When Randy Suthard of Candler first started scratching his $5 lottery ticket on Saturday, he initially didn’t realize he just won a $200,000 top prize.

“At first I thought it said $2,000,” he laughed. “Then I looked harder and realized, ‘That’s the big daddy.’”

Suthard purchased his lucky Red Hot Slots ticket from Hot Spot on Brevard Road in Asheville. He said he didn’t go to the store looking to buy that ticket.

“They were actually sold out of my first choice,” he explained, “so I got that one instead.”

Suthard then took the ticket home to scratch it.

“It was pretty wild,” he said recalling his winning moment. “It was kind of unreal to be honest.”

He collected his prize at lottery headquarters Thursday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $143,501.

Suthard plans to pay some bills and put some money toward his retirement.

Red Hot Slots debuted in May with five $200,000 top prizes. One $200,000 prize remains to be claimed.

For details on how $10.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference for Buncombe County education programs last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.