**RALEIGH –**A set of lucky numbers that came randomly to Carolyn Honeycutt, a Cabarrus County school bus driver, helped her pick up a Powerball prize of $100,000.
“It is just something that popped in my head years ago,” said Honeycutt on Friday as she collected her prize. “I’ve played it ever since.”
She bought her $3 Power Play ticket at Sam’s Mini Stop on Old Charlotte Road in Concord. The lucky numbers matched four of the white balls and the red Powerball in the Oct. 17 drawing to win $50,000. Her prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier was drawn.
After required state and federal tax withholdings, Honeycutt took home $70,751.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Honeycutt said. “Exciting.”
She said she and her partner, Laura Morris, have no specific plans for the prize money, but wanted to help some people out.
“There’s a lot you want to do when you win money,” Honeycutt said. “You want to share with your friends, your family, the church. Helping people out. That means a lot.”
No one won Saturday’s Powerball jackpot. The jackpot climbs to $116 million as an annuity prize or $89.5 million cash for Wednesday’s drawing.
Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $14.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Cabarrus County in 2019, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.