Aussie James Davison takes Indy Lights pole

A teary-eyed and emotional James Davison took top prize in qualifying on Friday (July 11th) for this weekend's Firestone Indy Lights Sunbelt Rentals 100 race.

"Through no one's fault particularly, it's been a very, very trying year," said the twenty-one old rookie from Melbourne, Australia. He was referring to a string of near misses and close calls that have been his nemiesis over the last several weeks of racing in the Indy Car Series' developmental league.

The pole result was Davison's first in ten career races in the series, and his second time to roll off the grid from the front row (previously he started second in the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 25th).

Davison benefitted from his last-on-the-order spot in qualifying, the twentieth of twenty cars to make two-lap runs over the Nashville SuperSpeedway concrete 1.33 mile oval outside Nashville, Tennessee.

His teammate Ana Beatriz (who will start alongside in the front row on Saturday for the 4:30 PM CDT event) looked a lock to take the SWE Pole Qualifying Award for herself when she cruised to a two-lap average speed at 180.366 miles per hour only minutes ahead of Davison's attempt.

With a few tweaks from Bia's setup, Davison moved even further afront of the pack and posted the 180.401 mph mark that won the day.

Panther Racing's Dillon Battistini recovered nicely from his disastrous weekend of racing at Watkins Glen International seven days ago to take the inside of the second row alongside AFS Andreti Green Racing's Raphael Matos.

Matos teammate Arie Lueyndyk Jr will line up in the fifth spot, with Team Moore's Jeff Simmons on the outside of row three.

Panther's Brent Sherman, Team E's Bobby Wilson, Guthrie Racing's Logan Gomez and RLR Andersen Racing driver J R Hildebrand won the remaining top ten spots on the starting grid.

Current Indy Lights championship points leader was off the pace much of the day, recording a disappointing fourteenth-best result in qualifying to start in the seventh row.

Last year's Nashville 100 race-winner Robbie Pecorari will line up sixteenth in the SWE Racing Dallara open-wheel machine.