Helen Ruth Mitchell Wins 2006 Pt Cruiser Ih Meineke Car Care Bowl Sweepstakes

By: Meineke Car Care Centers | 0 Shares 140 Reads

(Thursday, January 12, 2006) - Helen Ruth Mitchell of Cayce, S.C. told her friends the only way she would ever own a new car would be to win one. At halftime of the inaugural Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., she did.
Helen Ruth won the Meineke Car Care Bowl Sweepstakes Grand Prize of a new 2006 PT Cruiser given away by Meineke during the New Year's Eve bowl game between N.C. State University and the University of South Florida. "I entered just on the chance my husband and I would win a trip to the bowl game," says Helen Ruth. She was one of five regional first prize winners who won a fun-filled trip for two to the Meineke Car Care Bowl, weekend accommodations at the Hilton Hotel and a chance to take home the Grand Prize.

In front of a crowd of over 50,000 fans and a national audience on ESPN2, the five finalists fired confetti cannons into the air - and a special cannon, which spouted black and gold streamers, identified the winner. Initially, Helen Ruth didn't realize she had won. She did not see the streamers overhead. Then, once the cameras zoomed in, she said that she was so elated she couldn't even think. "Thank goodness they told me what to do."

Before winning the 2006 PT Cruiser, Ms. Mitchell, who earns money by sewing and doing alterations, had been driving a 1977 Datsun - which will either be donated to charity or sold to a neighbor's grandson whose car was stolen.

"Other than marrying my husband Jim and the birth of my two children, this has been the most exciting week of my life," says Helen. The reaction of friends and family has been overwhelming. "A neighbor lady even wrote a poem about it and left it in my mailbox," she says. "It's a great poem."

Ms. Mitchell went on to say that every aspect of her trip was first-class. "All the other finalists were so nice we became friends. The Meineke people and everyone involved couldn't have treated us better. I plan to write thank-you notes."

Nearly 20,000 entries were received for the sweepstakes. The First Prize Winners representing five geographic regions include:

Linda Sue Ayres
Kankakee, IL
Midwest Region

Helen R. Mitchell
Cayce, SC
Southeast Region

Shirley Panzarino
Staten Island, NY
Northeast Region

Thomas Waggoner
Houston, TX
Southwest Region

Heidi Walton
Mesa, AZ
West Region

Meineke - proud sponsor of the Meineke Car Care Bowl -- was founded in Houston, Texas in 1972 by Sam Meineke who built the brand on the concept of quality products and workmanship at a fair price. In 2003 Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, Inc., became Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc. to be more reflective of the company's comprehensive service offerings. Since its inception in 1972 Meineke has grown to over 900 locations and has serviced over 50,000,000 vehicles.