Modified championship racer Ted Christopher was one of two people killed when a small plane crashed in the woods in Connecticut on Saturday.

Police say that 80 years old Charles Dundae, a resident of New York and Florida was also killed in the crash. Crash took place at North Branford, about 20 miles east of New Haven.

Dundas and Christopher were only two aboard the small Mooney M20C plane when it crashed. Christopher was to have competed Saturday night at River-head Raceway in New York.

NASCAR authorities had said that Christopher was a passenger but North Branford police would not confirm that detail or say if Dundas was the pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident, details of the plane’s itinerary were not immediately released.

Christopher has captured 13 track championship and competed at every level of NASCAR Whelen All American series history.

On the Whelen tour and on New England short tracks, "Christopher was a throwback to NASCAR's roots," France said in a statement. "He was a tough racer, and his hard driving style and candid personality endeared him to short track fans throughout the country."

Many others in Racing world have paid tributes for Christopher.

"He was a legend," race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted Saturday night.

"Absolute definition of a racer," racer Alex Bowman tweeted.

By A.s