STAFFORD – Mike Christopher Jr. put the exclamation point on the season as the SK Modified division’s winningest driver in 2025 at Stafford Speedway Friday, but a championship celebration is still something he awaits.
Christopher scored victory in the 40-lap SK Modified feature Friday for his fifth victory in 17 starts this season.
Christopher came into Friday’s NAPA Championship night event 22 points behind division leader Mikey Flynn and eight points behind second place Jon Puleo.
At the end of the night a victory could only get Christopher to within six points of a title.
Puleo used a fifth place run to clinch his first division title. Mikey Flynn had motor issues near the halfway mark of the event and had to settle for a 20th place finish.
“I don’t know, I was in this position last year and I was a little bit more disappointed last year,” Christopher said. “But it feels good to be in victory lane tonight. I’m beyond proud to race for my dad these last 10 years. It’s been incredible. We’ve won a ton of races and I imagine we’re still going to win more. Phenomenal horsepower by him over all these years and that’s what really gets us to victory lane, to right here. I don’t know what it’s like to win a championship, I don’t know if I ever will, but I’ll tell you what it feels like to be here [in victory lane] and it feels damn good. So, I’m proud to get five [wins] this year and beat my record.”
Puleo, of Branford, closed out the year with one victory and 12 top-five finishes in 17 starts to get his first SK Modified championship at Stafford.
“I think I gave away more races this year than were even on the schedule,” Puleo said. “So I took myself out of this championship hunt probably five times this year. Everyone just kept allowing me back. My team kept fighting. … I said to my dad last week … “I don’t know why every time we take the point lead we just give it right back away.’ He said, ‘Go get it next week and you can’t give it away because the season is over.’ That’s exactly what we did.
“… I don’t even really know what to say. I never really thought about what it would mean to be a Stafford champion. There’s so many people behind this.”
Keith Rocco of Wallingford was second in Friday’s feature and Andrew Molleur of Shelton third.
Puleo got up to third by lap three. On lap four while running seventh Flynn seemingly avoided disaster in a turn two wreck. Flynn made contact with Troy Talman in the mess, but got through. But damage from the incident would ultimately prove to be the undoing of Flynn’s title hopes.
By lap 10 Puleo was up to second behind Tyler Chapman with Flynn running 10th. By lap 13 Flynn had fallen to 12th. On lap 17 Marcello Rufrano went by Chapman for the lead.
On lap 19 Flynn’s car was smoking down the backstretch and he pulled down pit road. Caution flew for a stopped car on lap 28 with Rufrano leading, Chapman in second, Cory DiMatteo in third and Puleo in fourth.
Rufrano held the top spot on the restart. Caution was back out on lap 32 with Rufrano leading, DiMatteo in second, Chapman in third, Christopher in fourth and Puleo in fifth. On lap 33 contact from DiMatteo put Rufrano into the fronstretch wall. Rufrano ended up stopped in turn one. DiMatteo was penalized for the incident. It put Christopher in the lead with Chapman to his outside for the restart. dAfter the restart Puleo got shuffled back to sixth place by lap 37.
On the final lap Christopher gave Rocco the outside in turn three, but there was no going forward for Rocco.
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Great championship chase overall. Exciting racing. Terrible for the number 24 Flynn team. Congrats to the 7 team. Consistency with a win or two pays off in the end.