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The Winston Cup Museum
Sponsorship Changes – History Doesn’t
by
Marilyn Loeser
Located in a
building once used as a car dealership, The Winston Cup Museum chronicles racing
during the Winston years — 1971 to 2003.  "This project has been intense," museum owner Will Spencer said when the museum
opened its doors in 2005. “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.”
Located
close to downtown, the museum is designed to preserve NASCAR history and
features Winston-Salem's ties to the largest spectator sport in the country.
Displays and
cars are rotated in and out of the museum to not only encourage racing fans to
return, but also to offer them an up-close look at additional artifacts. Spencer
owns some of the vintage cars, but many NASCAR teams have loaned items to the
museum.
"I thought
it was important to capture the history and preserve it so that future
generations of NASCAR fans will be able to learn about NASCAR's roots,” he
said. “Sponsorship can always change, but history is forever.”
Normal
business hours are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is
$8 for adults, $4 for children under 12, and children under 5 are free. A
portion of each ticket is donated to local charities.
If you go:
For more
information on the museum, check the website at
http://www.winstoncupmuseum.com.
The Hilton
Garden Inn Winston-Salem/Hanes Mall, located close to all the city’s attractions
at
Fore
information on other attractions, hotels and restaurants, check the website
http://www.visitwinstonsalem.com/. |
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As you enter
the museum, the bold red and white colors used in all Winston Cup advertising,
at events and even worn by Winston girls, all signify R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company’s sponsorship and the colors of its Winston product.
More than 30
authentic Winston Cup race cars — including ones driven by Dale Earnhardt, Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and other NASCAR greats — are on display. By walking
along the outside wall, you are chronologically making your way through more
than three decades of racing history. The displays follow this order as well and
include videos, trophies, uniforms, helmets and other memorabilia. 
Among the permanent displays are tributes to such RJR-sponsored programs as The
Winston Million, the Winston No Bull 5 and The Winston.
Spencer, owner of JKS Motorsports, began working on The Winston Cup Museum
shortly after the Winston sponsorship ended. He purchased the property in
October of 2004, almost immediately began construction and opened its doors the
following year. 
The