Friday The 13th Fun: Mike Christopher Jr. Tops Casella Waste SK Modified 80 At Stafford

STAFFORD – Mention Friday the 13th to many people and thoughts of bad luck or maybe even horror movies comes to mind. 

But at Stafford Speedway the number 13 holds some special meaning. It’s the number that represents the track’s all-time winningest driver and one of the legends of Northeast short track racing, the late Ted Christopher. 

So it seemed only fitting that Friday the 13th meant all sorts of good things for Mike Christopher Jr. at Stafford this week. 

Ted Christopher was known for late race dramatics in major events at Stafford and Friday it was his nephew giving fans some drama to remember in a showcase feature. 

Mike Christopher Jr. used a last lap pass of Jon Puleo to score victory in the Casella Waste SK Modified 80 Friday at Stafford. 

“I really owe it to my dad and my whole crew for putting a great car together,” Christopher said. “It just works out like that. … We’re in position to win races and that’s the most important thing.” 

It was the first victory of the season for Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott and his 18th victory overall in a division which the record book is dominated by his family. Ted Christopher is the all-time winningest SK Modified driver at Stafford with 109 victories in the division. Mike Christopher Sr. sits fifth on the division’s win list with 28 victories. 

Puleo, of Branford, held on for second. Mikey Flynn of Hampden, Mass. was third. 

Puleo dominated out front for most of the event. 

On the second attempt at a lap 79 restart Mike Christopher Jr. hung to the outside of Puleo initially. Puleo got the advantage through turn three and came off of turn four in front of Mike Christopher Jr. Just after passing under the white flag, Mike Christopher Jr. jumped out of line from behind Puleo and fired to the inside lane into turn one. Puleo fought on the outside through turns one and two and down the backstretch. Mike Christopher Jr. edged ahead through turn four and won the drag race to the checkered flag. 

“That last restart I could roll down the backstretch off of turn two and then I could get into turn three and it kind of just washed the nose,” Mike Christopher Jr. said. “I don’t know if I was waiting on it too much or stomping on the gas too much. I was just too tight [in the center of the corner] and too tight off [the corner]. I figured if I could do the same thing and be on the outside down the backstretch and I could just roll a little bit better off of [turns] three and four on the top side I would have the run down the frontstretch. Oh man it worked it out. Sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve won some races like this, I’ve probably lost more races like that. … I know how tough that is. I think we put on a good show. … I hope the fans had something fun to watch.” 

Said Puleo: “I’m bummed to say the least. Just, guys in the back wrecking every lap. [Mike Christopher Jr.] just had too many chance to figure out what I was going to do. I thought I gave myself enough gap into [turn] one and he got into there and he raced me good. I’m sure the fans loved it. A lot of [late restarts] in one of the biggest races of the year. Pretty bummed about it, but congrats to [Christopher], he drove a good race. Raced me pretty good. That’s just a product of SK [Modified] racing. I’m sure that was better than some of the Open [Modified] races they would have had for an 80-lapper.” 

After fighting from a ninth place starting spot, Flynn had little left in the closing laps to contend with Mike Christopher Jr. and Puleo. 

“I don’t know what I could have done on those last couple restarts,” Flynn said. “I was just fighting the car. I think if I could have done anything different, it comes down to things like the heat race. We got a minus one in our heat race and we had to start ninth. [Christopher and Puleo] started [first and third] and I had to do as much as I could to save and try to get through the field. I feel like I did a great job of that. They started up front and they were able to just ride in the front the whole night and that was the difference I think at the end. There was a time when we were fighting for top-10’s and now we’re on the podium. I can’t thank my team enough.”

Puleo, who started on the pole, and second place starter Andrew Molleur went side-by-side at the front for most of lap one before Molleur pulled ahead coming to the frontstretch to complete the opening circuit. 

Mike Christopher Jr. moved to second past Puleo into turn one on lap two and Mike Christopher Jr. went under Molleur through turns three and four to move into the lead. 

On lap five Molleur moved back under Mike Christopher Jr. off of turn two to regain the lead. 

On lap eight Mike Christopher Jr. made a diving move back under Molleur into turn one and came off of turn four back in the lead, pulling Puleo into second behind him. 

On lap nine Tyler Chapman got by Molleur to move to third place. Noah Korner found a lane low through turns three and four to move past Molleur for fourth on lap 16. 

Puleo made a diving move under Mike Christopher Jr. into turn three on lap 20 and came off of turn four with the lead. 

By lap 22 the top four of Puleo, Mike Christopher Jr., Chapman and Korner had checked out from fifth place Molleur. 

Puleo continued to control out front on lap 30 with Mike Christopher Jr. in second, Chapman in third, Korner in fourth and Mikey Flynn a distant fifth behind the lead pack. 

The first caution of the event flew on lap lap 33 for the spinning car of Wesley Prucker on the backstretch. 

On the lap 33 restart Puleo got a big push from third place Chapman with Chapman moving past Mike Christopher Jr. to second. Mike Christopher Jr. was left to fight off Flynn in a battle for third. 

Caution was back out on a lap 34 for the slowed car of Wade Gagner. Puleo controlled at the front on the lap 34 restart with Mike Christopher Jr. moving past Chapman to second. Flynn got under Chapman on lap 35 to move to third. 

By lap 40 Puleo out front and second place Mike Christopher Jr. had opened up a hefty gap between third place Flynn. 

On lap 48 Korner made a move to get under Chapman in turn four, but contact between the two got Korner sideways. Korner saved the car from spinning, but it allowed Keith Rocco to move into fifth. 

Caution flew for the third time for a wreck involving Gagner, Curt Brainard and Troy Talman. 

Mike Christopher Jr. initially got ahead of Puleo on the lap 50 restart, but Puleo fought back to continue to control the lead going into turn three. Behind them Rocco moved past Chapman to fourth. 

On laps 53, 54 and 55 Mike Christopher Jr. tried to get under Puleo in turns one and two, but Puleo fought off the challenge each time. 

After following tamely in Puleo’s tracks for about 12 laps, Mike Christopher Jr. once again got a big drive under Puleo throughs turn one and two on lap 68. Puleo continue up to the challenge of fighting off Mike Christopher Jr.. Following the challenge from Mike Christopher Jr., Puleo was able to get some breathing room away from Christopher by lap 73. 

With Puleo having opened up a one second lead over Mike Christopher Jr. out front, caution flew for the fourth time on lap 76 for Prucker, who spun off of turn four while running 23rd. 

Puleo easily got away on the lap the 76 restart. Behind the leaders, Chapman was able to overtake Rocco for fourth place. The action was short lived with the fifth caution flying on lap 78 for the slowed car of Dan Avery. 

Puleo controlled once again at the front on the restart with Rocco moving by Chapman to fourth behind the leaders. Korner got spun out of sixth place on the backstretch to bring the caution out again on lap 79. 

Mike Christopher Jr. hung to the outside of Puleo on the first attempt at a lap 79 restart, but the battle at the front was halted before a lap could be completed for a three car wreck involving Brainard, Art Caruso and Chase VanHouten on the backstretch. Under caution the fourth place running car of Rocco stopped on the track in turn two due to distributor issues. 

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