Manning praised by rivals

The British driver was running third for AJ Foyt's team when he spun while under pressure from Tony Kanaan, but his performance was noted by the top three finishers, who all drive for bigger teams.

"He needs a trophy, he should have won a trophy," said Kanaan. "I made my passes by waiting for people to make mistakes. I did it to Manning, although I felt really bad."

Scott Dixon, who finished second for Chip Ganassi Racing, added that he had been impressed by the performance of his former teammate.

"I thought he was doing a very good job," he said. "He drove very well for what he had, those guys should be proud of what they are doing."

Manning admitted that by the latter stages of the race he was completely exhausted from trying to hang on to the leaders, which led to his spin.

"The last 30 minutes killed me," he said. "My feet were numb and my hands were in such pain as I tried to keep ahead of Tony.

"The steering was so heavy on full tanks and new tyres because this track has so much grip. It was tough to hold on."

Helio Castroneves won the race, but he admitted that he was physically drained by the end of the race, and he is hoping that the cars will be easier to drive on road courses in the future.

"I'm still talking to (IRL President) Brian Barnhart about the package that we should come with next year, with paddle shifting and power steering," he said.

Despite dropping down to 12th in the results due to his spin, Manning was pleased with his weekend.

"It was a fantastic weekend overall for a one-car effort," he said. "It's a testament to the spirit of this team."