Winston Cup Museum shuttered due to lawsuits, declining attendance
What we know as the NASCAR Cup Series today was—for 33 years, up through the 2003 season—known as the NASCAR Winston Cup series. Naming rights were sold to the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which in turn named the series after its top cigarette brand, Winston.
The decision was brilliant, really. By necessity, every mention of NASCAR had to include the name of its sponsor. It was Winston Cup this, Winston Cup that: Even the national news shilled for a cigarette company every time it mentioned NASCAR. Along that line, it seems that someone thought it was a good idea to memorialize the Winston Cup era with a museum. And what better place for it than the heart of tobacco country, Winston-Salem, North Carolina?
Thus was born the Winston Cup Museum: “33 years of Winston Cup, 1035 races, 1,000,000 lifetime memories!”
Those memories ended this month, when the Winston Cup Museum closed down for good. In a message to patrons, the museum said that, “We have decided to close the brick and mortar version of the museum permanently on December 16th, 2023. This is not a decision we have come to lightly, but it is the necessary end of 19 wonderful years preserving racing history.”
“So much happened in those 33 years, and if you look at where NASCAR was in 1971 when the sponsorship started compared to where it was when it ended in 2003, it’s really amazing. I had been thinking about some sort of a museum for some time, but in 2003, when [R.J. Reynolds Tobacco] decided to get out of NASCAR, the museum idea had a purpose,” said museum founder and owner Will Spencer.
Declining attendance and a series of lawsuits finally brought the little museum to its knees, not from R.J. Reynolds, but from ITG brands, which bought Winston. For some reason, ITG thought its purchase of Winston entitled it to ownership of the inventory of the Winston Cup Museum. Spencer and his family battled the giant in court and prevailed, but when the last lawsuit came, the museum was given 90 days to come up with a new name.
That was the last straw. Spencer and his wife Christy locked the doors.
So what happens to the cars and the memorabilia collected by the Spencers? A notice posted on the museum’s website says, “For those of you that are hardcore race fans and collectors you will have your chance to own a part of racing history as we are auctioning off the mass majority of the collection with Mecum Auto Auctions in Kissimmee, Florida—January 2 through January 14, 2024.”
“Everything runs its course, and it’s had its season—two decades—and unfortunately,” Spencer said, holding back tears, “I now have to do the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” he told Mecum.
Mecum says that the offering at Kissimmee “will include approximately 30-plus race cars, two motors, arcade games, 40 to 50 helmets, 20 to 25 race suits, 75 to 100 framed race pictures, six to eight race trophies, over 50 authentic race car hoods and more, and all of it boasts unparalleled authenticity as it hails straight from the collection of a man responsible for much of its original creation.”
“These 33 years of NASCAR will never be matched or recreated,” Spencer said, “but I preserved it for almost 20 years, and I’m proud of that, and of my wife helping me make the museum a special place for everyone.”
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Will ran a nice place and there is a lot of history here that should be in the NASCAR museum.
There are sone good cars here but many are rollers on old chassis will put together. He ran show cars for years and while some may have a Junior Bud body it may be a Roush chassis under the body.
Now sone cars are real like the Earnhardt Goodwrench car. But I think he may keep that one. A number of these cars will be moved to his private collection.
Nice video on YouTube with Dave Marcus reuniting with his winged Dodge.
As I’ve related before, I am not a current NASCAR fan – haven’t been since the cars weren’t any longer even pretending to be “stock cars”. But for much of the Winston Cup era, I did follow it. Never cared much for the sponsor – I was trying to raise five kids in the ’70s and keeping them from becoming smokers was always a struggle (only 4/5 accomplished). But as much as anything, I grieve the current trends of the loss of history in this country. Museums have always been the repository of things we don’t see in everyday life and may never again (well, the Big Ball of Twine Museum might not be the best example). But business is business is hard, and not everything survives. Hopefully the more important pieces will find a home (homes?) where they will still be available to view.
Don’t grieve too much as I was at a Christmas Movie museum in Medina Ohio.
No large ball of twine but things like the Santa suit from the original 34 street, the globe from Santa Clause.
The Grinches sled.
Best yet I got Mt photo with the hose on Cousin Eddie’s RV.
$hitter Full!
So we shouldn’t grieve the loss of history as long as you’ve gotten to enjoy it before it’s gone?
Looks like it was a nice collection of cars. Silly lawsuits didn’t help for sure.
The WINSTON CUP! freaking museum holds a special place in my heart. My boys and I road tripped to a military tank museum in VA ’bout 20 years back and on the way home to FL passed through W-S for some reason; a nearby track maybe? Whilst cruising past the mostly empty red brick buildings of downtown W-S I thought I saw a winged car in one of the windows, We circled back and sure ‘nuf there was a RR or 500, can’t remember which, in this building’s display window. We payed the modest entry fee and practically alone enjoyed a remarkable closeup tour of NASCAR history. The display that really stood out for me was Wendell Scott’s crashed racer, The mangled wreckage seamed to exemplify the blood, sweat, and tears Mr. Scott must have shed in his Herculean quest to succeed in a very southern, very white sport. Rest In Power Wendell and the Winston Cup Museum. F itg brand forever and a day.
It’s a shame that a big company can wield such influence over someone who was clearly no threat to their brand.
One more reason to be glad I kicked the habit. Scroom.
So how does one bid at the auction?
You can bid online, on the phone or in person. Just go the the Mecum website and register.
Winston’s holding company shot themselves in the foot, by not allowing this museum to give them free advertising. Does that company have anything to do with the swamp creatures in DC. Did they spend their formative grade school years in the “Special Class?”