Championship Auto Racing Teams stewards have turned...

Championship Auto Racing Teams stewards have turned down a protest by Johnny Rutherford over the controversial finish of Sunday’s Molson-Indy 200 in St. Pie, Quebec, Canada.

Rutherford was leading the race on the .826-mile tri-oval at Sanair Super Speedway as the 225-lap event wound to a close under a caution flag brought out on Lap 209.

It appeared that the race would end under the yellow, with Pancho Carter finishing second. But CART officials restarted the race as the cars entered the third turn of the last lap, and Carter beat Rutherford to the finish line by less than six inches.

Rutherford’s team filed an official protest after the provisional finish was posted, claiming that Carter had passed illegally because the track was still under a caution flag.