NASCAR contest jackpot an early Christmas gift for Miller
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“I asked my daughter to turn it in for me that week,” said Anita. “But I was never sure if she did it or not.”
Anita found out for sure Thursday afternoon when her name was drawn at random from 3,095 entries. The entry form with Anita’s name on it was for the Bristol race.
“Just don’t let her know about that,” said Anita as she prepared to accept her $1,850 in winnings. “She’ll be wanting some of the money.”
Anita’s daughter, Monica Miller, likely won’t be the only one sticking her hand out. During the check presentation Thursday night at the Outdoor Shop, Anita’s husband was as interested in shopping as he was with collecting the payoff.
“I’ll take care of some of that money right now,” said James while looking over a few fishing supplies.
Anita turned out to be the only winner in a NASCAR contest which proved too tough to win. The contest required a winning entry to have the top three drivers picked – in exact order – from any race during the season. Mathematically speaking, the odds of that happening were 1 in 74,046.
The jackpot started at $50 for the first race and increased by $50 every race after that. By the time the 37-race season was finished, and no winner had emerged, the jackpot was an eye-catching $1,850.
Since no one actually won the contest, the Standard was determined to give away the money anyway. Hence, there was a random drawing Thursday afternoon with representatives from the contest sponsors in attendance to ensure everything was fair and square. Lynn Judkins of the Outdoor Shop and Wade Whittmore of Riverside Custom were on hand, with Whittmore getting the honor of drawing the winner.
After pulling Miller’s name from the box, Whittmore drew a backup name just in case Miller was unable to claim her prize. Finishing in second place to receive absolutely nothing was renowned tennis enthusiast David Dunlap.
In addition to the Bristol race, Anita and James also attended the Daytona 500 won by Ward Burton. That was better than the outcome at Bristol.
“We drove all the way to Bristol to see Jeff Gordon win,” James said in obvious disappointment. He and Anita say Dale Earnhardt Jr. is their favorite driver and they also pull for Mark Martin.