Curt Cavin: Is Will Power on IndyCar's calling plan?

Question: The more I think of the lack of penalty on Power at Long Beach the more unfair I think it is. It really had a big effect on the points, isn't fair to the clean drivers and just looks like flat out favoritism. Makes me believe whomever drives for Verizon gets a better "calling" plan. (Jeff, Coto De Caza, Calif.)

Answer: I certainly don't think the Verizon aspect has anything to do with it, and I'm more supportive of a three-man group of stewards officiating the races. But yes, I thought his contact with Simon Pagenaud was deserving of a penalty and Power said he expected one. I wasn't shown the car data from his controversial restart in St. Petersburg, but I can't believe my eyes lied to me. He sure appeared to slow down, but IndyCar said he didn't.

Question: Two races and two questionable incidents involving Will Power without a penalty. I like to keep an open mind but it does seem like he is getting preferential treatment. (Dave, Johnson City, N.Y.)

Answer: As you can see, you're not alone.

Question: I just read about the outlining of the "Final" Qualification procedures for the 500. I must say, I like the direction the Speedway took with this. On paper the new format looks to be very exciting if there are more than 33 cars to attempt qualification runs. Do you feel that we'll see 34 or even 35 cars attempt to qualify? By my estimate I only get to 33 cars at this point. (Bryan, Indianapolis)

Answer: I liked the format when the first layer was rolled out last month, but I could see flaws in it and one of those was addressed yesterday -- relegating Sunday-only qualifiers to a last-row-only battle. I think that could get confusing very quickly. What if there are four of them and only 33 car-and-driver combinations? Anyway, we'll see, I suppose. The emails I've received over the past 18 hours have largely been on the side of this being too much to absorb. As for the number of participants, my count today is 30. Assuming Sage Karam's deal gets put together at Ganassi, that's 31. Dreyer & Reinbold's first car makes 32. Then it's going to take Davey Hamilton's car (essentially the second at Dreyer & Reinbold) and/or the Stefan Wilson car to make 33. Bryan Herta said his team isn't fielding a second. Panther is out. Coyne could field a third, obviously. Someone told me Andretti could run a sixth, but that seems unlikely to me. Believe it or not, a lot of people are talking about the limited number of capable crew members available.

Question: How many attempts will each car will have for Saturday qualifying? If more than one, will they have to withdraw their time before they can attempt another qualification run? (Rick, Indianapolis)

Answer: I can't remember if there's a limit, but two is about all I'd expect there to be time for. They won't have to withdraw their time to make another attempt.

Question: If you were a fan and the opportunity to donate $100 to sponsor a race car that may not even materialize came up, would you personally do it? My understanding based on reading the fine print on the Cutters RT website is that if they do not race, you don't get your money back. (Charley, Greenfield, Ind.)

Answer: I believe that's correct, but Sarah Fisher told me a month or so ago that if the program didn't reach its goal to fully sponsor a car, her team would do something nice for those who contributed, although what that is hasn't been decided or at least announced. Keep in mind that this is not Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing's idea or program; it was the recipient. I'm not going to advise whether to join the program.

Question: I have seen speculation that the crowd for this year's 500 will be larger than last year. Have you heard anything about how the speedway will avoid last year's long lines and angry fans? (Joe, Columbus, Ind.)

Answer: I don't think there's an accurate sense of what the size of the crowd will be like, although I know that personally I'm going to need more tickets. As for the gate entrance issues that occurred last year, I don't expect them to happen this year. Track president Doug Boles and I have talked extensively about it, and he seems to have a good plan. Remember, he had just taken the job at this time last year.

Question: Do you think firing JR Hildebrand contributed to the loss of National Guard and ultimate closing of Panther? (Jim, Indianapolis)

Answer: It would be extremely unfair to hang that on Hildebrand, but obviously hitting the wall on Lap 1 of the 500 last year and not winning the race in 2011 were big pieces in this story. But ultimately, I believe that the National Guard's chance to align with David Letterman, Bobby Rahal and Graham Rahal was the No. 1 factor, and you can't discount the fact Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was a cheaper option.