Manning pleased with debut

The Ganassi Racing driver started from 13th on the grid, but battled his way up to sixth at the finish, despite a clash with Alex Barron, which knocked the American driver out of the race. Barron was critical of Manning in the aftermath of the crash, but the Briton has insisted he did nothing wrong.

"I'm pleased with our result," said Manning. "The car was very loose in the beginning but it started to come around halfway through the second stint which enabled me to put in some very fast laps and helped me to race with the leaders. On the restarts I was able to do quite a bit but it was more difficult when I was running flat.

"There was a lot to learn out there but I feel that I held my own. Alex Barron, on more than one occasion, cut down on me. That last time, I was on the white line with nowhere to go. We touched wheels slightly and he got the raw end of the deal but it was not my fault. I'm looking forward to Phoenix where I know that we can build on today's result."

Eponymous team boss Chip Ganassi was happy with his new driver's debut. "We're very pleased with Darren Manning's first race effort," he said. "It was a good first experience for him out there and we'll be able to build on that."