RALEIGH – Esther Hall, a home healthcare professional from Salisbury, won a $50,000 prize and a new 2013 Toyota Tundra in the June 3 Carolina Cash 5 Bonus Bucks drawing.

Alice Garland, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery, presented Hall with the new 2013 Toyota Tundra on Thursday at a celebration held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“I was surprised when I checked my ticket and saw I had won,” Hall said. “It felt good. I may drive the truck, but my son will probably drive it more. We can certainly use it, and the money will help me save for the future.”

The Toyota Tundra prize was part of a special partnership between the NCEL and Charlotte Motor Speedway and was available as a bonus prize for only the fourth Carolina Cash 5 Bonus Bucks drawing. The truck recently set the pace for the truck racers at the NASCAR Camping World NCEL 200 on May 17. The silver sky metallic truck features a V8 engine, front bucket seats, dual zone air conditioning, a USB port with iPod connectivity and hands-free phone capability.

Hall, the fourth top prize winner of the Carolina Cash 5 Bonus Bucks promotion, purchased her Cash 5 tickets at the Wilco on West Jake Alexander Boulevard in Salisbury. Her entry was one of 949,988 in the fourth drawing. Total entries in all four drawings were 4,194,336.

To participate in Carolina Cash 5 Bonus Bucks drawings, players must make a $5 Cash 5 purchase. With each $5 purchase, they receive an entry slip with a 9-digit number which must be presented when claiming prizes. The next drawing is scheduled for July 24 and the entry deadline is July 17.

Since the lottery began through June 30, 2012, Rowan County education programs received more than $32.5 million in lottery funds. By law, those funds pay for teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school construction, prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, and college scholarships and financial aid based on need.

To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2.8 billion for these initiatives statewide.

Editor’s note: A photo is attached showing Esther Hall (center right) of Salisbury celebrating her Carolina Cash 5 Bonus Bucks win with Alice Garland (center left), executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday.