NC man buys 3 tickets to honor Dale Earnhardt and No. 3 won big
A Dale Earnhardt fan playing the $1 Carolina Cash 5 lottery game for the first time bought three tickets in tribute to his hero, and it scored him a jackpot, NC lottery officials said Thursday.
“It was the first time I’ve ever played Cash 5. I chose Quick Pick three times for Dale Earnhardt,” said Lincolnton resident Luther Dowdy when he claimed his $235,000 top prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Wednesday, according to a lottery news release.
Dowdy, a 63-year-old grave digger and lifelong race fan, was lying in bed Monday night watching TV when he bought his Quick Pick tickets using Online Play on NCLottery.com.
“I about fell out of my chair when I saw how much I won,” he said.
Earnhardt notched 67 of his 76 wins in the No. 3 car for team owner Richard Childress, according to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Known as “The Intimidator” for his aggressive style on NASCAR tracks, Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500.
Dowdy beat odds of 1 in 962,598, according to the Carolina Cash 5 page on NCLottery.com.
He matched the five white balls in Monday’s drawing, according to the lottery. After taxes, he took home $166,875, lottery officials said.
“Now I might be able to retire at the end of this year,” Dowdy said.
He said he also intends to pay off his mortgage and help a neighbor across the street.
Carolina Cash 5 is one of four N.C. lottery games in which people can buy tickets at a lottery retailer and through Online Play, which is available on the lottery website and app.
Cash 5 drawings are held nightly. Thursday’s jackpot stood at $110,000, according to the Carolina Cash 5 page.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 1:37 PM with the headline "NC man buys 3 tickets to honor Dale Earnhardt and No. 3 won big."