Driven out of his home by the noise of remodeling work, a car salesman from Aberdeen sought some peace and quiet with a neighbor. The ruckus and the visit were two of three factors that produced the biggest Maryland Lottery win of the Harford County man’s life. The third? His love of Racetrax.
“I just needed to get out of there,” the winner said Sept. 15 when he visited Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim his $36,157 prize.
When he was asked to pick up a soda on the way to his neighbor’s place, the stage was set. It was the Food Mart at the Sunoco station at 607 South Philadelphia Boulevard that provided both the cold drink and the opportunity to play Racetrax. He gets the urge to buy a ticket maybe once a week, he said, adding, “And whenever I do play, it’s Racetrax.”
As he left the shop with his soft drink and $17 Superfecta wager good for 20 races, he bumped into a friend.
“I had no intention of watching the races. I usually just check the results the next time I play.”
Delayed there on the sidewalk by the conversation, he noticed his first race starting through the store window.
“I tried to pay attention to the story he was telling me, but when I saw my horses out in front of the pack, it got harder and harder,” he said.
Not wanting to be rude and especially not wanting to broadcast that he’d just won big, he kept his cool as the 12, 9, 6 and 1 horses crossed the finish line in just the order he’d predicted.
Still amazed by how it all worked out, the car salesman said his $36,157 win came at the perfect time for him.
“A lot has gone wrong for my family in the last few months. This will help me sort some of it out, with some left over to enjoy,” he said.
The Sunoco Food Mart receives a bonus of $361.57 for selling the winning Racetrax ticket.
