Stephen Woods of Shelby says a $255,555 lottery win is going to help him retire.

“We’re about seven years away from retirement,” said Woods, who manufactures truck parts for a living. “This will be really nice to have.”

Woods’ good luck happened when he asked his wife to get him a scratch-off ticket. She stopped by Southern Store on South Lafayette Street in Shelby and bought a $5 Fantastic 5’s ticket. Instead of waiting for Woods to get home, she scratched the ticket herself.

“She called me at work after she did,” Woods said. “At first, I thought someone had died because of how frantic she was.”

Once he realized what his wife was saying, he couldn’t believe it. “I had to check the ticket for myself when I got home,” Woods said.

He claimed the prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $177,614.

Fantastic 5’s launched earlier this month. Woods is the first player to win the top prize of $255,555. Three top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from instant games like Fantastic 5’s make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.