The name of the game is speed – it is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, after all – but race officials give drivers other commands, too. And they’re often communicated by flags.
Indy 500 flags: What do they mean?
- Green: Go! This signals it’s time to start … or restart … practice, a qualifying attempt or the race.
- Yellow: Caution; there’s an issue on the track, so cars must proceed at less than full speed and there is no on-track passing. It often means there has been a crash, and safety equipment is on track to clean it up and attend to any injuries.
- Red: This flag is the stop sign. All cars are ordered to the pits, often because of a serious accident that will require a lot of attention or weather that makes racing unsafe.
- Blue with a diagonal yellow stripe: A driver must allow an oncoming car to pass. It’s no fun getting lapped, but it’s worse to hold up faster cars competing for position.
- Black: Head to the pits and wait for further instructions. There’s a significant issue that needs to be addressed. Black-flagged cars can be disqualified.
- Black flag with white cross: A driver receiving this flag has been disqualified, and the car will no longer be scored.
- Red and yellow striped flag: The track is slippery, likely from oil or water, and drivers must be aware.
- White: This means there is one lap left in the qualifying attempt or race.
- Checkered: The practice, qualifying attempt or race is done. The driver getting to this flag first during the race wins.
Why was there a red flag in the Indy 500?
There were three red flags in the final 15 laps of the 2023 Indy 500 because of accidents. The last of those red flags allowed a one-lap, green-flag shootout in which Josef Newgarden passed Marcus Ericsson and hung on to win.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 race flags: A guide to what the different colors mean at IMS