Kahla Jeffries of Gastonia stopped for gas, decided to buy a scratch-off for the first time, and walked away with a $100,000 top prize.

“That one just caught my eye,” she recalled.

Jeffries bought her lucky $100,000 Cash Payday scratch-off from Will's Food Store on Hickory Grove Road in Gastonia.

“I didn’t think I was looking at it right,” Jeffries laughed.

She arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to claim her prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $72,018.

Jeffries plans to use her winnings to buy a car and save for school.

The $100,000 Cash Payday game debuted in March with 80 $100,000 top prizes. Fifty-eight $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Education programs in Gaston County received $14.2 million in support from lottery funds last year. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.