ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — West Herr Auto Group announced back in September that it would give away the first truck it ever sold to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The six-week contest, from Sept. 1 to Oct. 16, was an instant hit. The winner would have a choice when it came to the grand prize: an autographed Ford F-150 Shelby Raptor pickup truck once owned by Allen, or $100,000 cash.
The winner, whose a man named Josh from Buffalo, took the money after winning the raffle.
More than 550,000 entries were submitted, according to West Herr Auto Group.
The winner, Josh, said he went back and forth about which prize to take, but ultimately the decision to help his family with the cash prize outweighed his love for the truck.
"The contest was an unprecedented success, and caused a great deal of social media discussion everywhere," said Matt Lasher, the director of marketing of the West Herr Automotive Group said. "Most of that discussion debated the question, 'If you won, would you take the truck or the money?' with the majority of people leaning toward taking the $100,000 monetary prize. Ultimately, the contest winner agreed and chose that prize.”
West Herr on Thursday also presented a check for $17,103.27 to the Patricia Allen Fund, at Oishei Children’s Hospital. The total represented the amount that contest entrants voluntarily donated as part of the promotion.
"Everyone at West Herr loves Josh Allen, and it was such an exciting opportunity to be able to offer this contest to the fans and supporters," said Scott Bieler, the president and CEO of the West Herr Auto Group. "The response we received far exceeded anyone’s expectations, unlike anything seen before."