Fisher

The buzz after last weekend's IRL race at Michigan centered on sex. Not the WWE type of sex, mind you. Instead, some fans wanted to talk about the Indy Racing League's only female driver -- Sarah Fisher.

"Why wasn't more attention paid to the way Fisher performed?" asked a friend in our local coffee shop.

When I expressed some surprise he felt Fisher was slighted, he clarified his position.

"Oh, you guys made a big deal about her on the race," he said. "I was disappointed that more wasn't written about her in the papers."

The reason is a positive one. Fisher is no longer an oddity. She has established herself as a bona fide member of the Indy Car fraternity. Until she wins her first race, anything less than that will generate nominal coverage.

That is both good and bad.

Fisher is the top female racer in oval and road racing. The NHRA has a long history of outstanding female performances (Remember Shirley Muldowney?), but where you turn left and right, Fisher reigns supreme.

NASCAR has Shawna Robinson. CART is grooming Danica Patrick. For the time being, however, the gender stage belongs to the 22-year-old Ohio native who cut her teeth driving her father's midget.

Before Michigan, a growing concern centered upon Fisher. After struggling through last season with Derrick Walker, Fisher secured her "free agency" and eventually landed with Robbie Buhl's Dryer & Reinbold operation.

Some insiders questioned Fisher's dedication to a career in Indy Cars. Quiet accusations were whispered that she wasn't training hard enough, enjoyed too much success too soon and was resting upon her gender.

While Sarah doesn't like to talk about it, the fact she is a female, albeit an accomplished one, follows her every move. Female racers remain a minority. While George Mack paves the way for African Americans with minimal attention to his race, Fisher's gender remains a topic of discussion.

Let's look at the facts.

A fourth-place run at Nazareth, Pa., while subbing for an injured Buhl, remains her best finish of the season. But when you compare her performances head-to-head with Buhl's, Fisher keeps pace.

Buhl posted better finishes at Indy (16th to Fisher's 24th) , Richmond (13th to her 16th) and Nashville (21st to 22nd) while Fisher finished better at Kansas (14th to 21st) and Michigan, where she snared an 8th-place finish to Buhl's 24th.

Factor in the laps she led at MIS -- Buhl has yet to lead any laps where competing against his teammate -- and the slight advantage belongs to Fisher.

"I can honestly say this is the most fun I've ever had driving an Indy Car. I had an absolute blast out there and I think we showed some people what this team is capable of," Fisher wrote in her latest diary for ABC Sports online. "I can't thank my team and owners Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl enough for the opportunity to prove what we can do."

Ask any driver and they will tell you that driving a car that is 'right' is a real pleasure. That's what Fisher is getting from her Blade team. Following Michigan, Fisher beamed about her car.

"It makes it easy on the driver when the car is so good," she said. "I had a lot of fun, really driving my butt off. I was able to race with the top guys in points for the first time in three years. We're definitely getting there."

Fisher is getting her game together. She is right when she insists that a car doesn't recognize the gender of its driver. She knows she must log superior performances to gain respect.

That will come when -- not if -- she wins.