Rodney Harrington of Willow Spring walked into a store to grab a drink, added a scratch-off, and quenched his thirst with a $100,000 prize.

“I initially only went in the store to get a Gatorade,” he recalled.

Harrington said he went into shock when he saw how much he won.

“My mouth just dropped wide open,” he laughed.

He said the first thing he did was call his brother to tell him what happened.

“He knew I was being serious because he could hear it in my voice,” Harrington said.

Harrington bought his lucky 200X The Cash ticket from Cool Mart on Penny Road in Raleigh. He arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to claim his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,259.

“I’ve got four daughters so I’m sure they will have some ideas how I should spend it,” he laughed.

The 200X The Cash game debuted in March 2022 with six top prizes of $5 million and 18 $100,000 prizes. Two $5 million prizes and two $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

For details on how $64.1 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Wake County in 2022, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.