REGIONAL: Lincoln County man gets hot dog topped with $1 million prize

RALEIGH – Lincolnton resident Franklin Bracey stopped for a hot dog Friday night, added a $10 scratch-off, and collected a $1 million top prize to top it off.

“It blew my mind,” Bracey recalled.

He bought his lucky 50X The Cash ticket from Jerry’s One Stop on N.C. 27 East in Iron Station.

“I scratched it in my car,” Bracey said. “My first thought was just, ‘No way.’”

Bracey told his girlfriend the news as soon as he got home.

“First thing I said was, ‘Baby, sit down,’ ” he laughed.

When Bracey arrived at lottery headquarters Monday, he had a decision to make. He could choose to receive his prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $429,003.

“I’ve never won anything over $100 before,” he said.

Bracey said he plans to invest his winnings.

The 50X The Cash game debuted in February with six top prizes of $1 million. Four $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.

For details on how $5.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Lincoln County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.

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