Race Report: Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky


SPARTA, KY Aug. 10, 2008—Darren Manning and the ABC Supply team were on their way to posting their fifth straight top-10 finish Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway when the car lost power on lap 146 forcing Manning to the pits.


A water pipe clamp had broken which resulted in the engine losing all its water, causing it to overheat. Manning was credited with a 19th place finish. He is currently 13th in the points.


“The ABC Supply car was good,” said Manning afterwards. “I was able to race with them and it was really quick in the corners. It was a little slow on the straights so we probably had too much downforce in the car. When we lost power , it wasn't fixable so our race was over. It’s really disappointing to everyone.”


Manning started the race in 17th position and was running 14th by the time of his first pitstop on lap 49. When he rejoined the field, he was in 13th but he was running alone for nearly the entire fuel stint. When the caution flew for debris on lap 82, Manning pitted a couple laps later and emerged in 12th spot.


He was engaged in a heated battle with Ryan Hunter-Reay for over 10 laps before Reay slipped past when they came upon a lapped car. Manning pitted again on lap 134 after a caution came out for Milka Duno on lap 132.


Shortly after his pitstop (and while the field was still under caution), Manning was called to the pits for a consultation for moisture seen escaping His No. 14. Cleared by IRL officials, he returned to the field in the tenth position. When the race restarted on lap 146, Manning reported he lost power coming off turn two. He coasted into the pits and the problem was diagnosed as terminal.


Scott Dixon edged out Helio Castroneves for the victory when Castroneves’ fuel strategy fell short by half a straightaway. Castroneves finished second with Marco Andretti, Vitor Meira and Dan Wheldon rounding out the top five.


Manning heads to Europe this week to compete in a LeMans Series race in Germany next weekend. Racing resumes for the IndyCar Series with the PEAK Antifreeze Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on August 24th. It will be televised live starting at 5:30 ET on ESPN.
 

Darren Manning To Start 17th in the Meijer Indy 300


SPARTA, Ky. August 9, 2008—Darren Manning qualified the ABC Supply Dallara/Honda in the 17th position at Kentucky Speedway with a four-lap average speed of 216.321mph. All of his laps were in the 216-mph bracket, varying by less than one-tenth of a mile an hour.


“That was all she had,” said Manning. “We had to replace the gearbox after the last session so our guys weren’t able to prep the ABC Supply car as much as usual for qualifying because they were still taping it up coming to the pitlane. On these superspeedways the small things are critical because every little detail makes a difference when you’re running flat all the way around.


“We’ll start mid-pack and I’ll overtake 10 cars on the first lap and we’ll be fine. Just kidding. I’ve been pretty happy with the car since we unloaded so I think we’ll have a good weekend.”


Manning will start on the inside of row eight for the Meijer Indy 300 race which will be broadcast on ESPN2 Saturday evening starting at 6:30pm ET. Manning, who has finished in the top-10 in the last four races, is currently 12th in the IndyCar standings.