TORONTO -- Jason Rinaldi left work Thursday in his Chevy Cavalier.
But he'll be coming back in a brand spanking new black Corvette.
Mr. Rinaldi, 28, a native of Whitby who now lives in Guelph, was the single winner of Wednesday night's $35.3-million 6/49 draw. It was the sixth-largest win in Canadian history.
He's only been buying lottery tickets regularly for the past month.
He picked up the winning ticket -- 2, 8, 22, 29, 34, 48 and bonus 47 -- at a Shopper's Drug Mart near his house.
Mr. Rinaldi has been working seven days a week building up a business called Hitman Hotrods in Cambridge. He specializes in muscle car custom fabrication.
At 7:45 Thursday morning, Mr. Rinaldi was at work and checked his numbers online before getting started.
"I didn't think I'd won at first . . . and then I thought hey, I have an 8, I have . . . It was awesome. I got up, locked the door and left."
Mr. Rinaldi drove to his hometown of Whitby and surprised his parents, brother and sisters.
Then they all jammed into a rented limo and went to Toronto to pick up the giant cheque.
He and a group of friends from Whitby painted the town red last night. He's picking up his new Corvette Friday. Next week, he'll be taking his family to Vegas.
But his biggest dream?
"I'm living it right now, actually," Mr. Rinaldi said. "With my business partner Scott Forbes, we opened it three years ago. So I've been living my dream."
He'll be using some of his money to expand the hotrod business. "And I won't have to work seven days a week anymore. I can cut it back to five."
Mr. Rinaldi has been interested in muscle cars and drag racing since he got a 1969 Chevelle at the age of 16. He started drag racing, and that led to his passion for building cars.
After graduating from Durham College's welder fitter program in 2001 he went on to work as a welder in the nuclear industry, still working on cars on the side.
But he was unhappy with his day job and took a leap to fulfill his passion -- building cars full time.
Today, he'll be making sensible decisions. He is meeting with investment advisers and getting an unlisted number.
But he's not too concerned about the problems that can come with a huge chunk of change.
"Everyone says you'll find out who your true friends are but I've had true friends for many years," he said. "All my best friends -- that I know won't change."
Mr. Rinaldi is not married. "I've fought it off for 28 years," he said.
He'll probably have to fight a little harder now. Overnight, he has become Canada's most eligible bachelor.
"Let's hope for the best," Mr. Rinaldi laughed. "Guelph is a great town for beautiful women."
-- Charlotte Prong Parkhill is a reporter for the Guelph Mercury
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