Mike Christopher Jr.
WATERFORD – Mike Christopher Jr. made championship clinching night a dramatic one Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl.
Christopher, of Wolcott, got spun out of the lead with six laps remaining, but rallied back to win the 25-lap Legends feature Saturday at Waterford.
The victory clinched the 2014 Saturday night Legends division championship for Christopher. He has eight Saturday night victories this season and 13 Wednesday night victories.
“It hasn’t really set in yet,” Christopher said of clinching the championship with four races still to be run. “It just feels like another win. I think once all the social media comes out that we won the championship I think it’s really going to set in.”
Cory DiMatteo of Farmington was second and Joey Ternullo of Middletown third.
Christopher closed out the night with an insurmountable 252-point lead in the standings over Kyle Rogers.
Christopher went by Ternullo for the lead in turn three with seven laps remaining, but half a lap later Ternullo hooked into Christopher going into turn one to take him out of the lead.
“He just stepped on the gas going into [turn] three and pushed me right out of the way,” Ternullo said. “I tried to get back underneath him and that’s the result that happened.”
Christopher went to the back of the nine-car field and almost immediately diced his way back to second place before going by DiMatteo to retake the lead with two laps remaining.
“I knew it was going to be and DiMatteo for the final two laps,” Christopher said. “I was trying to set him up to try and cross over. He was trying all he had to keep me behind him. Finally I got by him and went from there.”
Congratulations!