We went to Las Vegas in October 2023 for the Vegas Large Car Invitational Truck Show and, of course, the NASCAR races. We got to see old friends like Kate Whiting and her sweet “Cherry Pie” KW. While there we also got to meet Sheri Goldstrom, the show’s organizer, and her husband Pat, which was a real pleasure. We got to talk “truck” a little bit and make plans to visit her museum, filled with all sorts of street rods, trucks, and memorabilia, after the show and race. The highlight of the race for John was meeting his “hero” #24 Jeff Gordon and watching his favorite driver now (Kyle Larson) win the race. And seeing it all from the pits was awesome!
The truck show was held at the Las Vegas Speedway and came about by the work that Sheri Goldstrom and her team did to put this event together. She would like to thank her sponsors this first year, including PDI, Dynaflex, Big Strappers Apparel, Davis Trucking LLC, Express Pressure Wash, and A&D Excavating. This show offered tickets to the races, the Neon Garage, and a private tour of the museum for all the participants in the show. And it is such a cool venue.
Sheri is on the board of the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charity. Talking to Sheri we learned that all the NASCAR speedways have a charity. The Las Vegas Chapter had six events last year and awarded $520,000 to 83 local children’s charities. The truck show event itself raised over $34,000, which is great for a first-year show.
After the show and the race, we had the pleasure of taking that personal guided tour of the Nostalgia Street Rods Museum, dubbed as “Vegas’ Best Kept Secret.” Sheri and her husband Pat took us through five buildings filled to the brim with incredible memorabilia. Only about 60% of their entire collection is on display. I hope there are more buildings in the future. We agree about it being a well-kept secret. In all our years running out here, we had no idea it was here, but now we are happy to share this special place with all our 10-4 readers.
Art and Shirley Goldstrom, Sheri’s dad and mom, collected “stuff” together for 65 years. They started with rotary phones and old clocks, and it progressed to what I think might be one of the most diverse personal collections of authentic memorabilia in the U.S. today. Over the years the collecting escalated as they brought things back from all over the world as they traveled. After our tour we had some time to chat with Art, who is a wealth of information about Las Vegas. He helped transform all the old casinos like the Sands, the Dunes, and others, to what Vegas is today. Do not miss an extraordinary history lesson in April. We are looking forward to telling Art’s story in “Part 2” of this feature next month.
Talking to a few people, we learned that the Goldstrom family has always been about helping people and various charities, and as we say it now, giving back. Sheri said her mom was kind of like an early pawn shop – if someone needed money and they had things, Shirley would buy their items to help them out.
Sheri always wanted to be like her dad – he was a “tear down the buildings” demo contractor, and he had trucks to haul it all away. She learned to drive a truck with a set off twin sticks in just two weeks when she turned 18. Her brother’s old 1959 Peterbilt is the truck they used to pull the merchandise trailer they had at the truck show, and the truck was on display there, as well. Not all restored and shiny, but in what I would say, “All its glory,” with her history speaking in the faded paint and original parts. We watched Sheri pull in with the truck and trailer at the museum, and she drives that truck with skill and love, because of what that truck means to her.
In the early 2000s Sheri stopped driving to go into the office and learn the family business, but she did not give up her CDL, and she still drives whenever she gets the chance. Her office now has the most impressive desk – made from an old Ford pickup box! Under the glass, on top of her desk, and all the walls in her office, are adorned with even more memorabilia – it’s everywhere. Already having the land and buildings where the museum is now, they opened the first building in 2001, showing the cars they owned, and started a car show to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease (which Art’s mom had). The proceeds from this show now go to the Speedway Charity and other charities in the city. That show is held in November after the SEMA show and still happens every year.
The museum opened in 2009 after Sheri had coated the floor in one building and put part of her parents’ collection in it for their 50th anniversary party. She continued filling the buildings with memorabilia from the sports world, the music industry, Hollywood, cars, big trucks, and so much more. Mom was a Chevy girl and dad is a Ford guy. The one red 1957 Chevy was Sheri’s moms, and it has only 44 original miles on it. There are two buildings dedicated to Shirley, displaying many of the things she loved so much.
If you are old enough you will remember the cool Schwinn bikes with banana seats, baskets, and a horn. John raced BMX bikes in his younger days, and we can both remember our bike riding days. There is a large collection of old Schwinn bikes in the museum. Another cool piece in one building is a car crushed into a square with the hood of that car propped up on it. This is the first car Sheri raced. Yes, she gets out there and races, too. Sheri is one very amazing and down to earth lady who is still out there kicking butt!
When Sheri started the museum, it was mostly to make sure her kids and grandkids never forgot where they came from. She feels this is so important, because so many people today do forget where they come from. What a rich heritage these kids have, and to now be able to look back and see the things their grandparents grew up with, that is priceless. The museum is an opportunity for people to share so much with their kids and grandkids, and take a little stroll down memory lane themselves, away from all the glitz of Vegas. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on weekends by appointment. Call (702) 876-3652 to take your own trip back in time.
In 1993, Aaron Tippin used Sheri’s Peterbilt truck and trailer in his “Call of the Wild” video. It was shot around Nevada and Monument Valley, and one cool spot was on the Glen Canyon Dam. What a great song and an even better video. The truck show at the speedway was such a success last year that Sheri has been asked to host it again. The second annual Vegas Invitational Truck Show will be held October 18-20, 2024, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, once again coinciding with the NASCAR race being held there that same weekend. What a great combination – fast cars and big trucks – don’t miss it!
