LONG POND, Pa.: IndyCar Series driver James Davison captured the checkered flag in his NASCAR Cup Series debut Saturday at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in the Pocono Organics 325.
Without the luxury of practice or qualifying, the Australian was thrown into 130 laps of manhandling one of the toughest tracks on the Cup Series circuit, but all things considered, he handled it well.
The goal for Davison on Saturday was to complete all the laps in his No. 77 Oil Fire Rye Whiskey Chevrolet that would not only give him much needed seat time, but also an opportunity to take on Sunday’s Cup Series doubleheader at the 2.5-mile triangle with a more realistic goal.
Davison stayed on the lead lap through the event’s first stage but throughout the race, the pace picked up considerably and while his lap times improved considerably from the first lap waved to the checkered flag, Davison lacked the speed in his race car that would allow him to venture out of hovering between 33rd and 35th.
Throughout the final two stages of the race, Davison would be lapped five times and took the checkered flag in 34th.
“I had fun today,” Davison told CATCHFENCE.com. “I felt like we ran competitively within our own right and maximized the situation as a whole.”
With the starting grid for Sunday’s race set by your finishing position outside the top-20, Davison will start his second NASCAR Cup Series race from 34th and hunts a top-25 finish to carry him forward in his pursuit of a more expanded stock car career.
“I look forward to tomorrow, freeing the car up and now having knowledge of what to expect,” Davison added.
Davison is hopeful to compete in select Cup Series races this season, but funding will be pivotal to the actual number of races and where.
He is also expected to compete in August’s Indianapolis 500 and hopes to better his 12th place IndyCar finish from 2019 with Dale Coyne with Byrd and Belardi.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
