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Winston Cup Museum closes after 33 years of stock car racing history

WStoday: Cars on display at the Winston Cup museum

The museum has been opened for 19 years, located on a street formely known as 840 N. Liberty St. | Photo by WStoday

It’s time to say goodbye. The Winston Cup Museum is closing for good. The owners took WStoday City Editor Kellina down memory lane.

In October 2004, Winston-Salem natives Will and Christy Cox Spencer found an old property that had been abandoned for 10 years. The couple decided to turn it into a landmark the city now knows as The Winston Cup Museum, located on North Martin Luther King Junior Drive. Will says collecting cars is a passion project and a piece of history he wanted to preserve in the Twin City.

“It was a gift to the city and a thank you to RJR [RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company] for all they had done for me,” Will said.

The end of an era

After a legal battle over a branding dispute, the Spencers decided to close due to financial issues. On Sept. 1, the two parties reached an agreement that allowed the museum to reopen after a 60-day voluntary shutdown and a rebranding.

WStoday: Winston Cup Museum started as a car dealership in the late 1940s — The building initially got its start in the late 1940s as a Nash dealership before undergoing multiple changes which led to the current Winston Cup Museum.
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Photo by The Winston Cup Museum via Instagram

As part of the agreement, the owners asked the public for help renaming the museum. The Spencers told WStoday the new name was set to be The Ralph Seagraves Memorial Museum — but the new name did not sit right with them.

“Taking old dog Yellow and naming it Blue just doesn’t work. Yeah, it doesn’t work.” Will said.

“The hard part is letting go. Letting go is hard,” co-owner Christy Cox Spencer added.

Racing forward

There’s still time to visit the brick-and-mortar display before it closes for good. The Winston Cup Museum’s final day will take place Saturday, Dec. 16 during The Final Lap Cruise-In and Celebration.

“History is hard to create and history is hard to preserve,” Will said. “And I’m glad I had my 20 years to preserve this history in Winston-Salem. It has a great history and I’m proud to live here.”

Get to the finish line

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Events

Wednesday, Dec. 13

Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night | Wednesday, Dec. 13 | 7 p.m. | Small Batch Beer Co., 241 W. 5th St., Winston-Salem | Free | Join in seven rounds of questions from both the Harry Potter movies and books — winners will take home gift card prizes.

Thursday, Dec. 14

Spanish/English Language Exchange | Thursday, Dec. 14 | 7:30-8:30 p.m. | La Pink Moon Cafe, 848 W. 5th St., Winston-Salem | $5 | An interactive way to learn a new language with native speakers, whether you are a beginner or completely bilingual.

Friday, Dec. 15

Jam with Jamita | Friday, Dec. 15, Thursday, Dec. 21 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | Brown and Douglas Neighborhood Center, 4725 Indiana Ave., Winston-Salem | Free | Get moving in a choreographed step aerobics workout to get your heart pumping.
Parents’ Night Out | Friday, Dec. 15 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Miller Park Community Center, 400 Leisure Ln., Winston-Salem | $10 | Parents and guardians can drop off kids ages 5-12 for a night of games and fun — dinner included.

100+ more local events

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News Notes

Award

You can now vote for your favorite window decorations in downtown Winston-Salem in the “Window Wonderland” Dressing Competition. Voters can submit their choice once every 24 until Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 5 p.m.

Shop

Enjoy some retail therapy while supporting 15 local artists this Friday, Dec. 15 at Krankies Craft Fair on East Third Street from 5 to 10 p.m.

Seasonal

Experience a meaningful Christmas with your neighbors this Saturday, Dec. 16 at Christmas for the City at Benton Convention Center. See original works by local artists, participate in a make-your-own toy workshop, and join in other interactive experiences from 1 to 6 p.m.

Pets

Add a furry friend to your family picture this holiday season. Forsyth Humane Society is seeking short-term foster homes for its dogs and cats. Fill out the form for a fostering period of two to four weeks.

Plan Ahead

Tickets are on sale for “Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo” at LJVM Coliseum on Jan. 24, 2024. Fans can experience two nights packed with action as cowboys compete to be crowned Pro Rodeo’s World Champion. Tickets start at $20.

Winstonian

Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.'s Vice President of Public Policy, Calvin McRae, has been named to the 2023 Forty Under 40 list by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. McRae has worked on various public policies to advance Winston-Salem and Forsyth County’s economic investment.

Job

We’re hiring a Branded Copywriter to support the strategy, creation, and placement of branded content campaigns for 6AM City’s clients. From creating dynamic content (including written articles and social) within the 6AM tone and style to closely following the process of how we fulfill advertiser contracts — see details and apply.

Plan Ahead

ICYMI, Emmy award-winning comedian Trevor Noah will be visiting Winston-Salem this April. Noah is featured in the Face to Face Speaker Forum, which brings world-class speakers to our community to discuss various topics. (Hint: These tickets make a great gift for any fan of “The Daily Show.”)*

Stat

WStoday Wrapped 2023

WStoday Wrapped 2023: Here’s the content you loved the most

Let’s go down memory lanes of your favorite reads this year. | Photo by 6AM City design team

It’s been a wild ride in Winston-Salem this year, from launching to WStoday to witnessing the pride in place from our readers. Let’s take a stroll down our Spotify-inspired roundup with your favorite reads this year.

Quick overview

We’ve gained ~32,000 new subscribers in just 5 months.
We launched WStoday July 31st with our first newsletter hitting your inboxes at 6 a.m.
Between Instagram + Facebook, we have a combined ~3,000 new followers.

Data from the doom scroll

Winstonians had a lot to say about about the Trader Joe’s parking lot, which gathered 80,000+ views and over 1,700 shares.

Top webpages

We had 77,000+ webpage views. Below are five of our top-viewed articles from this year.

Events page
Holiday itinerary for Winston-Salem
What’s the latest on the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway?
Why Winston-Salem is one of the best places to live
Where to get lunch for under $10 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Kellina

From the editor

One of the most fun pieces I got to write was “6 Unique fall date ideas.” I once met a couple at a coffee shop who told me it helped them plan their next date. Drop us a line if you have any story idea you’d like us to cover in a future newsletter.

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