Darren Manning appeared to be headed for his second straight top-10 finish when a ‘big moment' in traffic ended his chances in the SunTrust Indy Challenge Saturday night.

When qualifying had rained out Friday at the three-quarter mile banked oval, the field was set according to the owner's points, giving Manning a 13th place starting berth. He slipped to 14 at the start but was able to work his way into 12th passing a couple cars before his first stop under caution.

The ABC Supply crew had a good stop allowing Manning to move into 11th. He slipped back to 12th and then was again in 11th about 15 laps later as he passed Vitor Meira. As he came up to lap A.J. Foyt IV, however, his attempts to pass were thwarted as Foyt IV soundly shut the door.

Then the turning point for Manning occurred when a slower car ahead checked up unexpectedly. The accordion effect nearly collected Manning.

“There was a big moment with about four or five cars in front of me and then there was the concertina effect and I nearly got into the back of Anthony,” said Manning. “I had to run wide and got up into the marbles and nearly hit the wall. By the time I gathered it up, Vitor Meira got back by me and the leader got by me and that was pretty much the end of our night. If I could have gotten by Anthony cleanly, there were cars that were struggling for speed in the middle of the stint when my car was pretty fast and I think I could have gotten by them.”

Track position was the key factor in the race as there was very little passing throughout the night. A.J. Foyt admitted to a miscue on the final pitstop when he didn't immediately order his driver to the pits when they opened up late after a caution for debris. Manning went from 12th to 14th and lost valuable track position in the process.

“It was a mix-up in the communication and I take the blame for that,” said Foyt. “Darren drove a good race and I'm glad that he saved it after getting in the marbles. It could have been worse.”

Manning finished 14th. Dario Franchitti, who started on the pole by virtue of being the point leader, won the race. Scott Dixon, who started directly behind Dixon in third, finished second. Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan and Buddy Rice rounded out the top five.

Source AJ Foyt Racing
CAPSIS International