Barnesville grandmother wins in NASCAR sweepstakes

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008

Barnesville grandmother wins in NASCAR sweepstakes

by Meghan Tierney | Staff Writer

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Charles E. Shoemaker⁄The Gazette

NASCAR driver Jeff Burton presents Barnesville resident Kathryn Cooley with the No. 31 Prilosec OTC Chevrolet Monte Carlo and NASCAR prizes for winning the grand prize in the Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime contest.

Barnesville resident and NASCAR fan Kathryn Cooley was in her basement doing laundry Tuesday when an unexpected visitor came to the door.

She opened the door to find driver Jeff Burton on her stoop and a replica of his No. 31 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in her driveway.

When she opened the door, she stood open-mouthed as her family, who were in on the surprise, laughed.

‘‘You’re a long way from Florida,” Cooley, 64, told the 20-year racing veteran, in reference to next month’s Daytona 500, when she finally spoke after seeing the high-ranking racer.

‘‘If I would’ve known, Jeff, I would’ve got the mayor of Barnesville, given you the key to the city,” she laughed.

Cooley, a lifelong resident of the town, won four tickets, VIP passes, first-class airfare and $700 stipends for 20 races, among other items, as the grand prize winner in the Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime national sweepstakes, which she entered online. She received a miniature version of Burton’s distinctive 2006 season racecar in November and knew that another prize would be forthcoming, but her family didn’t let the secret slip.

‘‘She did have a clean driving record, but I don’t know about now,” said her daughter, Lisa Fedders of Barnesville.

Burton, who drove the car to Cooley’s house from nearby St. Mary’s Church, signed autographs for Cooley’s grandchildren and pointed out some perks of the car — decorated with lightning bolts and decals and equipped with a 5.3L V8 displacement on demand engine — before he headed to the Frederick Municipal Airport for a flight to New York.

Burton, a Virginia native who drives for the Richard Childress Racing team, said he enjoyed his brief time in Barnesville.

‘‘This is a beautiful town, I bet there’s a lot of great history here,” he said. ‘‘I love going through small towns, rural towns and wondering who built these houses.”

Cooley’s grandchildren got a kick out of the car.

‘‘Too bad I’m not old enough to drive,” said D.W. Cooley, 12, of Boyds.

Cooley’s husband Jack took the couple’s four grandchildren for an inaugural ride around town in the car, taking care to rev the engine as they pulled into the driveway.

The opportunity to travel to the races was an extra treat for Cooley, who recently recovered from breast cancer.

‘‘This is just the perk that the doctor ordered,” she said.