You know green means go. Here’s what all the other Indy 500 flag colors mean

You know red means stop and green means go, but you'll likely see Indianapolis 500 race officials waving a few different types of flags at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to communicate with drivers and announce track conditions.

Here's what each Indy 500 flag color means:

Green: Go! Let the race begin.

Yellow: Caution, signaling hazardous conditions. Cars must slow immediately and yield to safety vehicles until the green flag is displayed. 

Blue: the “passing” flag, signaling a slow driver to make room for a faster car to pass.

Black: directs a driver to head to the pits and consult with race officials. 

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Red: all drivers must stop, often because of an on-track incident or weather.

Black flag with white X: A driver has been disqualified; officialshave stopped scoring the car until further notice.

Red and yellow striped flag: a substance such as oil or water has made the track slippery.

White: there is one lap left in the race.

Checkered: the race is over. Did your favorite driver win?

The flags can play a crucial role in the 200-lap race. Last year's race finished under caution and Takuma Sato was declared the winner, after Spencer Pigot crashed with five laps remaining. Officials later said there was too little time to put up a red flag and restart the race, but some people expressed frustration that the race finished under a yellow flag. The Indy 500 finished under caution in 2012 and 2013, as well.

Matthew VanTryon contributed to this article.

Contact IndyStar reporter Rashika Jaipuriar at rjaipuriar@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @rashikajpr.