“What a Damn Shame”- NASCAR Fans Left Heartbroken as Iconic Winston Club Museum Announces the End of an Era

Long before the NASCAR nation got the current Cup Series, they were hooked on what was then called the Winston Cup Series, an era fabled and chronicled as the prime period of the sport. Back when cigarettes and smoking were seen as cool and macho, iconic cigarette maker Winston patterned up with the Stock Car Racing giant becoming the sponsor of its elite division—a partnership that would later be etched down in history as one of the greatest.

The collaboration continued for almost 33 years until Winston decided to leave NASCAR in 2003 as the federal government pushed back on cigarettes, clamping down on their marketing and forcing makers to take drastic measures.

Thus, the Winston Cup Series became a part of history, and fans would often reminisce, remembering the glory days of the sport. Unfortunately, the series’ remaining memory and a piece of its long heritage are being taken down. The Winston Cup Series Museum will close its doors for good in December after preserving the rich history of the sport for almost 19 years.

The museum owner’s glum revelation nails the final coffin, killing NASCAR’s rich heritage

“Everything good must come to an end.” As depressing as the quote sounds, it is a simple fact in life that one must accept and live by. For hardcore NASCAR fans, the Winston Cup Series was the thing before it was renamed to the Cup Series. The unique format, its star-studded driver lineup, and its larger-than-life sponsor all made NASCAR’s top-tier division an icon in America.

Even after the series was renamed the Cup Series, Will Spencer preserved its history by opening up a Winston-Salem-based museum in North Carolina. However, after 19 years of preserving the memorabilia, fans will get a final chance to see it all before the facility closes its shutters by the end of the year.

Spencer issued an elaborate statement on Instagram: “This is not a decision we have come to lightly, but it is the necessary end of 19 wonderful years preserving racing history,” following the legal complications that came with the renaming of the facility when Imperial Brands subsidiary ITG Brand LLC took over the Winston brand in 2015.

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The IG post captioned, “History is hard to preserve and even harder to save. I am grateful I did my part for 19 years,” was a shocker for ardent fans who were taken aback hearing the news.

NASCAR nation gets down in sorrow as the depressing news breaks out

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Embroiled in a legal battle, ITG Brand over the name tag Winston after the group acquired the Winston brand in 2015. The group pushed three lawsuits, two of which were dismissed, while the remaining one mandated Spencer to rename the facility. Consequently, the discussion was taken to social media, where the owners looked for suggestions for the rebranding.

However, as we near the end of the year, it looks like things haven’t fallen through, forcing the handlers to come to a sad conclusion. The museum said the majority of its memorabilia will be auctioned off in January next year. With the facility closing its shutter on December 16, fans were quick to express their displeasure, taking the discussion to Reddit and seeing a piece of NASCAR history go down in flames.

Fans did not hold their tongue as they opened up about their disappointment: “What a damn shame,” while another user put forth his desire to see NASCAR take things up: “Hopefully the NASCAR Hall will step up and buy the memorabilia.”

“I wish NASCAR would just buy all the assets and create a wing on CMS. Just sad to see all this stuff is gonna be sitting in someone’s garage or shed.”

Whereas another fan wrote, “That sucks, would’ve liked to see the museum; WHAT!!!!! WHY??????”

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With the facility confirming its stance, this will indeed be the end of an era, as the last pieces of the Winston Cup Series era will slowly fade away from the community’s eyes but not from their hearts.