Team says tire caused Derrike Cope's car's crazy explosion at Watkins Glen

Derrike Cope’s car had a massive explosion during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen.

Cope was experiencing brake issues during the race and was coasting around the track. His car came to a stop in the shortcut part of the inner loop at the road course. It then went kablooie.

The explosion was so odd that NASCAR said after the race that it would be taking Cope’s car back for further investigation. Sunday, the team said the brake issue had led to the right-front tire to explode.

The explosion, presumably, was from the tire getting too hot.

Cope, the 1990 Daytona 500 winner, runs his own low-budget team in the Xfinity Series. He’s competed in 16 of 20 races this year with a best finish of 27th at Atlanta.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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