A Mississippi lottery player has been named the winner of the NASCAR Powerball Playoff’s $1 million grand prize after competing against three other contestants over the weekend.
West Point native Stephanie Walker was declared the winner in a drawing broadcast live from Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway during pre-coverage of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race.
“Like the NASCAR Playoffs, the anticipation has been building for weeks leading up to this Championship drawing,” Drew Svitko, Powerball Product Group Chair and Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director, said. “This has been a wild ride, and we can’t wait to offer our players another opportunity to experience the thrill of the NASCAR Powerball Playoff next year!”
Walker was one of four finalists who won a VIP trip for two to the NASCAR Championship, which included roundtrip airfare, three nights hotel accommodations, welcome dinner and all meals, transportation and tickets to all scheduled events, and more.
The other three finalists eliminated from the playoff each won a $10,000 prize for making it to the NASCAR Championship. They include:
- Donald Pope – Michigan City, Ind.
- Peter Schmitz – Santa Fe, N. Mex.
- Barbara Wipf – Sioux Falls, S. Dak.
“Just like the NASCAR Playoffs, the NASCAR Powerball Playoff Championship drawing has been filled with anticipation and excitement, culminating with Stephanie Walker taking home the $1 million prize,” Michelle Byron, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Partnership Marketing, explained. “This promotion was a perfect way to engage our loyal fans and lottery players alike, and we can’t wait to see it come to life again next year.”
All finalists entered the national Powerball promotion through one of 24 participating state lotteries, which held contests and second-chance drawings throughout the 2023 NASCAR regular season to form a pool of entrants.
After that, 16 semi-finalists were drawn from the national pool to compete in a series of elimination drawings that mirror the elimination rounds of the NASCAR playoffs. Cash prizes were awarded to all 16 semi-finalists based on their elimination position.
The NASCAR Powerball Playoff will return next year with new participating lotteries.
