RELEASE DATE: 5/12/2009
Joe Denette of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, is what you might call a die-hard racing fan. In fact, not even winning a Mega Millions jackpot valued at $75.6 million could keep him from a good NASCAR race.
On Friday, May 1, Mr. Denette matched all six numbers in the Mega Millions drawing. The next morning, he checked the winning numbers and realized he had won. One problem, though – he also had tickets to that evening’s NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway. What did he do? He gave the winning Mega Millions ticket to his mother for safekeeping while he enjoyed the race!
“She asked me where I was going and I said ‘the race!’” he told Lottery officials. “I won four race tickets from a radio station for answering NASCAR trivia questions.”
On May 12, he returned to the racetrack to receive his check from Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto. Rather than take the full jackpot amount over 26 years, Mr. Denette chose to take the cash option of $47.8 million.
He was one of three ticket-holders nationwide to win and split the $227 million Mega Millions jackpot. The winning numbers were 9-16-24-40-43 and the Mega Ball number was 35. He used the Easy Pick function, in which the computer randomly selected the numbers on his ticket.
“The computer did it,” he told Lottery officials. “I used to hate computers. Not anymore.”
Joe Denette of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, is what you might call a die-hard racing fan. In fact, not even winning a Mega Millions jackpot valued at $75.6 million could keep him from a good NASCAR race.
On Friday, May 1, Mr. Denette matched all six numbers in the Mega Millions drawing. The next morning, he checked the winning numbers and realized he had won. One problem, though – he also had tickets to that evening’s NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway. What did he do? He gave the winning Mega Millions ticket to his mother for safekeeping while he enjoyed the race!
“She asked me where I was going and I said ‘the race!’” he told Lottery officials. “I won four race tickets from a radio station for answering NASCAR trivia questions.”
On May 12, he returned to the racetrack to receive his check from Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto. Rather than take the full jackpot amount over 26 years, Mr. Denette chose to take the cash option of $47.8 million.
He was one of three ticket-holders nationwide to win and split the $227 million Mega Millions jackpot. The winning numbers were 9-16-24-40-43 and the Mega Ball number was 35. He used the Easy Pick function, in which the computer randomly selected the numbers on his ticket.
“The computer did it,” he told Lottery officials. “I used to hate computers. Not anymore.”
