Jump starts by Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc in Columbus, Ohio
Events & Places

Ohio State Game Day Towing Near Ohio Stadium

Dead battery after a long tailgate or keys locked in at your lot? Tell dispatch the lot name and row, and we come once roads reopen.

Call (740) 812-9489

Ohio State game day towing is a different job from a weekday campus call, and this page is only about Buckeyes football Saturdays at Ohio Stadium. More than 100,000 people fill the stadium, the lots open at 5 a.m., and a stretch of Woody Hayes Drive shuts to cars hours before kickoff. That mix produces a predictable set of problems: batteries drained by tailgate speakers and coolers, keys locked inside while the grill is going, and flats noticed only when it is time to leave. Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc takes calls at (740) 812-9489 all day and night. Most metro calls are reached in 20–40 minutes, but on game day that estimate depends heavily on closures and the post-game exodus, so we will be honest about timing when you call. We are independent and have no connection to the university or its athletics department.

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Game-day parking rules that affect a breakdown

According to the university's 2025 game-day notice, every football lot and garage opens at 5 a.m., payment is card or smartphone only, and Woody Hayes Drive closes between Cannon Drive and Tuttle Park Place to all vehicles about four hours before kickoff. Premier locations such as the Ag Administration and Vivian lots cost the most, with the Neil Avenue and Arps garages in the middle tier. A free shuttle links the Mount Hall Loop on West Campus with the transit hub near the RPAC from six hours before kickoff until an hour after the final whistle.

Two deadlines matter if your car will not move. CampusParc tows vehicles left in football parking areas past 12:01 a.m. on game Saturday to a tow lot at the southeast corner of Kenny Road and Woody Hayes Drive, and day-of-game parkers are expected out by 10 a.m. Sunday. If your car dies, call us early rather than hoping to leave it overnight.

What to tell dispatch from a tailgate lot

Game-day lots are huge and look alike, so vague directions cost real time. Share your location pin from your phone if you can, and add the details below. If you are inside the closed zone around the stadium, our truck may have to wait until barricades come down, or you may be able to meet us at the edge of a lot we can reach.

Stay with the car if you safely can, or leave someone from your group beside it. Drivers searching a sea of tents and flags lose minutes when nobody answers the phone, and a tailgate neighbor who promised to watch the car may have gone into the stadium by the time the truck pulls in.

  • Lot or garage name as printed on your parking pass or receipt
  • Row, section sign or nearest light pole number
  • Whether the car is boxed in by tents, trailers or other vehicles
  • A phone number that will be answered over crowd noise

Dead batteries, lockouts and flats after the game

Hours of radios, TVs and phone chargers running off a parked car is the classic tailgate drain. A jump start comes with a battery test and printed report, and if the battery is beyond saving we can do a mobile battery replacement right in the lot. Our lockout service handles keys left in the ignition or dropped in a locked trunk, and a spare can go on through tire changes.

Each of those calls is a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard. Game days usually fall on Saturdays, so the $50 weekend surcharge applies, and the $150 after-hours charge kicks in between 10 PM and 6 AM after a night kickoff. The rate card shows everything.

One habit prevents most of these calls: start the engine for a few minutes every hour or two if accessories are plugged in, or run them from a separate portable power pack instead of the car.

Towing out once the crowd clears

When the final whistle blows, tens of thousands of cars try to leave at once toward SR-315, Lane Avenue, Olentangy River Road and Kenny Road. A tow truck is stuck in that same traffic, so for a car that truly will not run, the practical plan is usually to arrange the tow for when the lots thin out. We load on a flatbed or wheel-lift and take the car to your home or shop. Tows are $4 a mile en-route, a $125 hook-up and $7 per loaded mile, plus any surcharge that applies. EVs always ride with all four wheels off the ground.

If the car is parked in a West Campus lot, the shuttle back from the stadium can get you to it while you wait. If you cannot stay until the truck arrives, tell dispatch who will hand over the keys, and keep the Sunday-morning exit deadline in mind.

Ohio State Game Day: common questions

Frequently asked questions

How does Ohio State game day towing work if my car won't start after the game?

Call (740) 812-9489 with your lot name and row. Many post-game no-starts are just a drained battery, which we can jump or replace on site. If the car truly needs a tow, we usually schedule pickup for when exit traffic eases, since our truck has to use the same roads as everyone else. We will give you an honest estimate when you call.

Can you drive into the closed area around Ohio Stadium?

Not while it is barricaded. The university closes Woody Hayes Drive between Cannon Drive and Tuttle Park Place to all vehicles about four hours before kickoff. If your car is inside that zone, we either wait until the closure lifts or, if the car can be jumped and driven, meet you at a spot we can reach.

What happens if I leave my car overnight after a game?

CampusParc tells day-of-game parkers to be out of lots by 10 a.m. the following Sunday, and some garages must be emptied sooner. Cars left in football areas when they are not allowed can be towed to a tow lot at Kenny Road and Woody Hayes Drive. If your car will not start, calling us that night is safer than leaving it.

Do you charge extra for Saturday game-day calls?

Our published weekend surcharge of $50 applies on Saturdays and Sundays, and calls between 10 PM and 6 AM add $150. Roadside calls are otherwise a flat $75 plus en-route at $4 per mile from our yard, and tows add a $125 hook-up plus $7 per loaded mile. There is no special game-day price beyond what the rate card lists.

My RV or oversized tailgate rig broke down. Can you help?

Game-day spaces are sized at 8.5 by 15 feet, so larger rigs are directed to RV parking sold by Ohio State Athletics. We tow light-duty and medium-duty vehicles with our own trucks, and a large-vehicle surcharge of $100 applies. For true heavy-duty units such as buses, we coordinate a tow through our heavy-duty partner.

Is your company affiliated with Ohio State Athletics?

No. We are an independent towing company, not an official game-day vendor, and we do not stage trucks at the stadium. We simply answer calls from drivers who need help, the same way we would anywhere else in Columbus. Parking questions, passes, lot rules and enforcement tows belong with CampusParc or the Ohio State Athletics ticket office.

Related help

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc is an independent towing company and is not affiliated with The Ohio State University, Ohio State Athletics, Ohio Stadium or CampusParc.

Roadside Towing & Recovery Inc (dba Columbus Roadside Towing).
Corporate office (private, no walk-ins): 3879 Regatta Ct, Lewis Center, OH 43035
Tow yard & impound lot: 1620 Harrisburg Pike, Columbus, OH 43223
(740) 812-9489 · chris@columbusroadsidetowing.com

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