Stewart wins modified race in CT: Tony Stewart won a Modified race at Thompson International Speedway on Wednesday night, beating old rival Teddy Christopher in a photo finish. Stewart, in the area for the Winston Cup race Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway, drove a car borrowed from Ed Partridge after an engine failure. “`I told everybody that if I got close to him at the end, that I would put him away,” Stewart said. “We may have had a few bad times back in 1997, but there are few drivers I’ve raced against who have as much God-given talent as Teddy Christopher.” The 20-lap race, hyped as a grudge match between the rivals, featured 10 lead changes before Christopher passed Stewart on the 19th lap, only to see the advantage vanish at the finish. “`So much for all the prerace publicity,” said Christopher, the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national champion. “All we wanted to do was go out there and race hard. Have some fun and see what happens. I’ll be a gracious host and give him the win.”(CBS Sportsline/AP)(7-18-2002)
