The tiff got plenty of attention — anyone even know who won the Milwaukee race? (didn’t think so) — and it was still going when they arrived at the Texas Motor Speedway, with Wheldon saying Patrick had acted like a “spoiled brat.”

Folks at the Texas Motor Speedway were quick to jump on the buzz, billing Saturday night’s race as “The Rumble at the Speedway,” a second round between “The Phoenix Firebird” and “The Battlin’ Brit.” It was smart PR for a series still struggling for attention at races that don’t have Indianapolis in their names.

But the reality is, Patrick did exactly what other guys have been doing for years.

A.J. Foyt once slapped Arie Luyendyk in the back of the head and wrestled him to the ground — in Victory Lane, no less. Somebody’s always squabbling in NASCAR. How would you like to have been at the Busch family gathering after Kurt and Kyle took each other out at last month’s All-Star race?

Patrick and Wheldon since have smoothed things over, getting a little help from IRL president Brian Barnhart. And Patrick proved she can race, finishing a career-high third at Texas.

“The most important thing in all of this is that we don’t go out on the track and take it out on each other and cause a problem and get somebody hurt,” she said. “At the speeds we go, two- and three-wide with concrete walls outside of us, people do get hurt. I wanted to make sure that wasn’t something that was going to happen, and I wanted to make sure the air was clear between the two of us.”

Don’t take that as an apology, though. Patrick has nothing to be sorry for — on the track or off.

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