In 2017, Brandon Adkins was faced with a big decision when his father unexpectedly died. Did he want to go into the family go-kart business with his mom or sell it?
Up until this point, he wasn't involved in the day-to-day operations but remained in the industry working for manufacturers and racetracks, and he was always trackside to support his dad's race team.
“I had moved away and done different things, but I didn't want to see [the business] go,” he says. “It had been in the family for what would be the third generation.”
Go-kart racing is integral to the Adkins family history. Adkins' father, Kyle, was a renowned kart driver and engine builder, widely known as “California Flash.” Kyle, his brother, Tony, and their father, Bill, eventually gained a reputation as a trio of top drivers and master engine builders.
Adkins also established a name for himself on the track as a teen, finishing third in Phase 2 of the 2003 Red Bull Driver Search, out of a field of 30 racers. But he struggled with the awareness that he was gay and feared what might happen if he came out to the motorsports community.
In his 20s, he married a woman, had children and eventually divorced. He subsequently came out as gay and met his now-husband and business partner, Jamie Wince.
A new direction
The family business began as Adkins Speed Specialists in Southern California, where Adkins' father, uncle and grandfather built engines, worked on go-karts and ran a retail shop.
Adkins' father purchased a karting facility in rural northeastern Ohio in 1986 and named it Adkins Speed Center. The facility provided trackside services at all WKA Manufacturers Cup and Midwest Sprint Series races, along with selected club races in the Midwest.
But in the early 2000s, Adkins' father decided to shift his focus to exclusively working on engines under the name Adkins Engines.
When his father passed, Adkins and Wince took over the business. Recognizing engine work was not their area of expertise, they phased it out and set about turning the company into what it is today: a one-stop-shop for sprint kart racing that is open to the public.
Stepping into any leadership role has its challenges, but joining an established family business can be extra tricky, according to Wince.
“The customers had more than enough to say, and were filled with doubts when a fresh ‘nonracer' came into the community, but time and time again, I've proven my knowledge base and showed everyone we're accomplishing everything we've set out to do,” he says.
Open track
After Adkins' father's death, the company remained in his mother's name, and, initially, the existing motorsports community was entirely on board with continuing to support the business. That began to change, however, once the company transferred into Adkins' name and word got out that he would run it with Wince.
Despite the backlash, for Adkins—the first and only openly gay champion go-kart racer—taking over the family business became an opportunity not only to continue the family legacy, but also to promote a more inclusive culture where everyone felt safe.
The company shares articles that have featured Adkins, Wince and the facility. And Adkins and Wince have updated the logo, started flying a rainbow flag and applied rainbow stickers to their karts. Each year, they become more active in promoting Pride Month and establishing relationships within and advertising to the LGBTQ+ community. They also seek to empower women to race by offering events such as women-only sessions on the track.
“These are all small examples of things we've done to make sure our clientele knows we're here for everyone and will not put up with any bantering or bullying,” Wince says. “Growing up gay in a small town outside of northern Virginia, I could feel the vibe when I walked in a place. We make sure everyone who enters our facility knows it's a safe space for them and their entire family and friend base.”
These efforts have also helped Adkins and Wince to let go of some of their own biases. Adkins says customers they might assume would be closed-minded sometimes end up surprising them.
“That's what we want to see — we want to see the big monster trucks pull in with their cowboy boots and trucker hats or whatever and be cool with us flying the gay flag and riding in our go-karts,” said Adkins.