Published: December 06, 2008 01:26 am      

Zachas pull winning ticket for Gordon's Corvette

$100 gets Shumway residents 2007 Corvette

Tom Zacha bought a raffle ticket, never dreaming of actually winning the grand prize, and now seven months later he's riding around in a 2007 Z06 Corvette that was previously owned by NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.

"On April 4 my wife Sandy and I were watching the April Texas pre-race show on television and something came on about the raffle," said Zacha, who lives in Shumway. "I thought it would be neat and the money goes for a good cause."

The 2008 Corvette Raffle, sponsored by The Jeff Gordon Foundation, gives away the keys and title to a Corvette owned by Gordon. Proceeds from the sale are used to support the mission of The Jeff Gordon Foundation, which seeks to improve the lives of children facing life-threatening and chronic diseases by supporting pediatric medical care and initiatives that address the emotional needs of these children.

"We just decided to go ahead and purchase a ticket over the internet for $100," said Zacha. "It's a good donation, that's what I was thinking at the time. Gordon contributes a lot of money towards children's charities and gives financial help to seriously ill children. Sandy and I have been very lucky. We've raised two sons and have never faced this kind of adversity, so we wanted to do something for others who have.

"I've been a Jeff Gordon fan since he started in the cup series back in 1993-94. I'm kind of an on and off NASCAR fan. When the Daytona 500 was on TV years ago, I always watched it. I've gone to several races. I've been to Talladega about five times, the Brickyard in Indianapolis, the Charlotte Motor Speedway and now to Texas. I've also been to Gateway to watch truck and Busch races."

Zacha admits he's always loved cars.

"I've always been a car person. My first car was a 1968 Chevy Nova. I've always been what they call a motor head. I have a 1995 Chevy pickup and my wife has a 2004 Trailblazer. I've always looked at Corvettes, but never had the urge to own one.

"Sandy also likes NASCAR and has for some time as well. But she's a Mark Martin fan, not a Gordon fan. Martin is driving for Hendrick Motor Sports as well as Gordon next year."

After being notified they won the Corvette, Zacha and his wife got to fly to the Texas Motor Speedway to meet Gordon and receive the keys and title to the Corvette.

"He's going to pay for the license and title registration for the first year," said Zacha. "The sales tax I have to pay and I assume there also will be an income tax.

"We paid our own air fare down to Texas. They invited us down for the presentation. They would have given us tickets for all three races, but we elected to just go to Sunday's race. We got to sit in the upper suite of the track and we got pit passes and VIP parking. They also set up the lodging for us."

The Zachas met privately with Gordon before receiving the keys to the Corvette.

"He's a very humble person," said Zacha who is retired from the Illinois Department of Transportation, but still works part time for Artcraft Press, a small printing company. "I couldn't believe how small he is."

The sticker price for the Corvette . . . $78,175.

"We had it shipped by truck and the trucker handed me the keys," said Zacha. "I asked. 'where do you put the key' and he said, 'in your pocket.' You don't actually need a key to start it because there is a button you press inside.

"We're going to hang onto it for a while. I want my two sons to be able to drive it. We enjoy getting out and driving it, but there's some value there. We're not sure what we'll do yet. Right now we're just going to enjoy it."

Millie Lange can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 123 or millie.lange@effinghamdailynews.com.