All eyes were on Sarah Fisher chasing Danica Patrick midway through Saturday night’s Indy Car Series race at Kentucky Speedway, and the popular drivers gave them something to see.

As Fisher tried to pass Patrick on the high side down the front straightaway, their cars touched slightly, sending tire smoke into the air and a hush through the crowd.

Somehow, they kept their cars rolling straight.

“A big-time shake (of the car),” Patrick said of the impact on lap 81.

Unlike the spat Patrick got into with Milka Duno last month at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, no fingers were pointed. Patrick said she wanted to see a replay of the incident before she could understand what happened and comment on it.

“But I held my line from what I felt inside the car,” she said.

Fisher called it “good racing,” not unlike what both have experienced in go-karts. “I’ve seen (Tony) Kanaan and Helio (Castroneves) do that all the time,” she said.

Patrick won the battle overall, finishing 11th. Fisher was 15th but she was the happier of the two after the race.

“This is just what we needed,” said Fisher, who hopes the strong run in her second race of the season helps her new sponsor (Dollar General) see the promise of her family-owned team. “We’re back.”

Fisher intends to compete in the season-ending race at Chicagoland Speedway, a track that’s similar to this 1.5-mile oval.

Rating: 1

I don’t care what anybody says but those sandals -it looks like beasts. Stop passing it off as the latest trend or to-die-for shoes. I’d rather die than wear those shoes. Horrible. Blah to the Danica’s dress.

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IRL IndyCar Series driver Milka Duno took the high ground Monday after a towel-throwing, profanity-laced confrontation between herself and Danica Patrick during practice for Sunday’s race in Lexington, Ohio. Duno, who says she tries to be a positive role model, wants to forget the incident.

The forgiving might be another issue. “I don’t regret it because I didn’t do anything bad,” says Duno, who finished 23rd. “I was in my pits and she came with a bad attitude and bad language. And it was my reaction.”

The minute-long spat between the only female drivers in the IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was sparked when Patrick, who ended 12th, struggled to pass Duno during practice Saturday. Patrick said she just wanted to know if Duno was aware of her passing attempts; Duno denied she blocked Patrick.

Brian Barnhart, president of competition for the IndyCar Series, saw no reason to take action on the confrontation, league spokesman John Griffin said.

Caught on video by a Duno photographer, Patrick approached Duno in her pit after the session, insisting on discussing the incident. When Patrick didn’t immediately leave, Duno threw a towel in her face, sparking foul language from Patrick.

“It’s an incident that I want to forget already, because it was not necessary to happen,” Duno says.

“We are a role model for many people. We are an inspiration, and this is not the image that I want to give to somebody. The people don’t know me for having these problems.”

Patrick, called a “menace” on the track last month by series leader Scott Dixon, attributed the drama to her popularity and that she and Duno had not met. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Patrick told The Indianapolis Star on Sunday. “Unfortunately, things involving me tend to evolve.”

Patrick confronted Dan Wheldon and attempted to confront Ryan Briscoe over the last two seasons about separate driver incidents. Duno, who told The Star that Patrick can’t push her around like “the guys,” would not say if Patrick’s behavior was a trend. “I don’t want to talk about the situations that she’s had before because it’s not part of my business,” she said.

Rating: 2

Did somebody try to make Danica look like a basset hound? They did it so well, she should confront her stylist for making her look like a bitch. (pun intended)

And yellow ankle straps with her dress doesn’t make a great finish.

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