Catch a glimpse of an American flag on a race car, and you might notice something strange: sometimes, those flags appear backwards. While it might be tempting to think a graphic designer somewhere ...

The American flag on US race cars is intentionally reversed to symbolize forward movement. This design follows United States Flag Code and is also seen on airplanes and NASA spacecraft.

Maybe you're new to the sport and have questions about what happens on race day. How does the drag reduction system work, and why does it help overtaking? What do the different flags mean?