NASCAR driver, former Daytona 500 champ, won big in $2B Powerball lottery, report says

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin isn’t just a former Daytona 500 champion -- he was also a lucky winner during the $2 billion Powerball game last November, according to a recent report.

According to MSN, Hamlin didn’t hit the big jackpot prize, but he came close. He matched 5 of the 6 numbers in the game — four of the five regular numbers and the Powerball.

The 42-year-old told the media outlet he bought $300 worth of tickets at a gas station the night of the drawing. The clerk at the counter handed him back the tickets before going out to dinner.

“They drew the Powerball. I come home. I’m brushing my teeth, and the Powerball tickets are sitting there face up and the very first ticket that that nice gentleman printed, hit five of the six numbers on Powerball. I was only missing one number,” said Hamlin during an interview with MSN.

While Hamlin didn’t share how much he received for his win, lottery information showed that Hamlin would have received a third-place prize of $50,000. Since he didn’t opt for a Power Play, his total wasn’t tripled.

The odds of winning that prize are 1 in 913,129.

Hamlin told MSN he was recognized while waiting to cash the ticket. He took a photo with a fan, a lifelong lottery player, who said he never hit it big.

“I just kind of felt bad that I was cashing out this big ticket, when likely there were these people who were lifers in there that had never hit it,” he told the media outlet.

The winning numbers for the Powerball game are drawn from a field of one to 69. The Powerball number is drawn from a separate field of one to of 26. The Powerball drawing is televised every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m.

In order to win the jackpot, players must match all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball number.