Michael Bilderback wins Clash at the Downs after final lap scuffle

CEDAR RAPIDS — There's a famous line in 'Days of Thunder' where the fictional crew chief Harry Hogg tells his driver, Cole Trickle, that 'rubbing is racing.'

The Big 8 Series Late Models took that to heart throughout a tightly contested McGrath Auto Clash at the Downs on Friday night at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. Over the course of 48 laps, four drivers raced under a blanket for the win.

In the end, Walcott's Caleb Adrian, who took the white flag in the lead, finished his race in the Turn 1 wall, and South Beloit, Ill., driver Michael Bilderback ended up in Victory Lane to make it two for two this season in the Big 8 Series.

'Wow. That was something different, that's for sure,' Bilderback said. 'All three of us (Adrian, Griffin McGrath and me) were really good cars tonight. I thought we were a better car at times, he was a better car at times, and that last five laps, that was our time. We had a lot of green flag runs, and it was really fierce. We had to be on top of our game every lap.

'I definitely apologize for him wrecking. We were banging doors and racing each other hard. It was a sad thing he wrecked. I didn't want to do that, but it's part of the racing game also.'

While each of the four drivers who raced for the win — Bilderback, Adrian, J Herbst and Griffin McGrath — traded a little paint throughout the race, it was the final lap that added a controversial period to the end of a highly competitive event.

In the driver's meeting before the race, Big 8 Series officials told the drivers, 'if the leader at the white flag is taken out on the last lap, the leader gets his spot back and the guy who wrecked him will finish last.'

As Bilderback and Adrian entered Turn 1, they made contact and Adrian backed his No. 29 Late Model into the wall. Race control deemed it a no-fault incident, leaving Bilderback the winner — and Adrian more than a little upset. Bilderback reiterated his apologies several times, but Adrian didn't want to hear it when the race was over.

'He just left-reared me and spun me out. That's all that happened,' Adrian said. 'I raced him clean in the past, he had raced me clean and I had respect for him. But I lost it all for him today.

'They said if you wreck the leader on the last lap, you get disqualified. Clearly, Big 8 didn't keep with their rules because he's celebrating on the front stretch. It is what it is; can't change it now.'

Bilderback got the win ahead of Cedar Rapids' McGrath, who nearly had a chance to take the lead himself out of Turn 4 as Adrian and Bilderback made contact there as well. J Herbst, who led early, finished third, Jesse Bernhagen was fourth and Mike Ehde was fifth. The race was much cleaner overall than last year's event — despite the final wreck — with just two cautions.

McGrath watched the final lap wreck unfold right in front of him, and laughed as he got out of the car that he was happy to come home with a clean racecar. His luck over the last 18 months had left him in Adrian's situation more often than not.

'I'm just happy we finished. We needed to be able to park a car on the trailer (without damage),' McGrath said. 'It was good race; we just needed it to be a little longer. Actually, I think about a lap more, and they were going to take each other out anyway. It was cool night with so many people here, and a good run.

'It was fun to see we can race like that. That was fun, and relieving, to say the least.'

Bilderback wasn't happy with the fashion in which the race ended, but certainly wasn't about to give back the $1,000 winner's check.

He saw Adrian's car going away from him as the laps wound down, lapped traffic played a role, and ultimately, Bilderback said, the final wreck was a racing deal.

'I got under him, (Adrian) pinched me a little bit; we were playing the lapped traffic game. It's a part of this racing deal; it happens. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does, you have to take advantage,' Bilderback said. 'I am sorry. He was turning left, I was turning right; we were racing for the win. It happens at every racetrack, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, but we're always sad to see a car get wrecked.'

BIG 8 SERIES

CLASH AT THE DOWNS RESULTS

1. 2 Michael Bilderback, South Beloit, Ill.; 2. 64 Griffin McGrath, Cedar Rapids; 3. 82 J Herbst, West Salem, Wis.; 4. 28 Jesse Bernhagen, Markesan, Wis.; 5. 18e Mike Ehde, Prairie du Chien, Wis.; 6. 5 Jeremy Miller, Rockton, Ill.; 7. 20 Zach Less, Manchester; 8. 00 Brody Willett, Alburnett; 9. 17gg Grant Greisbach, Waukesha, Wis.; 10. 95.3 Wayne Freimund, Elkhorn, Wis.; 11. 18o Michael Ostidek, Lakeville, Min.; 12. 29 Caleb Adrian, Walcott; 13. 3m Dave McCalla, Cedar Rapids; 14. 99 Jake Zellmer; 15. 43 Scott Siems, Cedar Rapids; 16. 15 Todd Oliver, Bango, Wis.; 17. 03 Cody Kippenhan, Ypslanti, Mich.; 18. 3h Tyler Hromadka, Brookfield, Wis.; 19. 53 Jared Duda, St. Michael, Min.; 20. 76 Chad Siems, Shellsburg; 21. 17 Brian Gibson, Walford; 22. 40 Michael Beamish, Eagan, Min.; 23. 72 Brad Osborn, Janesville; 24. 49 Jerry Mueller; 25. 100 Mitch Garfield.

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