A routine stop at a Marathon turned into a lifechanging moment for a Danville mechanic who won $75,000 on a Kentucky Lottery scratch-off ticket – an experience he describes that made him feel “just blown away.” 

R.L Doss Jr. who has been playing the lottery since turning 18, said the big winning moment happened shortly after his wife surprised him with newly released scratch-off tickets from their stop at the Danville Marathon.  

“She said, ‘If you win, you win. If you don’t, you don’t,’” Doss recalled with a laugh. 

Moments later, everything changed. 

“I scratched the first number on the Strike It Rich! ticket, and it said $5,000. I kept scratching and there was a win on every spot on the ticket. I stared at it for 10 minutes. My wife thought I was joking,” he said. “When she looked at it, she said, ‘No, you really did win!’” 

“I couldn’t sleep,” Doss said. “I was up and down all night.” 

The $75,000 top prize on the $5 scratch-off was a shocking moment for the couple, who both said they grew up in modest households and work hard to support their family. “I work nonstop,” he said. “This is something we never thought would happen.” 

After taxes, Doss received a check for $54,375. Danville Marathon received $750 for selling the winning ticket. 

The couple already knows how they’ll use their winnings: their first family vacation to the beach.  

“My wife has never been, and the kids haven’t either,” he said. “I’ve only seen the ocean once. We’re excited to do something we’ve never been able to do before.”