LOUISVILLE,Ky. — Being able to work on your own car can save you a lot of money compared to sending it to a shop, but what if you don’t have somewhere to work or the right tools? That is where Momentum Motorsport saw an opportunity.  


What You Need To Know

  • Momentum Motorsport is located at 338 Hull Street in Louisville

  • The shop has tools and equipment available to use

  • Spaces can be reserved ahead of time

  • Monthly rates are available

The DIY community garage was created four years ago by Nick Pirog, who spent six years in the military, mostly at Fort Knox, working on M1 Abrams tanks. 

“We got the idea from the military. Most of the time you’ll see them as auto hobby shops, but in the civilian world, they are few and far between,” Pirog said.

Cabinets of tools line the walls of the DIY shop (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)

The shop provides everything you might need, from tools to lifts, to even just someone to bounce ideas off of. All at a rate far cheaper than sending off your car to a mechanic. 

“You don’t have to use floor stands, you don’t have to use jacks, you can safely lift most vehicles in a matter of mere minutes,” Pirog said.

Pirog says this place has turned into much more than just a garage, but also a community of like-minded people all eager to help one another and pass along ‘hands-on’ knowledge that’s scarce these days.

“There is not a lot of shop class taught in high school anymore, so we are trying to bring back the idea of working with your hands, doing things yourself, figuring it out, saving some money,” Pirog said.

While the shop is slated to be open just during business hours, Pirog says often they’ll open early or close late depending on what those using the shop need. One of the familiar faces here is travel nurse Michael Melcher.

“You don’t ever know who you can trust and thankfully I know enough to do most of the work myself, so finding a place I can work is pretty hard to do anyway,” Melcher said.

With the professional equipment at the garage, Melcher doesn’t have to struggle to reach any part of his SUV. He says he’s been to a few shops similar to this across the country and enjoys that places like this exist.

Michael Melcher's SUV raised on a lift as he works on the vehicle (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)

“Being able to work on a lift like this just makes it so much easier. A lot of the things that you wouldn’t be able to do in the yard are possible here. You can get a lot more done in a lot less time,” Melcher said.

Thanks to Community Motorsport, those who don’t mind getting a little dirty to get the job done can have their own place to go to complete their DIY project. 

“No matter what your skill level is, if you’re basic and just starting out or if you’ve built hot rods and muscle cars and that sort of thing, this is the place for you to come and do it and we can offer assistance if you need it,” Pirog said.

Momentum Motorsport is open every day of the week except Tuesday. Shop space can be reserved for the hour, day, or on a monthly rate. More information and where to make a reservation can be found here