Kirby almost gives away winning ticket for Chevy

Michelle Kirby had 28 tickets heading into Thursday night?s car giveaway at Three Star Mall. In dividing the tickets among family members, she gave her nephew seven.

Had she given him one more, there would be a different winner of the 2006 Chevy Cobalt.

?When I tore them off, I stopped right here,? said Kirby holding up her long string of tickets. ?One more and that would have been the car.?

Her nephew, Shane Whitman, couldn?t hide his disappointment while looking over the four-door Chevy with the sunburst orange tint.

?Maybe it?s a good thing I didn?t win it,? Whitman said. ?Because I would have wanted to take out that four-cylinder and put in a V6.?

Fixing up cars is nothing new to the Kirby family. They have a classic 1955 Chevrolet they take around to car shows.

Michelle?s current car is a 1998 Chevy Malibu that?s still in good shape and has low miles. However, she says there?s no doubt what she?s going to do with her early Christmas present, the first thing she?s ever won.

?I?m definitely going to keep it,? said Michelle. ?I love it.?

Mall manager Teresa Martin said there were over 2,000 tickets in the drawing for the car and about a dozen other mall prizes. In addition to prizes from individual stores, mall gift certificates are also coveted.

Winning the $500 mall gift certificate was Armestine Drake. Marsha Smith won the $250 gift certificate and Rhonda Key won the $100 gift certificate.