Husband so excited about big Iowa lottery win says he almost let wife’s car roll away

While filling up his wife’s vehicle at a Casey’s gas station, an Iowa husband bought a $10 scratch lottery ticket inside the general store.

Travis Hovey, 41, then headed back to her car before scratching off the “Cash Blast” game ticket, according to a Jan. 20 news release from the Iowa Lottery. He “quickly uncovered a winning symbol,” lottery officials said.

“I thought, ‘Ah, probably just won my money back,’” Hovey recalled while claiming his prize. “But then the zeros kept coming.”

That’s when he decided to head back inside the Casey’s store to confirm the big win.

“I about forgot to put the vehicle in park,” the truck driver told lottery officials, admitting he was so excited that he nearly let her car roll away.

He managed to get the car in park, officials said, then he confirmed he had won the lottery game’s top prize of $100,000.

Hovey could not wait to tell his wife, Tammy, about his huge win.

“I couldn’t get home fast enough,” he said in the release. “I think she was in a little bit of a shock herself.”

The couple plans to use the prize money to pay bills and pay off debt, officials said.

The winning ticket was sold at the Casey’s in Riceville, in northern Iowa.

This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Husband so excited about big Iowa lottery win says he almost let wife’s car roll away."