MANSFIELD, Ohio — Ted Christopher took sole possession of fifth place on the all-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins list when his No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet took the checkered flag Saturday night in the Whelen 150 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.
Christopher, who qualified sixth-fastest but drew the No. 1 bead in the post-qualifying re-draw to sit on the front row, never trailed in the 157-lap race that went to a green-white-checker finish following a late caution.
 The win was his second of 2008 and the 29th of his career, which moved him out of a tie with Mike Ewanitsko on the all-time list.
In the process, Christopher became the first driver to lead a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race wire-to-wire since Todd Szegedy did it in the 2006 Fall Final at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
Jimmy Blewett finished in the runner-up position and was followed closely to the line by Ryan Preece. Pole-winner Eric Beers was fourth and Ronnie Silk followed in fifth.
It was a big points night for Christopher as well. He trailed Chuck Hossfeld in the season standings by 41 points heading into the event, but left with a 60-point advantage after Hossfeld suffered a broken axle and finished 28th.
The finish:
Ted Christopher,  Jimmy Blewett, Ryan Preece, Eric Beers, Ronnie Silk, Matt Hirschman, Erick Rudolph, Mike Stefanik, Kevin Goodale, Glen Reen, Billy Pauch, Jr., Woody Pitkat, Rown Pennink, Andy Seuss, Jamie Tomaino, Ken Heagy, Joe Hatmann, Danny Sammons, Rick Fuller, Glenn Tyler, Jake Marosz, Bobby Grigas III, Todd Szegedy, Ed Flemke, Jr., Tom Abele, Jr., Darrel Krentz, Wade Cole, Chuck Hossfeld, Dion Ciccarelli, Jeremy Stoltz, Jamie Tomaino, Jr.