In episode 4 of Auto Pros On The Road, the team visits Drew Tarr, owner of Street & Strip Performance in Louisville, KY. A traditional speed shop, Street & Strip continues to be an old-school tribute to the racing community of yesterday by meeting the demands of racers today.
Tarr started his career with Super Shops when he graduated high school but says his love of performance started much earlier. “I drove a ’68 Dodge Charger, and it was the third-fastest car in the school parking lot,” he says. “I know because we tested them almost every day. I can relate to any drag racer because I started out with really slow cars that I built myself. We built our own cars because that was the only way I could afford to race and to race the things I wanted to.”
Today, the shop is part of a dying breed, Tarr says, selling performance parts and building cars and engines for drag racers, pro touring and restomod customers. “It’s very old-school,” he says. “Come down to the shop and hang out. Talk to the guys in the shop and in the store.
Tarr said while he is proud to be able to do what he loves, the business of being an independent shop owner is getting harder each day.
“It’s a shame,” Tarr says. “Independent speed shops are going away. I’m very fortunate that my customers are good to me. They enjoy coming down and understand how important it is to have ‘a Drew’ in their town. Folks in other parts of the country don’t have a Street & Strip. Mail order and online are great until you need something on Saturday afternoon so you can go to the racetrack. I’m just fortunate to get to do what I want to do how I want to do it. I still learn something new every day.”
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Auto Pros On the Road is a new original video series that will showcase stories of automotive aftermarket service professionals. Throughout the series, viewers will follow our Auto Pros into repair shops as they speak with shop owners and technicians about their challenges, their stories and their values. This series is brought to you by Tire Review’s sister publications ShopOwner and TechShop – Equipment, Tools & Supplies. New episodes will be available monthly.
