by Dustin Anderson

Created on: April 17, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

NASCAR is a sport that uses flags to ensure the drivers, crew chief and fans can all tell what is going on during a race. Because most of the tracks are mile and longer and the sport is loud radio communication and shouting would not be wise. NASCAR has 9 flags that it uses to signal to the drivers, fans, and crew chief's. Here are what all the flags and colors mean.

I will start with the first flag that everyone in the sport enjoys and that would be the green flag. The green flag mean that all things are a go. NASCAR uses this flag at the start of the race, after a wreck and all the debris has been cleared for a restart. Like traffic lights green means go.

The second flag that I will mention is the yellow flag. The yellow flag tell the driver and crew chief that something has happened and the drivers need to slow down to pit road speed. Pit road speed for big tracks are usually 55 mph and smaller tracks are 45mph. The yellow flag is also known as the "Caution" flag. It usually means that a driver has wrecked, fluid may be leaking from one of the cars or some type of debris is on the track that would risk the safety of the drivers. The driver would then drive at slow speeds until track is cleared.

The third flag would be the red flag. The red flag, like in a traffic light, means to stop. When NASCAR throws a red flag it usually means the track is unsafe for the other cars to be driving on. Whether it be the track itself, a driver that needs medical attention or the track is blocked having no access to get by. The driver will follow the pace car to a designated area, typically clear of the accident area, and are forced to stop their cars and shut the engine off. Once the area and track are clear then NASCAR would restart the cars back on the track with a yellow flag followed by the green flag.

The fourth flag in NASCAR would be the white flag. The white flag is only showed once in a race. There is not much to explain about the white flag. The white flag represents that there is one more lap in the race. As soon as the driver that is leading the race crosses over the start finish line, the white flag is waived.

The fifth flag in NASCAR is the checkered flag. The checkered flag, like the white flag, is used only once in the race as well. It signifies that the race is over. Whichever driver crosses the start finish line is said to have taken the checkered flag. The checkered flag is waived and the first driver across the finish line wins.

The sixth flag in NASCAR is

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