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.

American flags depicted on aircraft and spacecraft must always appear as though they are flying forward. It’s easy enough to visualize: Instead of a plane, think about that same “backward ...