Give us road course power on short ovals - Power

Team Penske's Will Power wants the Verizon IndyCar Series to unleash the full complement of 700-plus horsepower reserved for road courses and a decrease in downforce for the short oval tracks on the calendar.

The 2014 series champion, who tasted big power during his brief Champ Car career, is craving a return to the animalistic Indy cars that drew huge crowds during CART's heyday.

"I do to tell the series we need less downforce, give us road course horsepower, you know, speedway wings," he pleaded. "Let us leave dark marks on the exit of corners (from the wheelspin). Here, your corner speed is about the same as your bloody [straightline] speed.

"I believe they should ... give us a heap of horsepower, which we have potential for on the road course horsepower, and then take a bunch of grip away. That would be really cool."

Power, like some of his fellow drivers and many fans who recall the spectacular acceleration once seen at Phoenix, Milwaukee, Nazareth and other CART/Champ Car venues, believes IndyCar can find a happy medium that would put on a better short oval show.

Using last year's Phoenix race as a reference where downforce glued the cars in place in the corners and passing came at a premium, the Australian's call for change could be worth considering.

"There's [a possibility of] good balance, actually," he said of reducing the crazy downforce levels currently used at Phoenix and Iowa. "What we ran from 2012 to '14, like at Milwaukee, you're going down two gears in the corner. It wasn't really a full lift, but it was a lift. I won the race in '14 because I had better traction off the corner. So that was a pretty good level."

Power would also welcome tires that are less excellent.

"So definitely it needs to come with the tire, as well," he added. "Softer tire, more forgiving, slide more. Even something that just degrades a bit."

Once Saturday night's race is over, Power and the series will know whether some or all of his suggestions will be needed to improve the spectacle for those in attendance and watching at home.