The pair were tussling for second position and the final transfer spot through to the A-Main of the Thunder on the Downs final on Saturday night (September 26).
Attard had battled to make his way forward through the opening laps before the pair came together in Turn 3 with 17 laps remaining.
The two drivers were hunting for the same piece of track when they made wheel-to-wheel contact.
Saller’s car was pitched into a rollover and landed heavily on the rear end, splitting the fuel cell and erupting into flames.
The race was immediately halted as the fire continued to spread around the cockpit of Saller’s battered machine while fire crews worked to control the blaze.
Attard climbed from his car and sprinted towards the scene, reaching in over the fire to pull Saller from the burning wreck.
Saller could be seen being restrained by the fire marshals as he appeared to vent his frustrations towards Attard for the incident.
In an emotional interview, a visibly shaken Saller confirmed his frustration with the way the incident unfolded, but otherwise commended Attard’s actions.
“[It’s] something you don’t want obviously, [to be] on fire,” Saller said.
“We’ve got the best safety gear. I feel like I was on fire for a while, but I feel all right. I might have a couple of burns on my arms underneath.
“Jessie was asking for it at that point,” he said of the crash.
“[But] I can’t respect him enough, I didn’t know that he ran in. I feel like an arse for wanting to kick his head in, and it shows that he is a good person at heart when the helmet’s and I’m on fire that he runs in.
“But, you don’t need to be doing that stuff, arguing over position. It was always going to happen, and we’ve got a torn-up race car and we’re putting our lives at risk for a transfer spot in a B-Main. It’s just stupid.
“Main thing is I’m okay. It’s honestly the biggest thing that I fear is catching on fire. I’m a big guy, it’s not easy to get out of it.
“It’s a testament to the sort of person Jessie is when the helmet’s off, for him to run in and help me, but the rest is the rest, I’m on fire and feeling 100 emotions.”
Attard added his viewpoint via social media, confirming that he came away from the incident unscathed.
“Firstly, I want to let everyone know that I’m okay and thankfully escaped without any burns or serious injuries,” Attard’s post read.
“I just wanted to touch on the incident with Mick. As soon as I saw the fire, my first instinct was to get him out of the car and make sure he was okay and hadn’t suffered any further injuries. I’d hope that anyone would do the same for me in that situation.
“As for the incident itself, I had no idea of the run Mick had going into the corner, and that’s something I take responsibility for. Mick also probably wasn’t aware that I had been running the bottom for the previous couple of laps, which ultimately led to a racing incident.
“I also want to give credit to Mick for how he handled himself and his interview afterwards. He had every right to be heated immediately after the incident, especially before seeing the replay. With the adrenaline and intensity that comes with driving these things, incidents like this can happen to any driver.
“At the end of the day, it’s disappointing to see two race cars damaged because of the incident. Hopefully both our team and the Saller team can get the cars repaired and turned around for Nowra next weekend.”
Lachie McHugh was untouchable in the A-Main, claiming back-to-back victories on Friday and Saturday night and his seventh career Thunder on the Downs feature race win.
He led home reigning Australian champion Jock Goodyer, with Queenslander Henry Titman rounding out the top three.