Local man wins nationwide contest
April 7, 2020
Matt Brockway, 40, recently won the grand prize in the Stoker Tobacco 1967 C10 Spitfire pickup truck sweepstakes. He has lived in Commerce eight years with his wife and three children.
Stoker has conducted other contests with trips as the grand prize but decided to offer something durable this time. The company bought a truck in Alabama that did not have a motor or a bed for $5,000 and had it remade at TriWorks Hot Rods in Tennessee. The truck was modernized with a Corvette LS7 motor, an automatic transmission, new brakes and new suspension.
Bobby Stoker came to Commerce to personally deliver the vehicle. Stoker Tobacco was founded in 1940 by his grandfather and father as a mail-order smokeless tobacco company. It continued to be family owned until 2003.
Brockway answered some questions about his new truck.
How did you learn of the Stoker Tobacco 1967 C10 truck sweepstakes?
Brockway: I noticed the contest on the cans of snuff when I would buy them.
How many times did you enter the sweepstakes?
Brockway: I entered every can I bought while the contest was going on.
Do you usually enter sweepstakes/contests?
Brockway: I enter all of the Stoker contests that they have.
What made you enter the Stoker Tobacco sweepstakes?
Brockway: I was hoping for a chance to win. With no purchase necessary, other than buying their tobacco, I thought why not.
Did you think you would win the truck?
Brockway: I did not think I was going to win the truck, but was sure hopeful.
Is this the first time you have won anything?
Brockway: I have won smaller prizes from them, but never the grand prize.
What else have you won?
Brockway: I have won spittoons, hot sauces, koozies, bottle openers.
Have you entered more contests since winning the truck?
Brockway: I haven’t entered any more contests, but I will. I am playing the lottery more now, hoping to keep the luck going.
What was your reaction when you were informed that you had won the truck?
Brockway: I was very skeptical at first. Once I received the packet in the mail, I thought this might actually be real.
At what point did it truly sink in that you were indeed the new owner of a 1967 C10 Spitfire?
Brockway: When I got the $20,000 check in the mail, I knew this was real.
How did you react when you first laid eyes on the truck?
Brockway: Grateful, excited. I was blown away at just how beautiful it was in real life.
Is the truck everything you thought it would be?
Brockway: Everything and more.
How do you describe your new truck?
Brockway: Perfect color combination. The attention to detail they spent is just amazing. It is really fast, too!
Have you allowed anyone else to drive it?
Brockway: I haven’t as of yet. Maybe after the new wears off, I will probably let my Dad drive it. He is as excited about it as I am.
What are your plans for the truck?
Brockway: Make as many memories as I can with it. Maybe enter a few car shows and takes lots of pictures of it.
How do people react when they see your truck?
Brockway: They are blown away. It is one of the nicest they have ever seen. Most can’t believe that I actually won it.
How has your family reacted?
Brockway: They are happy for me. They are looking forward to making memories with it as well.
How does it handle?
Brockway: It rides like a dream. The throttle reaction is amazing. That little truck is super fast, too.
Have you ever driven anything like it?
Brockway: I have driven older vehicles before, but none like this.
