RIVERHEAD, N.Y. – After COVID-19 delayed its introduction a season ago, Riverhead Raceway will introduce a four-race Crown Jewel Series featuring the NASCAR Modified class that will award the overall champion the Ted Christopher Cup.
The Crown Jewel Series is the concept of Riverhead Raceway Race Director Scott Tapley and, with General Manager John Ellwood’s help, put together a four race series for the Ted Christopher Cup before the COVID-19 pandemic put things on hold.
After the abbreviated 2020 campaign was completed with the Islip 300 last November, track owners Eddie and Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz quickly assembled a complete slate of events for this year and, once disclosed, Tapley and Ellwood immediately went to work assembling the dates for the inaugural Crown Jewel Series.
The Crown Jewel Series will coincide with the four extra distance events the NASCAR Modifieds will contest this year beginning with the July 3 71st Year Celebration 71 and be followed four weeks later by the second race of the series on July 31 when the annual Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 is contested.
One month later on Aug. 28 the third leg of the series will take place during the second annual Bubba 100 event. The Crown Jewel Series will conclude with the $7,000-to-win Islip 300 on Nov. 13, after which the Ted Christopher Cup will be presented to the champion of the four race series.
The Ted Christopher Cup will be a perpetual award presented to the series champion annually to remember the legacy of Christopher, who died in a plane crash in 2017.
The first three races of the series will also carry track championship points while the Islip 300 pays only Crown Jewel Series points.
Chief Technical Inspector Randy Murray also announced that the rules package for the Crown Jewel Series will be the same as those in place for the Islip 300, with teams able to declare a touring series set of rules that they must follow to the letter. Teams can declare the weekly NASCAR Modified rules of Riverhead Raceway that mirror the Whelen Modified Tour rule book or those of the Race of Champions Series, Tri-Track Open Modified Series or Modified Racing Series. The Hoosier Racing Tire track tire rule will be utilized for the Crown Jewel Series events with qualifying procedure to be via time trials.
“Teddy Christopher was a bigger than life personality in racing” Ellwood noted while speaking of Christopher. “Scott Tapley and I along with the promoters feel this Crown Jewel Series culminating with the presentation of the Ted Christopher Cup is a fitting tribute to Teddy and all his accomplishments.”
Christopher was a 42-time winner on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and captured the 2008 series championship. Three of his 42 series victories came at Riverhead Raceway. Additionally, Christopher raced to one Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series triumph at Riverhead driving for Wayne Anderson.
During his career Christopher captured an astounding nine SK Modified championships at Stafford Motor Speedway, complimented by 131 victories at the Nutmeg State half-mile. Christopher earned four track championships on the strength 99 victories at Thompson Speedway in their Sunoco Modified class and also made 47 trips to victory lane at the Waterford Speedbowl.