the race under red flag conditions as they worked on a solution. The delay extended for nearly three hours, and tension began to mount over both the status of the race and the condition of Wheldon, as there had been no updates since the accident. During the lengthy delay, ESPN conducted interviews with several drivers, who expressed their growing concern for their fellow competitor, as well as team owner Michael Andretti, who took it upon himself to head to the trailer on pit road where the officials were located. He would be turned away by the officials and return with no further information. At approximately 3:00 pm PST, IndyCar Series director Brian Barnhart called for all race team personnel to report to the infield media center for a meeting that was closed to reporters. The ABC broadcast was able to capture video of the drivers and team personnel as they exited the media center, and their expressions as they left were grim. Tony Kanaan, the race polesitter and a former teammate of Wheldon's from their days driving for Andretti's race team, was shown sobbing as he returned to his pit box. As the meeting ended, Randy Bernard called a press conference. There, he gave a brief statement where he informed the media that Wheldon had died of his injuries suffered in the accident. He then announced that the remainder of the race was cancelled and that the drivers would be returning to the track for what he referred to as a “five lap salute”to honor their fallen competitor, then left without taking any questions. ABC cut into the press conference late and missed Bernard’s initial statement, which left Marty Reid to break the news to the viewing audience. Meanwhile, the scoring tower was blanked except for the number 77, which was displayed in the first place position. With Kanaan, Ed Carpenter, and Ryan Briscoe leading, eighteen of the nineteen cars that were still running when the accident happened lined up on pit road in six rows of three, akin to the starting formation for the Indianapolis 500. The only car that did not take part in the salute was Bryan Herta Autosport's car, which Wheldon drove to victory at Indianapolis earlier in 2011 but was driven that day by Alex Tagliani. The safety car then led the cars back onto the track while every crew member and person behind the