Castroneves confirmed as Indy 500 winner

Team Green had contested that Tracy was ahead of Castroneves when the yellow flag was called. But in an 11-page report released today to the public, George determined that the decision by IRL officials as to the placement of the cars at the commencement of the yellow caution period immediately after an accident on Lap 199 "is a judgment call and is not protestable nor appealable under the Rule Book".

George noted that, in "real-time racing" a yellow caution period begins when Race Control calls it on the radio, a consistent practice since the Indy Racing League started.

"There is simply no alternative for the IRL officials when running a race," said George. "There is no instant replay in the IRL Rule Book. The drivers are instructed to react to the first notice they receive of a yellow caution condition, whether it's a yellow flag, a yellow track light, a yellow dashboard light or Race Control radio instruction.

"The reason for immediate reaction to a yellow caution is for the safety of the drivers and safety personnel since it signifies an unsafe track condition," added George. "We have several overlapping modes of communication as backup to each other since any can fail or be delayed. These modes of communication are not integrated to initiate at the exact same point in time because they can't be, and attempting to synchronize them exactly would delay the warning system and defeat the objective of maximizing safety."

The whole process, George added, has increased his respect for both Team Green and Penske Racing.

"I wish that I could make them both happy with my decision, but unfortunately that can't be the case," George said.