The promotion, jointly run by Powerball and NASCAR, was launched earlier this year. It first created a number of winners at state level in those jurisdictions that took part, before 16 semi-finalists from across the country were selected via a random draw.
Those semi-finalists were then pitted against each other in a series of head-to-head draws that were held alongside particular races throughout the NASCAR season, with eliminated competitors receiving prize payouts that gradually increased in value as the promotion continued.
By the end, there were four participants left - Stephanie Walker from Mississippi, Donald Pope from Indiana, Peter Schmitz from New Mexico and Barbara Wipf from South Dakota.
These four finalists were all invited to attend NASCAR’s Championship Weekend from November 3rd to November 5th - giving them a trip to Phoenix that included a range of VIP experiences.
Walker was selected as the winner during a live drawing that was broadcast from Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway. While she became an instant millionaire, the other three each won $10,000 for making it to the final.
"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," said Michelle Byron, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Partnership Marketing. "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."
As well as Mississippi, there were 23 other participating state lotteries - Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
The NASCAR Powerball Playoff promotion is set to return in Mississippi and other states in 2024, giving players another opportunity to win great prizes of up to $1 million. It could be that someone else from the Magnolia State follows in Walker’s footsteps and becomes the winner of the grand prize.