Curt Cavin

USA TODAY Sports

Australian race car driver James Davison could think of no better number for his first Indianapolis 500 car than No. 33.

Barring a last-minute snag with paperwork, that Dallara/Chevrolet will be entered by KV Racing Technology. It will assure the May 25 race of 33 car-and-driver combinations.

"The fact that IndyCar was kind enough to support this, I felt it was an appropriate salute and respect to the (series) and the event to be that number," Davison said from California, where he has been driving a sports car at the Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey. He's due in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Davison, 27, competed in two IndyCar races last year for Dale Coyne Racing (at Mid-Ohio and Sonoma). He was the 2009 Indy Lights runner-up in a Vision Racing entry owned by Tony George.

Davison's car was Panther Racing's primary car last season.

Davison said his budget-conscious 500 program will be considered part-time, which means he won't start practicing until the middle of next week. He said the approach will need to be conservative because it won't have a backup car.

Cavin writes for the Indianapolis Star, a property of Gannett.