A Kansas Lottery player emerged victorious in the final drawing of the NASCAR Powerball Playoff™, winning the $1 million top prize!
Francisco Erives, of Jetmore, Kansas, was declared the $1 million winner in the third installment of the national Powerball® promotion during a drawing broadcast live from Phoenix Raceway® on NBC, just before the start of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship™ Race. Erives, who attended the event alongside the other three lottery finalists, was in disbelief when his number was drawn by the machine.
“I feel a little numb,” said Erives. “This is huge, enormous. My life is going to be completely different from now on.”
Erives, a Staff Sergeant in the Kansas Army National Guard, was joined on stage by his nephew, Aaron, 13, after he was declared the $1 million winner. Erives said he plans to help his family with the prize money.
Erives was one of four lottery players nationwide to win a VIP trip for two to NASCAR Championship Weekend™, Oct. 31–Nov. 2, at Phoenix Raceway®, and a spot in the $1 million drawing, after entering the Powerball promotion through their state lottery.
The three lottery players eliminated in the championship drawing each received $10,000. They include:
- Daryle Fair – Columbia, SC
- Patricia Hockaday – Raleigh, NC
- Todd Smith – N. Waterboro, ME
“This marks Powerball’s third consecutive year holding a $1 million drawing at NASCAR Championship Weekend,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. “Year after year, our players tell us how much they love this experience, so we’re thrilled to bring the $1 million drawing to Homestead-Miami next year alongside NASCAR Championship Weekend.”
The VIP trip included roundtrip airfare for two to Phoenix, Ariz.; three nights of hotel accommodations; two Ally Curve Hospitality Club passes for both the NASCAR Xfinity Series™ Championship Race on Nov. 1 and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship™ Race on Nov. 2; two passes for VIP experiences at Phoenix Raceway during NASCAR Championship Weekend™, including Cup Series™ VIP access, a NASCAR team hauler tour, MRN radio booth tour, pace car rides, Victory Lane access, welcome dinner, and all meals; and ground transportation to scheduled events and activities.
A total of 28 lotteries participated in the 2025 NASCAR Powerball Playoff. Participating lotteries held in-state contests and second-chance drawings throughout the 2025 NASCAR regular season to form a national pool of entrants. Sixteen lottery players were randomly selected from this pool in a preliminary drawing to advance to a series of Playoff-style drawings, with cash prizes awarded to all 16 lottery players based on their elimination position.
The lotteries that participated in the 2025 NASCAR Powerball Playoff included: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana (Hoosier), Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Players who want to enter the NASCAR Powerball Playoff next year should follow their local lottery and the NASCAR Powerball Playoff Facebook and Instagram for 2026 entry dates.