Tire shop owner wins Pennsylvania lottery

Jan. 18, 2011

Ron Flickinger, owner of Talbert Tire Service in Somerset Borough, Pa., is a new millionaire. Flickinger recently purchased $10 worth of Pennsylvania Lottery tickets and that investment paid off to the tune of $1,570,330.

Flickinger, who took over Talbert Tire Service from his father-in-law in 1978, said he bought the winning ticket on January 15th from a local mini mart.

“I went in the next day to check my tickets and they told me the store had sold the winning ticket,” Flickinger said. “When I scanned my second-to-last ticket, it said ‘Congratulations, you won $1.’ Then I scanned the last ticket, and it said ‘Congratulations…’ again. I figured it would be another dollar — until I saw ‘…you won $1,570,330!’ They said I jumped a foot off the ground.”

Flickinger, who has been in the tire service business for 33 years, has no immediate plans to retire, but will be leaving the shop in the hands of his two employees while he takes some time off to travel with his wife and daughter.