Frederick resident advances in NASCAR Powerball chase for $1 million
Jeffely Pargo of Frederick is representing Maryland in a national Powerball promotion that could lead to a $1 million prize and a VIP trip to NASCAR Championship Weekend.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
Jeffely Pargo of Frederick is Maryland’s national semi-finalist. He has already won $2,000. More than 22,000 Maryland Lottery players entered the state promotion. Forty Maryland winners received $2,500 and were entered into the drawing to select the state representative. The national field started with 25 semi-finalists. The field will be reduced to 20, then 10, then four finalists. The four finalists will receive VIP trips to NASCAR Championship Weekend. One finalist will win $1 million. The other three finalists will each receive $10,000.
A Frederick resident is now one step closer to a potential $1 million payday through the NASCAR Powerball — The Chase to $1 Million promotion.
Jeffely Pargo of Frederick has been selected as Maryland’s representative in the national Powerball promotion, which features one semi-finalist from each of 25 participating lotteries across the country.
Pargo was randomly chosen from winners in the Maryland Lottery’s NASCAR Powerball — The Chase Second-Chance Promotion, which ran from May 4 through June 15.
More than 22,000 Maryland Lottery players entered Powerball tickets into the promotion. Forty winners each received $2,500, and those 40 were then entered into a random drawing to determine Maryland’s national representative.
Pargo and the other 24 semi-finalists have already won $2,000 and now advance into a series of elimination rounds modeled after NASCAR’s championship format.
The group of 25 was revealed during coverage of the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
The next round will narrow the field to 20, with each of those players winning $3,000. Those winners are scheduled to be announced on Sept. 27 during the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
The competition then narrows to 10 on Oct. 18, with each of those players receiving $5,000.
Four finalists will ultimately be announced on Nov. 1 during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Each finalist will receive a VIP trip to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Miami Speedway on Nov. 8.
One of those four finalists will win $1 million, while the other three will each receive $10,000.
The 2026 NASCAR season marks Powerball’s fourth year as the Official Lottery Game of NASCAR and the fourth straight year the promotion has given one lottery player the chance to win $1 million during championship weekend.
WHAT IT MEANS
Pargo is still several rounds away from the $1 million grand prize, but he has already advanced beyond thousands of Maryland entrants and is now representing the state nationally.
If he continues through the elimination rounds, he could earn increasing cash prizes and ultimately a trip to NASCAR Championship Weekend with a shot at the million-dollar prize.
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