Green means go, of course. Here’s what all the other Indy 500 flag colors mean
Different colored flags help Indy 500 race officials communicate with drivers and announce track conditions. Here's what each color means.
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.