In the beginning...
When our shop was seriously damaged by the tornado in 2021, we, along with many others, realized exactly what it feels like to have a serious financial setback.
Musser Motorsports had more than 20 totaled cars in EF-3 tornado
As Bowling Green rebuilds, Musser looking for new location for his shop
Bowling Green death toll now at 17
December 17, 2021 – Spectrum News
Over 20 cars totaled at Musser Motorsports after EF-3 tornado hit Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — One Bowling Green owner is searching for the next steps in keeping his business alive after the EF-3 tornado destroyed his building.
Jason Musser, owner of Musser Motorsports considers himself a problem solver.
“My background is actually – I’ve got a masters degree in math, and that often is really weird for folks because it is weird,” Jason Musser, owner of Musser Motorsports said. “I’ve always worked on vehicles and done this kind of stuff.”
Right now, he’s facing the biggest problem he’s ever encountered.
“It’s just one of those weird moments. I wake up and you’re not going to work, there’s this catastrophe to deal with,” Musser said.
Musser has owned his business since 2014 but after the EF-3 tornado blew through Bowling Green, it totaled more than 20 cars in his lot. Thankfully, the shop was able to save some critical material.
“We were trying to make enough space for both of us to work so we rotated some things. Luckily saved the data that we needed to take care of our customers,” Jessica Hogan, operations manager for Musser Motorsports said.
Now he has a bigger issue on his plate.
“We’ve had to take turns watching the shop at night to make sure materials did not disappear. So the kids have camped out with us in the car at night, we’ve taken, days, nights, everything, we’ve had people come out and help with security,” Hogan said.
For now, Musser is removing what’s salvageable from his current shop
“Not having a plan on what to do, that’s probably the worst part for me. I don’t mind dealing with things or emergencies or anything but I just don’t have a plan, I mean we need a shop to move into like today,” Musser said. “We’re going to figure it out but we gotta have a place to figure it out at.”
Musser Motorsports has created a GoFundMe page to help the business get back on their feet.
What Makes Us Unique
We Educate
We explain what is needed, why it is needed, and how an owner can properly maintain a vehicle for longevity.
We Help
We help individuals who have nowhere else to turn for assistance with auto-repairs. Easy to apply!
We Get It
Losing everything we worked for, having to start all over, having to push forward every day, we know how hard it can be day to day.
We Donate
We offer our certified mechanic expertise to ensure safe and reliable transportation for qualified individuals.
2022...
Following the tornadoes, Jason Musser saw the devastation to not only cars at his shop but throughout the community. Musser is hoping to create a nonprofit to help people in need, who can’t afford auto repairs.
Jason Musser’s automotive shop was destroyed in the Dec. 2021 tornadoes
Musser has now moved to a new location on River Street and the business is called Musser Automotive
Musser hopes to open a nonprofit to help those with auto repair costs
December 07, 2022 – Spectrum News
A year later, Musser Automotive back up and running after EF-3 tornado
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — In Dec. 2021, 17 people died in the EF-3 tornado that hit Bowling Green. 12 of those who died lived on Moss Creek Avenue, among one of the hardest hit areas across the city, along with 31 W Bypass.
If you were to take a drive down 31 W Bypass today, it would be hard to tell who was affected by the tornado. The bypass is among the most heavily used roads in Bowling Green, and businesses are currently rebuilding or have moved.
A year ago, that wasn’t the case. Many were without roofs, walls, or even a place to return to. The bypass was also shut down for nearly a month after the tornado ripped through the town. That was what Jason Musser, a local automotive shop owner, was dealing with.
“It’s just one of those weird moments, and there’s no, you’re not going to work, it’s just this catastrophe to deal with instead,” Musser, owner of Musser Automotive, said.
We first introduced you to Musser on Spectrum News a few days after the tornado hit. Musser was picking up the pieces of his old shop that he opened in 2014 while on the hunt for a new one.
“I already had a loan to buy another shop in the works but we were on track to expand regardless, but it’s just all of a sudden we didn’t have a place to expand from,” Musser said.
Musser had no shop to return to after the destruction, meaning a year without work.
“I don’t think it’s good, especially for my son, to see his father not working every day,” Musser said. “Men need good examples of other men who get to work and do what they gotta do for their families and their communities, and I was not able to do that sitting around for almost a year.”
All the pieces came together in Oct. 2022. Musser Automotive would have a new place to call home.
“I focus on what we’re doing and making progress with what we have now and so as soon as we closed it was go time, and it’s been nonstop,” Musser said.
It’s a past that has stuck with Musser in a way. Of the 20 cars damaged at his last shop because of the tornadoes, some have even found a way to the new shop. With hopes to fix them up, but for now, all Musser can do is laugh.
“I mean, I think that’s all you can do. Just move on,” Musser said. “I mean, it’s a messed up situation. It could’ve been worse. Anytime you have a business, little things are always going to happen, but it could’ve been so much worse.”
Following the tornadoes, Jason Musser saw the devastation to not only cars at his shop but throughout the community. Musser is hoping to create a nonprofit to help people in need, who can’t afford auto repairs.
