter that much. So. Agreed. Agreed. People, people see through the smoke and mirrors and I have learned that. So speaking of other memorable moments, you have 19 overall wins in your pro career. Do you have a favorite win or even if it's not a win, do you have a favorite race memory? Yes I do. Okay. So this one here is kind of heavy. This is, this is my most memorable. and the reason I say, let me just leave that in the corner right there. And the reason I say that is because we talk about like being, you know, being involved and being good to people. And, and my dad has been involved with me since the start. And if I, I don't want to get choked up talking about it because this one means, this one means a lot. So this was. Win 19. Me and my dad were sleeping in a box trailer. And that night, my dad's a very tough love type person. And he told me, he's like, Kurt, I'm proud of you. And I said, for what? He goes, you're up all day, you're running around, you're doing this, you're doing that. He goes, you hardly ever have time for yourself. And I said, I know. I said, but it'll be fine, right? So I end up winning that day. And I'll never, ever, ever. ever forget this moment, but we're using a truck that I borrowed from a friend. We're sleeping in the trailer. We get out of there with this, with first overall. Okay. We get out of there and I look at him and I'll never forget it. It's, it's like we did it, you know, at 30. 36 37 it's like We did this me and you like me and you we shared this moment. It's like I Didn't think the wins were ever gonna happen again, and I would love for another one to happen I'd like to I'd like to make it 20 but to share this and that with my father and It was yeah, yeah, yeah every time I see this when I get a little choked up I never got a championship, I never. But this. This this piece of wood with some base that holds so much for me and I can never I'll never be able to explain it. It's like the fist bump, the look, the. Like we're the guys again, that kind of thing. Well, and what I love about what you just said is that you said we did it. didn't say I did it. Like it takes a team and your, your family and everybody that supported you has like gone into making this happen. And that's what I love that you said we It's a life, it's a lifestyle. my wife has been in this with me forever. I mean, you're in it. You do it. I mean, you, you have to give up so much, especially to chase the series. Like, like, you know, I'm, I've done, or I'm doing, and it, it takes so much sacrifice to, to work things around, to work on the bike, to fit the train. It's a full-time job and I've been very fortunate to do it now, you know, 20 years. Yeah, it's very, it's very humbling and it's, it's almost, um, you had to be a very self-driven person to want to chase this. there's no alarm clock. there's no schedule. There's nobody saying that this is the book. Right. It's, it's very, you got to take yourself and make yourself accountable. know, from fans that are watching online to the fans that are at the track, to the ones that were there, they gave me the beers. at that win to my wife and to the, it's a whole, it's a community of people that made that for me happen. we've kind of covered some highlights of your career. You've been racing for decades. So what is the future for Adam McGill? What's next on the agenda? I knew I was going to get asked this. Um, well. It's, it's, it's, it's hard. It's hard to talk about, um, 20, 2026 is, um, it's going to be my, my last full season. So, and what I'm, and what I mean by that is, I don't want to say I'm, I'm retiring. Cause I feel like that word is very harsh and it's very like. Like I'm leaving people behind, right? When you retire from something, you just, it's the next page, right? And granted, it will be a next page for me, but I don't want people to think I'm giving up on them. And I'm not, and this is what makes it so difficult is I don't want to abandon people. You know, we talked about taking care of people. We talk about being good to people, right? And I've won a lot of championships, never myself. but it's time for Adam to slow down a little bit in a figure of speech, right? I still want to be involved and help. But I'm ready to... I don't even want to say it because it sounds bad. I don't want to say I want to retire, but it's like, I'm ready to slow down. I think it's the word that I want to use. I still want to be there. I still want to be involved. I don't plan on going anywhere. And if you think I'm going anywhere, that's fine and dandy, cause I'm still going to be a pain in the ass regardless. But I just want to take a step back from full time racing. Adam McGill needs to retire from the full time racer. feel like you kind of dropped a bombshell on us there. also like you're like, it's hard to put into words, but like you're focused on how other people are going to feel about you retiring rather than even yourself. So I think it's totally time for you to like take some time for yourself and for your family to, to have some more free time. Cause racing full time is. a lot of time and energy and effort. So I think it's well earned. And I love it. do. And I noticed this isn't a decision that is made today. This isn't, this isn't what people thinking in. Like I just got, done with it. I'm fed up with it. I'm This has been weighing on me for a while. And if I can honestly give you a number, probably two years, maybe, maybe even three, two for sure. And I noticed for me, it's not, I noticed when I got more enjoyment out of you doing better, them doing better, me helping them, get them a championship, me helping them win me. like I always put it into perspective. It's like when somebody comes off the track and they pull over there and they take their helmet off and I see that. I know that feeling good or bad. I know that feeling. And that's when for me, it became evident that like, I'm getting to the end of my performance side, right? This, this to me right here, this is performance, right? lot of memories with it, but it's, it's not where I think my heart is. My heart's still in the racing side. Yes. But I, I love the stories that. these other people, these other riders that will tell me about them because I've lived every one of them. I know what it's like to get passed in the last corner. I know what it's like to lead wire to wire. I know what it's like to be fighting for championships and break down. I know what it's like. You know, I know these feelings and I think a lot of it is I've had to juggle a racer, a brand builder and a husband. You know, or, even an employee, right? So it's like now with, with me telling you this, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's still hard. But I think now with me taking one away and I can focus on two now, I can do a better job So I invite. God, this is tough. I invite everybody out 2026. I invite anyone and everyone that wants to come out, that wants to say hi, that wants to talk to anything right all the way. It's a, it's not a retirement race. It's a tour. I'm doing a tour. And I'm not doing this for me, you know, because if I wanted to retire, I could just retire and be done. But I want to do it for everyone else, for for how I impacted you. If you want to tell me a story about when we first met and I was peeing over in the bushes and I pissed you off because I'm peeing next to every then fine. Tell me the story. If you want to tell me about how I helped, you know, how I helped your kid get into racing and tell I would love to hear those. Because I've got, I've got my stories and my memories, but I would like to hear other people's right. And I want to do, you know, I'm to do certain things, a certain event, have like a fire, like a bonfire and people bring over, like they're whatever they want, right. They're beverages. And we just sat around the fire and we just talk and it doesn't have to be about me, but it's like, I want to enjoy this last part of my Professional racing career does that make sense like I still want to be a there, but it's like as a racer first Like I want to enjoy that last year as a as a racer, you know like Loading up the trailer with my dad going to the races Sign up just dumb stuff like sign up, right? I still don't pre-register to this day because I love to mingle with the fans I'd like to talk. I mean, I like to talk shit. I like to help. like, there's a reason that I do things that I do. It's because I truly deep down love this sport. I mean, the house was built on this sport. My wife, I met her on this sport I met all these other deep rooted. people that are involved in my life all because I rode a four wheeler. I raced a four wheeler. And to me it's like, those are what it was about. Right? The performance is great. All the trophies that you see, all that is great, but it's the memories that I've made from it. think that's the, that's the hard part to not let go of, but to, to start new. And that's the hard thing. 20 years XC1, 25 years or 24 years GNCC, racing. It's like, I'm 38 years old. That's over half my life. And here I am talking about it, you know. with a girl that my wife met on Craigslist. that's great. uh Yeah, I think it's gonna be an emotional year, but I think it'll be a really fun year for you too. Like, maybe you're getting back to the basics. Yeah, we've me and Hayley have talked about it a lot, right? And, no, when, when this comes out, still it'll, it'll, I don't think people know because it's something that I don't, I don't even want to say it hurts, but going to the races now and knowing that it doesn't, it, it, it, does matter. I'm sorry. It does matter. The performance does matter. The being there for people does matter, but what doesn't is now it's going to be all the, all the bullshit. It's like, you know what? We're here. We're going to have fun. My wife looked at me the other day. She goes, can we go back to the races and have fun? And I said, absolutely. And I've got, and I've got a lot of cool things that I am working on it for my tour. That is going to literally blow people's minds. That's going to make a staple that is going to give them things to talk about. hopefully for years to come. And I will, and I'll share with you one of my biggest fears in life is, you know, we talked about the veterans, we talked about the racing and we talked about the kids, we talked about, you know, this retirement. Heather, my biggest fear in life is being forgotten. Because this is so year to year to year. And I hope to God that I did a good job for people will not forget about me. That's what I want. I want to be, you know, I don't have a number one. I'll never be a champion, right? I got one more year that I can maybe be one, but I in relative terms at 38 years old, I'm not going to be a champion. But I can definitely make them remember. You remember Adam when he did this? Or you remember when Adam used to do this? Or you remember? Like that, you know, I want to be, I don't want to be forgotten. And that's a tough one. That's the hardest one to swallow. think that's why this makes it so hard is because I'm so afraid of that. knowing you, you're not going to be somebody that, like you said, just like walks away. And I think sometimes when people just walk away, sometimes they do like fade into the distance. but I can still see you being involved and I don't feel like you're going to be forgotten because you're still going to be involved in some capacity and people have so many memories with you. And I doubt that you're just going to hang up the social media end of it too. can totally see you just making some random appearances, even, even post retirement. Um, So yeah, Hey, maybe you'll be post race reporting on somebody else's races in the future instead of your own. It could be. could be. don't know what, I have some ideas in the direction that, that Adam McGill is going, that I am going. Um, I don't know if they're, if they're right yet. And I truly think with, like I said, I don't know if I've talked about this, but in my, in my life, growing up to where I am now, some of the hardest decisions I have ever made have been some of the best. decisions I have ever made. So I'm not saying this is the best decision I have ever made, but this is one of the absolute hardest things I've had to do in a long time. And it's, like I said, uh it's not a today thing. It wasn't like I just decided to do it today. It's been weighing on me for a while and I just, things have changed. You know, in, in, the sport and in the industry and the world. And, and I think it's, I think Adam McGill has run his course as a professional racer and Adam McGill is looking for that next, that next thing, that next drug, that next fix. And it might be working for a company inside the industry. It could be getting completely outside the industry, I don't know what it holds, but I think. this will open doors for me that I didn't even know was there. And I'm always a glass half full kind of guy. And I truly think that the next step will be even bigger and more impactful than the performance side. I'm kind of at a loss for words. I mean, I'm excited for you. Like I know it's emotional. Um, I know it was a big decision and it is, it is tough to walk away from stuff. however, I feel like you've, you've taken the time to think about it and you're doing what's best for you. And, you know, people are still gonna love you, whether you're a full-time professional racer or not. I'm excited for you for next season. but let's, tell our listeners where they can follow along and support what you've got going on in 2026 and beyond and where they can connect with you online. So they can follow me on Instagram, Adam K McGill. They can follow me on Facebook as well. Don't be fooled by all the imitators. There's only one originator. That's me. And I do have some YouTube stuff up. I haven't been super active with that. I'd like to get back on that as well. That's under Adam McGill as well. oh As far as the racing side, We've got a lot of unique things going on and I've talked about it with the wife. It's just logistically trying to make it all happen. Wanting to go to different events, wanting to travel. When I say travel, I'm wanting to go to different races. I tried some things last year and it seemed to get a lot of traction. I'm wanting to, I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but I'm wanting to do some of that this year. Make each event very unique and very special. And that's why. You know, I want to do this with you because we have that connection. So it's like, can talk about things that doesn't feel like it's scripted. And that's what I want to invite people to come to the racetrack. Come to the racetrack. Don't look at me as this person. I don't think anybody ever has. And I never tried to put myself there. Come to the tracks. I'll let people know. I want to do like bonfires and maybe do s'mores for... the kids in different areas, right? Because a lot of people that go to like South Carolina usually might not go to Florida or might not go to Alabama or here or there. So it's that's why I want all these people that that listen to this podcast to to come out and just share in that moment. And it's something that I don't know exactly what it's going to be yet, but like to let you know how much. people mean to me and I hate taking up more of your time but this means but like I keep this stuff that people have drawn for me and people have given me I don't know how to explain it, but I've got a whole folder of stuff that I've gotten over the years. So this stuff is like, could I be forgotten? I don't know. And that's where it's... I think Adam McGill needs to focus on this now more than the performance. that's why this decision was, that's why I felt comfortable talking with you and telling you about it because I think I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready for my next step. Not sure what it is yet, but I'm ready. Sometimes that's the exciting part is not knowing. A little bit nerve wracking, but also exciting. Very, very nerve wracking. So, uh I'm sorry to pull on heartstrings. Oh my god, this was so hard. Well, thank you for choosing this podcast and me to make this announcement. And I'm excited for the next chapter of Adam McGill And uh yeah, just looking forward to it. So thanks to everybody for tuning into Momentum. This has been a production of High Gear Success. If you want to connect to recommend a guest, head to MomentumMotorsportsPodcast.com. Until next time, keep the momentum rolling.