Kyle Westaby of Owen, WI won the Kwik Trip/Packers Opening Drive Contest and in turn, won a brand new 2021 Chevy Silverado Trail Boss courtesy of Wisconsin Chevy Dealers.
The new vehicle couldn't have come at a better time for Westaby and his family as they had recently struggled with a family tragedy.
Kyle's mother contracted COVID-19 around Halloween of 2021 and passed away at 59-years-old just 20 days later. The Westaby family was stunned and Kyle's dad, who is blind, lost his main source of support. Kyle said the whole dynamic of his family changed in 20 days.
"We ended up not only grieving the loss of my mother, and for my children, their grammy and my dad, his wife and entire support system, but it flipped everything on its head to where he now stays at my wife and I's house," Kyle said. "Instantly, in the matter of 20 days, it went from basically a completely healthy 59-year-old mom to just, gone."
Kyle said the truck not only helps the family out financially but helps give the family something positive after a tough stretch.
"It helps to eliminate a payment which is really awesome," Westaby said. "It's a shine of excitement and joy in the midst of what's been a really hard last couple of months for our family."
Westaby was one of 17 weekly winners picked and earned $25/every yard earned by the Packers during their opening drive of that week's game. Those 17 weekly winners were also entered into the grand prize drawing for the brand-new truck which was drawn at the Packers' opening-round playoff game against San Francisco.
The drawing included a reverse raffle-style drawing that occurred before the game with the weekly winners. Westaby said the symbolism behind his number and the connection to his mother was giving him chills in the moment.
"I was number four," Westaby said. "My dad and I talked about the significance of the number four. My mom was born in April, the fourth month. She was the fourth-born in her family and was four pounds and four ounces when she was born. A week before the drawing, my dad told me 11 and four were going to be the final two numbers and he said, 'They'll pick 11 and you'll end up winning.'"
According to Westaby, it had played out just like his dad had said. The final two balls to be drawn were numbers four and 11.
"It almost sounds made up," Westaby said.
Westaby's number four was selected and he is now the proud owner of a new truck courtesy of Kwik Trip, the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Chevy Dealers.
When he found out, Westaby said he couldn't believe his entry was chosen out of the nearly 1.6 million that entered the contest.
"We obviously celebrated right when we found out that that was the last ball [chosen]," Westaby said. "The next thing I did after thanking everybody for the congratulations was to call my dad. He was staying at our house and, we just shared with him a little bit of that moment."
Owners of Wheelers Family Auto Group Mary Jo Wheeler-Schueller and Daniel Wheeler said the team is excited for Kyle and the opportunity to help connect him with a brand-new vehicle.
"We're really excited for this opportunity to deliver this new vehicle to Kyle and his family," Wheeler said. "We have loved working with Kwik Trip and the Wisconsin Chevy Dealers on this project."
Westaby said he entered the contest in hopes of winning but didn't really think he had a shot at the grand prize.
"Realistically, I didn't think I'd win," Westaby said. "I kind of joked about it a lot but it's one of those things where somebody has got to win. I never thought that my ball was going to be the last one there. I had a one in 17 shot at the end and never would have dreamed that I'd be the last one standing."
Kwik Trip's Mark Meisner said the store's partnership with Chevrolet has been a no brainer.
"Chevy is the #1 automotive brand in Wisconsin," Meisner said. "Additionally, Chevy is also an official partner of the Packers. Partnering with the dealers has been a highlight over the past few seasons. Providing a sweepstakes where a lucky Packers fan can win an incredible vehicle at the conclusion of the season has been a thrill."
Kwik Trip has partnered with Wisconsin Chevy Dealers for the past few years on various customer-focused reward programs. This is the 4th Chevy vehicle that has been won through the company's various programs since the partnership began.
Wheelers have five locations across central Wisconsin and have a large inventory of new and used cars available. Visit one of their locations in Abbotsford, Marshfield, Medford, Merrill or Wisconsin Rapids or check them out at www.wheelersgm.com.
