History set up to repeat itself at Clash at the Downs III

CEDAR RAPIDS — Going into last year's Clash at the Downs, South Beloit, Ill., driver Michael Bilderback was the defending series champion and had won the Big 8 Series season-opener — the Spring Classic at his home track of Rockford Speedway.

He proceeded to set the quick time and won the race — albeit with a bit of controversy — last June at Hawkeye Downs.

One year later, as the Big 8 Series returns to Hawkeye Downs Speedway for the Clash at the Downs III, Bilderback is the defending champion for the second straight year and again won the season-opener at Rockford.

History appears to be lined up to repeat itself, at least if Bilderback has anything to say about it.

'Hopefully we'll come back as strong as we were last year,' Bilderback said. 'We know we have a strong car. As long as we don't overthink ourselves and go out there with something crazy, I think we'll be pretty good.'

The finish last year was dramatic, to say the least.

Bilderback and Walcott driver Caleb Adrian got together in Turn 1 and Adrian ended up in the wall. Adrian, who won the inaugural Clash at the Downs in 2015, wasn't happy that night, but both said this week the situation wasn't going to carry over to this year.

'It was a year ago, and it just came down to a racing deal where he was racing for a win and so was I,' Adrian said. 'Whatever happened, happened. I'm not going to hold it against him by any means.'

Still, it stands to reason the pair will spend time racing around each other again Friday night given Bilderback's success on tour the last few years and Adrian's success at Hawkeye Downs — he has two wins in weekly racing at Hawkeye Downs so far this season.

At the end of the day, all the drivers on the track are there for the same thing, and none of them are eager to give an inch when a win is on the line, Bilderback said.

'It's racing and we're both going to race hard and we both want to win,' Bilderback said. 'We're not out there to make sure our cars stay pretty the whole time.

'Obviously the deal last year with Caleb, we both have our own sides, but it's something that happened where we were fighting hard for the same real estate. Even if it was the other way around, yeah, we'd have been upset too, but if you look at the whole picture of it, it's what we race for. It's what we live for; that adrenaline of the last lap with a chance to win it.'

Compared to some other tracks on the Big 8 Series that are shorter and require 'manhandling the car,' Hawkeye Downs offers a more high-speed, equipment-conservation-style of racing to have a chance to win.

Fender-rubbing early in races at Hawkeye Downs often is counterintuitive because staying with the leaders while preserving tires is so important. With the compound of 8-inch Hoosier tire these cars are running, tire falloff is crucial late in the race.

In order to be in contention to win, guys like Bilderback, Adrian, Griffin McGrath, Brody Willett, Jeremy Miller, Tim Sargeant and others have to do that.

Both Bilderback and Adrian were able to do that last year, and it put them side-by-side in the closing laps, going all out for the win.

'It comes down to laps, and I have a lot of laps at Hawkeye Downs,' Adrian said. 'I've learned how to conserve the tires pretty well. With these Big 8 tires, you lose a whole tire. Saving them is everything. You have to ride a bit and stay aggressive at the same time. It's about who burns stuff up the quickest.

'Last year, I burned my stuff up and that's when Bilderback caught me.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com