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Local auto racing legend Ted Christopher was killed in a plane crash Saturday in Connecticut.

Christopher was 59 years old.

Christopher was flying to Long Island to compete in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, N.Y.

Christopher was one of two people killed on the plane, which crashed in a wooded area near the town line of North Branford and Guilford.

Christopher was known as one of the leading and most diverse short track drivers in America over the last two decades. He was also known for a confident bravado like few others in the local short track racing scene. In the ranks of New England Modified racing he was most commonly referred to by two monikers, either simply “TC” or “The King”.

He was the 2001 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national short track champion. He also won the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship.

Christopher was the all-time winningest driver at both Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway. He was also a longtime regular competitor at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.

At Stafford Motor Speedway he competed weekly in the track’s premier division, the SK Modifieds. He had a division leading six victories this year, with his last win coming on Sept. 8. He finished fourth in the SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford.

He had 109 career SK Modified victories at Stafford Speedway and nine championships in the division. Overall he had 131 victories at the track overall since 1986. His next closet competitor on the all-time wins list at the track was Woody Pitkat with 77 victories.

At Thompson Speedway he had won one of two SK Modified features at the track in the last event there on Sept. 10. It was his 99th victory overall at the facility.

At the New London-Waterford Speedbowl he had 48 career victories.

He was the third winningest driver of all-time on the Whelen Modified Tour with 42 career victories in 372 starts dating back to the 1987 season.

Christopher long had a reputation for racing anything anytime. From local Midgets divisions, to SuperModifieds, to indoor events in Three-Quarter Midgets to competing twice at the top level of Sports Car racing at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

He had made six career starts in NASCAR’s top-level Monster Energy Cup Series. He had 21 career starts in NASCAR’s second level Xfinity Series.

In NASCAR’s regional K&N Pro Series East he had 10 career victories in 92 starts from 1990 to 2008.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration Christopher was traveling in a Mooney M20C, a propeller-driven plane, which crashed at 1:53 p.m.

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