The prize for winning the Commonwealth's Nascar contest has dropped back down to $100 after Mathew Mai of Greenwood correctly guessed the top three winners of Saturday's Pepsi 400.
30-year-old Mai's prediction earned him $1,700, and a great big smile.
Mai, who speaks little English, relayed his feelings about the contest through his wife, Cathy.
He said he was very happy when he found out Monday morning that he was the big winner.
"He already knew that he had won, but he didn't know if anyone else had picked the winners, too," Cathy Mai said. "He wasn't sure if he'd have to split the money or anything like that."
Mathew Mai got infected with the Nascar bug by his brother-in-law who lives in Daytona.
"He kind of got pulled in," Cathy Mai said.
Because of his work schedule, Mathew Mai doesn't get to watch as often as he'd like, but whenever he gets the chance to watch a race, he does, Cathy Mai said.
"He didn't know about the contest until his brother-in-law and nephew told him about it," Cathy Mai said. "He just decided he'd enter."
Cathy relayed her husband's method for selecting the top three winners, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., in their respective first, second and third finishing positions.
"The times that he's watched, Earnhardt always seems to stand out and be in the top spots," Cathy Mai said. "He likes him. He's not that familiar with names, but he know the numbers and what the cars look like.
"He knew he'd pick Earnhardt as one of the top three, and he got some advice from his brother-in-law and nephew, and then just got lucky."
The luck paid off, literally, and Mathew Mai has a $1,700 check to prove it.
