INDY LIGHTS: Kaiser captures first pole in St. Pete

California's Kyle Kaiser topped the 16-car Indy Lights field in qualifying for Round 1 today at St. Petersburg. The Juncos Racing driver (1:05.872) edged 2015 Euro F3 champion Felix Rosenqvist (01:05.9187) in his Belardi Racing entry by only. 0.04 seconds around the 1.8-mile street circuit.

"Overnight the team worked really hard to put together a car that was fast today; the team found the perfect setup," said Kaiser, who returned for his second season driving the No. 18 Dallara IL15-Mazda. "I'm super grateful to the team."

Zach Veach, making a Lights comeback after completing the 2014 season, qualified third (1:06.280) in the sister Belardi car.

Facing a grid packed with domestic and international talent, Kaiser said he took pride in setting the pole and representing America at the top of the Mazda Road To Indy ladder.

"It's a very stacked field. It's the most competitive field we've seen in Indy Lights in a long time and adds a lot of acumen to everything you earn," he added. "I'm representing the US-of-A, and any time I can represent my country and show what we can do against drivers from outside the U.S., I'm happy."

The first race of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season starts at 12:55 p.m. ET today.