This week the Norwich Bulletin is presenting the top 10 sports stories of 2017. Today we look at the death of local NASCAR driver Ted Christopher.
Tragedy struck the NASCAR and Connecticut communities on Sept. 16, as legendary driver and Plainville native Ted Christopher died in a plane crash in North Branford. He was 59.
Christopher was flying in a small Mooney M20C plane piloted by family friend Charles "Pat" Dundas, 81, who also perished in the crash. The plane took off from Robertson Field Airport in Plainville and was headed to Long Island, N.Y., where Christopher was scheduled to compete that night at the Riverhead Raceway in Calverton, when it took a nose dive into a heavily wooded area.
The chief state medical examiner ruled the pair’s death an accident caused by blunt trauma. A toxicology report was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the cause of the crash.
"Very sad," recently retired racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted after learning the news. "He was a legend."
Christopher raced in every level of NASCAR, accumulating 131 overall wins and 13 track championships, but made the biggest impact SK Modified racing, where he got 109 wins and nine championships.
He was the winnigest driver on two of Connecticut’s most historic tracks: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Stafford Motor Speedway, the latter of which named a section of the stands after him in 2008 and retired his number 13 shortly after his death.
"As a championship driver on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and New England short tracks, Christopher was a throwback to NASCAR’s roots," NASCAR Chariman and CEO Brian France said in a statement following the crash. "He was a tough racer’s racer, and his hard driving style and candid personality endeared him to short track fans throughout the country. He will be missed throughout the racing community, in the garage and, especially, in the hearts of his many fans. NASCAR has his family and friends in its thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
Christopher’s wake was held on Sept. 25 in his hometown of Plainville at Bailey’s Funeral Home, with an estimated 3,500 people coming to pay their respects. In honor of the man who loved to have ice cream before and after every race, the Christopher family had two ice cream trucks parked outside the funeral home to give free ice cream to mourners.
"This ice cream truck here is for Ted," said friend and racing competitor Keith Rocco. "He'd want ice cream right now."
The funeral was held the next day at St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church in Bristol.
Vehicles from racetracks in New Hampshire and Connecticut were among the overflow in the church parking lot, and Christopher’s own car was parked near the entrance, a red funeral wreath on its hood. A half-dozen people got up to speak about Christopher during the 80-minute service.
"It was a great slice of people who knew Ted. You got a good sense of who he was," said Rev. Don Rivers, pastor of Mount Carmel Christian Church in North Haven, chaplain of Racing With Jesus Ministries and racer since the 1960s. "You heard people speak at the service about Ted on track and off. I learned about Ted being the fun uncle — ‘funcle’ — that kids loved.
"He had an impact on so many people. He had passion and integrity."