Columbus · Driving Park
Driving Park Towing on the Old Racetrack Grounds
Columbus once raced cars around a track here. These days we mostly haul the ones that won't start on Livingston Avenue.
- Open 24/7, 365 days
- Flatbed-only fleet
- Price quoted before dispatch
- Licensed & insured
Driving Park gets its name from a horse and auto racing track that stood between Ellsworth and Seymour avenues, where the first 24-hour automobile race in the country ran in 1905. Eddie Rickenbacker grew up a few blocks away on East Livingston Avenue, and his boyhood home is now a National Historic Landmark. After the track was split into lots in the 1920s, the area filled with houses, and today it is a residential east-side neighborhood between I-70 to the north, Whittier Street to the south and Alum Creek Drive to the east.
Livingston Avenue is the main street, an old streetcar line with storefronts, churches and the library branch. Off it, the housing varies: the Old Oaks historic district has big early-twentieth-century homes on tree-lined blocks, Hanford Village has modest Cape Cods built after World War II, and many streets in between have frame houses with driveways or garages off the alley. Calls here are a mix of curbside no-starts, older cars that need to go to a mechanic, and breakdowns that roll off I-70 at Kelton or Livingston.
We come from Harrisburg Pike, which puts Driving Park on the far side of downtown from our yard, but I-70 makes it a direct trip. The dispatcher gives a live arrival estimate and the full price before the truck leaves, and every car rides on a flatbed. Call (614) 633-8163, or book online.
Street by street
Where we pick up cars in Driving Park
East Livingston Avenue
The historic commercial corridor, past the Rickenbacker House and the library branch. Cars stall at its signals and in small storefront lots.
I-70 at Miller/Kelton and Livingston/Alum Creek
The interstate forms the northern edge, with exits at Miller and Kelton avenues and at Livingston and Alum Creek Drive. Ramp breakdowns carry the highway surcharge.
Alum Creek Drive
The eastern boundary, running south past Hanford Village and the Alum Creek Trail, with industrial traffic farther down.
Fairwood Avenue
A north-south residential street past Fairwood Elementary; one of the main routes through the old racetrack grounds.
Old Oaks streets (Mooberry, Kimball, Will, Branger)
The historic district's tree-lined blocks. Big trees and parked cars mean the driver may need to load from the end of the block.
East Whittier Street
The southern boundary, toward Schumacher Place and Merion Village.
Linwood Avenue
Meets East Livingston at a corner with Underground Railroad history. A useful cross street to give if you stall on Livingston nearby.
Frebis Avenue
Marks the south end of the older blocks below Livingston. Quiet streets, so the driver can usually pull right up beside a car at the curb.
Studer Avenue
A residential street with a small city park on it; the park frontage gives the carrier a little extra room to set up.
Bowman Avenue and Clay Court
Two of the Hanford Village streets lined with postwar Cape Cod homes. Driveways are short, so the carrier usually loads from the street in front of the house.
Driving Park landmarks drivers ask about
Landmarks
- Rickenbacker House
Eddie Rickenbacker's boyhood home on East Livingston, a National Historic Landmark since 1976.
- Old Oaks Historic District
A streetcar-era district of large homes between Mooberry Street and Livingston Avenue.
- Hanford Village historic district
Cape Cod homes built for Black World War II veterans, including Tuskegee Airmen, listed on the National Register in 2013.
- Driving Park Branch Library
The library branch on East Livingston near Alum Creek Drive.
- Columbus Driving Park racetrack site
The old track between Ellsworth and Seymour avenues hosted the first 24-hour automobile race in 1905, and the neighborhood took its name.
Parks
- Fairwood Park
A large park with a skate park and a greenway trailhead.
- Old Oaks Park
A small green with a gazebo at the center of the historic district.
- Roosevelt Park
A three-acre city park on Studer Avenue with a playground and a short paved loop.
- Driving Park Circle
A one-acre green on East Columbus Street, easy to name as a meeting point.
- Hanford Village Park
A two-acre park on Alum Creek Drive beside the Alum Creek Trail, inside the historic Hanford Village area.
- Deshler Park
A park of about ten acres just south of Driving Park, with paths, a playground and its own parking lot.
Schools
- Fairwood Alternative Elementary
A 1924 school at Fairwood Avenue and Mooberry Street.
Driving Park towing questions
My car broke down on I-70 near the Kelton or Livingston exit. What do I do?
If you can, take the exit and pull onto a side street, which is safer than the shoulder and avoids the highway surcharge. If you are stuck on the interstate, stay buckled in with the hazards on and call 911 if you are in a travel lane. Next, ring us and say which way you were driving and which ramp is behind you. The I-70 exits for Driving Park are at Miller/Kelton and Livingston/Alum Creek Drive.
Can a flatbed get down the tree-lined streets in Old Oaks?
Usually, yes. The Old Oaks blocks have large old trees and cars parked along both curbs, which can make low branches and tight passages a problem. Our light-duty carriers fit most of these streets, and the driver will scout the approach before backing in. If the bed cannot reach the car, the driver can winch it toward an open stretch of curb before loading.
Do you tow on East Livingston Avenue?
Yes, it is one of the main places we pick up cars in Driving Park. Livingston carries a lot of traffic and has storefronts, churches and bus stops along it. If your car dies in a travel lane, put the hazards on and stay safe. Tell the dispatcher the nearest cross street and which direction you were heading so the driver can come in on your side.
I have an older car that has been sitting in the driveway. Can you tow it to a mechanic?
Yes. Cars that have sat for months may have flat tires, seized brakes or a dead battery, and our driver is prepared for all of that. Let us know how long the car has been parked and whether it rolls. If the car is not worth repairing, we can talk about junk car removal instead, provided you have the title.
Can you tow from Hanford Village near Alum Creek Drive?
Yes. Hanford Village sits along Alum Creek Drive at the east edge of the neighborhood, and its compact Cape Cod lots usually have short driveways that are easy to reach. Give us the street name, such as Kent, Lyman or Bowman, and we will send a truck. Alum Creek Drive itself can be busy, so the driver may set up on a side street.
How long does it take to reach Driving Park from your yard?
That depends on traffic, the time of day and how busy the trucks are. We dispatch from Harrisburg Pike, southwest of downtown, and the quickest route is usually I-70 east past downtown. The dispatcher checks where each driver is right now and shares a live estimate, so you know what to expect before you agree to anything. Evening rush hour on the interstate is usually the slowest stretch.
Can you help at Fairwood Park or the Driving Park rec center?
Yes. Park and recreation center lots on the east side are regular spots for dead batteries, lockouts and flat tires, especially after evening games and programs. Name the park, the entrance you used and the row or building the car is closest to. A jump, a lockout or a spare-tire swap is covered by our $75 roadside flat rate. If the car needs a tow instead, the driver loads it on the flatbed right in the lot and takes it wherever you choose.
Need a truck in Driving Park?
A dispatcher answers day and night and prices your Driving Park call before a truck moves.
Neighboring parts of Columbus
What we do in Driving Park
- Emergency Towing
- Flatbed Towing
- Car & SUV Towing
- Long-Distance Towing
- Accident Towing
- Wheel-Lift Towing
- Medium-Duty Towing
- Heavy-Duty Towing
- Roadside Assistance
- Jump Start Service
- Car Battery Replacement
- Car Lockout Service
- Flat Tire Change
- Fuel Delivery
- Winch-Out & Ditch Recovery
- EV & Tesla Towing
- Low Profile Towing
- Motorcycle Towing
- Parking Garage Towing
- Equipment Hauling
- Junk Car Removal
- Fleet Towing Accounts
- Private Property Towing
- Voluntary Repossession Towing
- Dealer & Auction Transport
- Repair Shop Towing
Where the trucks start
Every truck sent to Driving Park rolls out of our yard on Harrisburg Pike (US-62) on Columbus's southwest side. Dispatch runs around the clock, 365 days a year.
1620 Harrisburg Pike
Columbus, OH 43223
Phone: (614) 633-8163
Email: lisa@autolyftusa.online
Directions to the yard