A Bartow High School student walked away with a brand new car Saturday.

  • Bartow student wins Ford's Drive for Excellence car giveaway
  • Samuel Dooley able to enter contest because of good grades
  • Dooley won a 2017 Mustang

Samuel Dooley, a junior at Bartow High, was one of the 20 finalists of Bartow Ford’s Drive for Excellence car giveaway.

Dooley was able to enter the contest because of his good grades.

He said he’ll use the 2017 Mustang to help his mom take his siblings to activities.

"When I realized I won, I got excited. Really,” said Samuel Dooley.

His mother, Lorretta Brown, was in tears when she learned he won.

"He's overcome so much in the past. I had him when I was five months pregnant and he was told that his learning would always be below, so for him to make A's and B's throughout high school is just a blessing,” said Loretta Brown.

Dooley said he wants to become a state trooper after he finishes high school.