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Nascar bloopers: here comes the boom!

8 August, 2016

A bizarre situation unfolded during the Nascar Xfinity series race at Watkins Glen over the weekend of August 6–7. Derrike Cope’s No. 70 Chevrolet Nascar was coasting through the bus-stop zone, when something under the bonnet of his vehicle exploded, blowing the bonnet off and bursting a tyre. 

Nascar are said to be impounding the car and will examine the remains to figure out what exactly went wrong, to prevent such failures in the future. 

“In my 35 years of racing, I’ve never experienced anything like that,” driver Derrike Cope said. “It blew up in my face.”

It’s still not quite clear as to what happened, but maybe you have some ideas, so let us know in the comments below. 

Project Adder – an MGB with bite

21 November, 2025

Bill and Rae Denize have been active MG Car Club members in Wellington for nearly 32 years. They have held a variety of positions on the club committee, and now that they are both retired, they can be even more involved in the club’s activities. Bill is currently the president of the MG Car Club, Wellington Centre.
The list of cars they’ve owned over the years is testament to their passion for the brand. It includes a 1972 Midget — the round rear-wheel arch model with 1275cc motor; a three-door 2004 MG ZR; a 2005 MG ZR (five-door); and Rae’s 2005 MG TF, which they still own. Bill also raced a 1967 Morris Mini Cooper S at Manfeild for many years. That car featured in an article in the January 2013 issue of this magazine.
In April 2013, Bill sold the Cooper S and decided to buy a low mileage, freshly imported MG RV8 from Japan. He liked the idea as there were only 1983 built in the early 1990s, which, hopefully, would translate into these cars holding their value. More importantly, their bodies were galvanised, which meant fewer rust problems, although Bill and Rae didn’t escape encounters with oxidation unscathed.