WEST POINT — When Stephanie Walker signed up for the Mississippi Lottery Corporation Insider, she never thought it would amount to much beyond information on certain lottery competitions.
She certainly didn’t think it would result in a 1-in-4 chance at winning $1 million.
After signing up for a Powerball competition through that Lottery Insider membership, she has garnered a free flight, tickets to NASCAR’s Championship Race this weekend at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona, $2,500 and a chance at the $1 million jackpot.
“It’s weird but so exciting,” Walker said. “I’ve signed up for all the promotions, but I never thought I’d win at all, much less make it this far.”
Walker was one of 16 semi-finalists in July who were entered into a partnership competition between NASCAR, Powerball and 24 participating lotteries nationwide.
The semi-finalists then went head-to-head in a series of drawings that coincided with the elimination rounds of NASCAR’s playoffs. As of last week, Walker was named as one of the four finalists headed to Phoenix Raceway, where a $1 million Powerball winner will be announced Sunday.
“Six drawings occurred with a total of 20 winners, each receiving a $2,500 prize from the Mississippi Lottery,” MLC Director of Communications Meg Annison said. “At the conclusion of the promotion in July, the Mississippi Lottery sent those 20 finalists’ names to the Powerball Group. They then combined Mississippi’s winners with the winners of other state lottery promotions into a national pool.”
Walker, who works as a truck driver for the Starkville Sanitation Department and a bus driver for Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, said she has never had the chance to fly or visit as far a place as Phoenix and is looking forward to the trip.
“I’m looking forward to just getting out, having a good time and being able to enjoy myself,” Walker said. “People have been telling me, ‘You got to take that vacation. You better get out of here.’ So, yeah, I do need a vacation.”
In addition to the free trip and racing tickets, Walker will also receive a free hotel stay, VIP passes for both the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Sunday, a tour of the stadium and radio booths, as well as free transportation to scheduled activities, Annison said.
While she isn’t an active fan of NASCAR, Walker said she is still excited to watch the races, which she used to do from a television screen growing up in West Point.
“I would turn it on sometimes just to watch the drivers go round and round, just to see who would win a race,” she said.
While Walker’s odds of winning the jackpot are far greater than the usual one-in-11.6 million, according to the Powerball Group, she doesn’t want to get her hopes up.
“It feels good just (to have a chance),” she said.
Still, if she wins the final prize, Walker plans to pay off debts, repair her family home of more than 30 years, and establish a scholarship fund for her children, Chakyra and Devon Jones Jr.
“I’d like to set up my kids a bit,” she said. “I could also get a decent ride because I’ve never had a new vehicle.”
MLC President Jeff Hewitt said he was glad Walker made it to the final round of finalists and that he intends to keep watch to see if wins the $1 million.
“We are thrilled for Stephanie,” Hewitt said. “Making it to the final round in a national promotion is exciting. We are all going to be tuning in Sunday and cheering for her to bring home the big win.”
HOW TO WATCH
■ $1 MILLION DRAWING: Watch to see if West Point’s Stephanie Walker wins $1 million on NBC during pre-race coverage of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Sunday, Nov. 5 starting at 2 p.m. EST.
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