By Todd Northrop
LEXINGTON, N.C. — A Lexington, North Carolina, man who won a $377,241 lottery jackpot said he plans to buy his wife a Corvette convertible.
Michael Scarlett matched all five numbers in the April 16 Carlina Cash 5 drawing, according to lottery officials. He played a Quick Pick, meaning he allowed the lottery terminal to randomly assign his ticket numbers.
Scarlett learned of his big win when he checked his numbers on the lottery's website on Friday morning. He paints cars for Richard Childress Racing.
"I still didn't believe it so I took the ticket back to where I bought it," Scarlett said. "The clerk scanned it and then started getting excited. She told me I had won big and that I needed to sign the ticket. It still hasn't hit me, really."
Scarlett told lottery officials he would be purchasing his wife a Corvette convertible with the winnings. The latest generation C7 Corvette Stingray is currently the hottest sports car in America, with prices starting at $55,000, climbing to over $100,000 for a fully-loaded Z06 model.
Scarlett bought the winning ticket at the Welcome Exxon 1-Stop on Old U.S. 52 in Welcome, beating odds of 1 in 575,757.
He collected a check for $261,239 after state and federal taxes were withheld.
"I'm going to keep working, but this win will help us a lot," Scarlett said as he collected his winnings. "This feels wonderful."
The jackpot for the Tuesday, April 21 Cash 5 drawing is $183,000.
Scarlett had one of two tickets that matched all five numbers in the April 16 drawing to split the $754,482 jackpot. The second $377,241 prize, which has not been claimed, was won on a ticket sold at Kingsway on Chapel Grove School Road in Gastonia.
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please forgive me , Todd
I suppose you could find photos of any type of car wrecked. I guess I'm more of a glass half-full guy.
Id up-grade to a corvette, too ! WTG for that guy and his wife .
I wouldn't say no to that if it was offered to me.
That is a stupid purchase seeing that the tax man is going to take a good chunk of that $377,000. Plus I couldn't fit in this car anyway. I'm 6'3'', my butt would be in the trunk. I hope he spends the rest on something more practical and not just splurge on fancy fast cars. Bet he'll regret the purchase and sell it when the factory warranty is expired and he gets his first repair bill that's not covered & not to mention his insurance premiums. lol
Anyway, congrats to him, he can spend his money as he please. I'm hating just a little bid.
I'm 6'4" and I fit in mine just perfectly!
Did Todd just stunt on us. Lol
Whatever happened to.............
A new bill filed in North Carolina would protect the identities of lottery winners in the state.
Currently, the winner's name, hometown and amount of money won is made public. The information is typically collected for prizes of $600,000 and more.
The new bill would give winners the chance to keep their information private.
Bad financial move. I'm not sure how much the car cost but I'm guessing it's over $60,000. Thn there are taxes and insurance. So in 5 years, he'll be unable to afford to maintain the car.
He's forgetting about RRD (Rust, Rot, Depreciate). He made a very bad investment! Instead of buying this car, he should have invested his money in an insurance company or a farm. At least an investment where he would get a decent ROI back.
I don't understand why lottery winners immerse themselves in instant gratification. That's a mental issue. People of you win the lottery, DO NOT spend your money on frivolous things! Do not become a servant to your money.
Ever given it much thought that his wife loves to drive 55 Hearse?
A Lexington, North Carolina, man won a $377,241 lottery jackpot.
He collected a check for $261,239 after state and federal taxes were withheld.
In Australia all lottery prizes are tax free!!!!!!!!!!
Much harder to get a Corvette there however.
Congratulation to Michael Scarlet, on his win. Also congratulation to his wife, this car is gorgeous! Enjoy it. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Surprised at the negative posts on here. He won and wants to do something nice for his wife--why not?
Congrats to the winner and his wife :)
I agree with you zephbe. Make your wife happy. If not she will divorce you and take half in divorce court anyway.
What's the saying: "Happy wife, happy life".
I bet a lot of people who win under a million dollars consider that "found money" and use it to fulfil a few dreams. For a lot of people that after tax amount isn't going to be life changing but it can add a little fun into what may already be a comfortable life. Even if he goes for the all out Corvette he will still have roughly half left which could help with the extra insurance and so on. Plus we don't know if this car is replacing another sports car so maybe the extra insurance isn't an issue.
The only thing I disagree on is the Corvette. I've already asked for a Z4.
You only live once so you can't be too careful with money, especially money that you won. I would get an Escalade.
Cadillac Riches
Yeah Lucy, I asked for a redesigned 2015 Chevy Impala. I don't think Santa got the message though.
Lucky folks !!!
BTW I'm 6'2 " and I also fit in mine pretty good . In fact I cant barley touch the front floorboard with my left foot . Plenty of room .
Hey, I didn't mean for my post to be upsetting in anyway, sorry. But one thing I do know (assuming) he has <$5000 in his savings account, he's an idiot.
Now, I don't know him or his bank account, so it's all speculation. Maybe he has a great "egg basket" of money so buying that corvette isn't an issue.
I agree it's good to have fun a little and treat your self or loved one. I just disagree with people splurging on big priced items who aren't finically capable.
LOL
Bad financial move!
I agree, if he won millions maybe!
The problem is, many people don't understand money management and spend it recklessly.
You and Todd must have short legs..lol My friend has a corvette and it felt very cramped when I tried sitting in there. In my 2015 Camry I have to pull the seat waaaaaay to the back and tilt the chair into a gangster lean till it's almost touching the back seat just to sit in a upright positon comfortably. Almost every car I 've ever owned I had to do this in, except my 87 & 2000 Buick Lesabre and 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
This would be more practical, probably something more in the range I would buy if I won $300k. $24-30K on a new car is reasonable. I'd maybe buy that corvette or something similar in price if I had over $300k. after taxes.
I have a $24k car now and I have no where near $300k saved but it would be nice not having car payments!
You don't need millions to buy and maintain a Corvette...lol
If I had won millions then the greed would kick in and I'd def go all out on a Bentley or Lambo..lol If it was over $5 million after taxes.
If he's working for Richard Childress Racing he can probably afford it. It's a NASCAR team. Anyone ever hear of a guy named Dale Earnhardt? The father and son both drove for RCR at one time.
We should never assume that all that play the lottery need to worry about money! It can just be icing on the cake and they can spend it anyway they want.
Congratulations to the winner and I hope his wife enjoys her car!
Not to mention also being a lot more expensive.
My husband is 6'3" and our C2 Corvette fits him just as nice as the C7 version but that is where the similarities end. The new models are awesome and beat ours hands down in every category with the exception of looks...our 66 convertible is still sexier.
I agree. Without knowing their financial situation most folks here can only speculate whether it was a wise decision to splurge over 25% of their net winnings on a very nice vehicle that no doubt his wife will love and enjoy.
All I can say is, "don't be penny wise, dollar foolish".
I wish they had a like button for the comment section .
Right. He probably only paid the invoice price from one of his dealerships.
A quarter of your money right away on a car, seems wise...
"Wifey not happy, you caveman from Bedrock not happy". If all the wife needed was a Vette, I'd say let's go pick out the best we can find.
He can do something nice for his wife, by providing long-term financial security, not by short-term gratification!
You have a nice husband and must be a really great wife.
Bcuz no wife of mines will ever get a corvette from my 300k lotto win. Maybe a CHevy Chevette but not a brand new corvette never.
My father had a nice little buzz box like the one pictured above
t'was a severely underpowered widdle thing
Congratulations on your win. She's going to love the new corvette.
I had a 78 and at 6'0" this is one of very few cars I didn't need the seat back almost far as it will go.
My Opel GT (mini vette) also has enough leg room for someone taller,
the difference is when your that big your shoulders feel a little cramped.
On a sad note to Vette lovers, a close friend's garage recently burned to the ground,
in it was a 61 sharknose Vette that he owned for 43 years.
Well, after reading all the negative posts by people that have no clue about this person, or his finances I had to comment.
Who do you think you are? Would ya'll ever accept a total stranger telling you what to buy, or if you are spending your money foolishly? I think not.
He works for a NASCAR racing team, so it's obvious he and his wife are into cars. He came into found money, good for him that he spent some on his wife. If she didn't want a corvette, he would have spent it on something she did want.
Eh, he can do as he pleases but personally I wouldn't buy a car that expensive unless I won a jackpot that netted me at least $25 million after taxes. I will not be that lottery winner who goes broke!
What's nice is that I could drive any sports car regardless of size, that's the nice thing about being 5'8"