Kenny Wallace Slams “Really Fu***d Up People” After Heartbreaking End to NASCAR Heritage

It recently came to light that the Winston Cup Museum in Winston-Salem would be closed down after its owner Will Spencer decided to give up his lawsuit fight against ITG Brands, the owners of the Winston Cigarette brand. Winston sponsored the Cup Series from 1971 to 2003 and the museum was an ode to the legacy of a glorious bygone era in NASCAR.

The news is an obvious downer for every stakeholder in NASCAR and former racer Kenny Wallace has expressed his disappointment as well. Reacting to a social media post, he hit hard on the people who caused this to happen, writing, “There are some really fu***d up people / companies in the world.”, and continued questioning a possible way out.

There are some really fucked up people / companies in the world.
How can you not celebrate your past?
WINSTON proudly marketed the fans for years. They could have “Found a way”.
I wonder if the @NASCAR museum / HOF is able to use ANY WINSTON signage? https://t.co/wyJRSOjY8T

— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) December 19, 2023

Wallace himself is one of the many icons who were children of the Winston era of NASCAR. He featured full-time in the series during the late 1990s under different team banners and the reasons for his disappointment are evident from the same.

Why the Winston Cup Museum is closing down and the fight against it

The downfall of the Winston Cup Museum began behind closed doors when ITG Brands acquired the Winston brand from RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company in 2015. Though the company hadn’t poked into NASCAR for years, it began taking legal action against the museum in 2022. It contested that any item with Winston branding was its property.

Will Spencer, the owner of the museum, stood back against the giant through the three lawsuits that were filed. Unable to hold the pressure when two of the suits were dropped, Spencer was forced to give in last month.

The belongings of the museum are set to be auctioned off in Florida soon. Spencer has plans to keep the museum’s legacy alive through a digital platform. He wrote in his statement to the public, “My love of history, racing, and cars has not been diminished by everything that has happened. (…) We are in the process of building out the website and social media platforms and they will be available soon.”

Though the loss of the museum will be a void tough to fill, the efforts of Spencer will go a long way in remembering the greatest era of NASCAR by far.