Penske hope Castroneves will return

In a news conference in Indianapolis today, it was confirmed that Power would occupy the coveted Penske seat alongside Ryan Briscoe, as Castroneves prepares for the tax evasion trial.

But Penske Racing president Tim Cindric said Power should be regarded as a stand-in rather than a replacement for Castroneves.

"Under these circumstances, our job is to be as prepared as we can be," Cindric said. "That's what (team owner) Roger (Penske) has always set a precedent for, and that's what our organisation is known for - preparation. We need to be sure that we're ready to go and we're ready to win races."

Power, 27, was chosen from a stellar group of unsigned drivers that included Ryan Hunter-Reay and Justin Wilson, to drive Penske's No.3 Dallara-Honda in pre-season testing and presumably in the first few races of the season, which begins on 5 April at St. Petersburg.

Castroneves' trial begins on 2 March, and legal experts believe it might last a month or more. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 35 years in prison. If found not guilty, Castroneves will return to the team immediately, Cindric indicated.

"It's strange to be in this situation," Castroneves said. "I can't wait for this thing to be over. I am innocent of those charges. The only thing in my mind is to get this thing over and get back into a race car."

Power, who scored two top five finishes with KV Racing in his inaugural IndyCar Series season last year and also won the Champ Car finale at Long Beach, said he was happy to join Penske even if the deal proved short-lived.

"I'm really looking forward to helping these guys out," Power said. "I know there were a handful of guys in the mix, and I feel very privileged that they chose me. I'm going to give this 100 percent. No matter what the outcome is, I'm very happy to be here."

Cindric said he and team owner Penske were impressed by Power's determination.

"There's a sense of determination," Cindric said. "You can look at a lot of these guys and say this went well and that didn't go well, but at the end of the day it was his sense of determination. He was the guy we thought was the best for us."

While it's unclear where Power might go in the Penske organisation if Castroneves returns, it's unlikely that the team would field three cars for the full season. However, that's a possible scenario for the Indianapolis 500 if Castroneves is available by May. Castroneves has won the 500 twice.

"There would be nothing I'd like to do more than come back to Indy and run him in the 500," Cindric said. "Why wouldn't you want to? But it's important to realise that at that point in time those answers are going to be a lot more obvious than they are now.

"Right now we have to take this thing one day at a time. We're not going to make any commitments other than we're going to stand behind Helio and get as prepared as we can to go out and win races."