50 Greatest Modified Drivers – Ted Christopher 1958-2017
“The King”
When it comes down to modifieds and Stafford Speedway, Ted Christopher stands heads and shoulders above anyone. Christopher is statistically the greatest driver to ever sit behind the wheel at Stafford. Christopher’s list of achievements at Stafford is extraordinary.
Christopher is the winningest driver in the track’s long and storied history with 131 career feature wins that spanned 6 different divisions. Christopher won races in the Busch North Series, Modified Racing Series, NASCAR Modified Tour, Pro All-Star Series (PASS), ProStock, and SK Modified® divisions. Christopher didn’t just win at Stafford, he won often for a very long time. Christopher won his first race at Stafford on May 23, 1986 and for the next 29 years through the 2014 season, he won at least one feature event at Stafford every year.
Christopher dominated the SK Modified® division at Stafford unlike no other driver has. Christopher’s 109 SK Modified® feature wins are a Stafford record with Keith Rocco second on the list with 57 wins through the end of the 2019 season. Christopher’s 9 SK Modified® track championships are also a track record. Bob Potter is the next closest driver with 5 career SK Modified® championships.
Christopher also holds the Stafford record for most career NAPA Spring Sizzler® wins with 6. Mike Stefanik and Doug Coby are the next closest drivers with 4 Sizzler wins each. In 2010 Christopher joined Maynard Troyer as the only drivers in the Spring Sizzler’s® nearly 50-year history to win the race three consecutive times.
In addition to Stafford, Christopher won races and championships at Thompson Speedway and Waterford Speedbowl as well as winning races at Riverside Park and Flemington, New Jersey. Christopher won the 2001 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national championship and he was the 2008 NASCAR Modified Tour champion. Christopher’s 42 NASCAR Modified Tour wins ranks third on the all-time list, trailing only Mike Stefanik and Reggie Ruggiero.
In addition to his modified exploits, Christopher branched out to run selected NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Gander Outdoors Truck Series events, and he ran the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2006 with the famous Brumos Porsche team. Ted Christopher was a versatile champion more than worthy of his selection to the 50 Greatest Modified Drivers of All-Time and he will forever be remembered as “The King” of Stafford Speedway.
