On his way to work on Friday, James Floyd of Vass stopped for a cup of coffee and walked out with a winning $1 million Millionaire Maker ticket.

“I bought the ticket that morning,” he recalled. “Threw it in the seat of the truck and said, ‘I’ll do it later.’ And I scratched it that evening before I left work.”

Floyd, who works as a fuel technician, purchased his winning $30 ticket from the Circle K on U.S. 1 in Vass.

“I just kept looking at it to make sure I wasn’t dreaming,” said Floyd of when he saw his prize amount. “I called my wife and that was it.”

He claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

Floyd had the option of taking the $1 million as an annuity of $50,000 a year over 20 years, or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum of $600,000 and took home $424,509 after required federal and state tax withholdings.

Floyd plans to use his prize money to pay off bills and invest the rest.

“It feels great,” he said. “I’m thankful.”

Millionaire Maker is the first scratch-off to offer 30 $1 million prizes. Floyd became the 16th person to win one of those $1 million prizes.

Ticket sales from scratch-offs like Millionaire Maker make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million per year for education. For details on how $4.6 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Moore County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.