Frank Clark of Gastonia said he almost threw away a lottery ticket worth $200,000.

Clark bought the $5 Mega Millions/Powerball scratch-off ticket at Jakob’s Food Mart on Gaston Avenue in Gastonia.

“I didn’t think I won anything at first,” Clark said. “I was going to throw it away, but then my wife checked it for me. I always let her check them. She has better eyesight than I do.”

He claimed the prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he each took home $141,003. He plans to use the money to get his own tractor-trailer truck.

“I was a truck driver for 38 years before I retired,” Clark said. “This will let me still do some driving.”

The Mega Millions/Powerball scratch-off game launched Tuesday with four top prizes of $200,000. Clark is the first player to win a top prize. Three top prizes remain.

Ticket sales from games like the Mega Millions/Powerball scratch-off ticket make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 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.