It has been 11 years since the late, great Jim Nabors performed "Back Home Again in Indiana" for the 36th and final time ahead of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014, a race for which he also gave the command to start engines along with fellow Indy 500 icon Mari Hulman George.
Nabors' tradition actually started with confusion back in 1972, when he believed that Tony Hulman, the track owner, wanted him to sing the Star-Spangled Banner.
Told what he was actually being asked to sing, Nabors had reservations at first, as a native of Alabama. But that performance 53 years ago started a new tradition, one which saw Nabors perform 36 times from 1972 through 2014, and the Gomer Pyle: USMC star quickly became an icon of the Speedway.
After Nabors stepped away following the 2014 race, Straight No Chaser performed the song in 2015, and The Voice winner Josh Kaufman, accompanied by the Indianapolis Children's Choir, performed it in 2016. In 2017, Jim Cornelison made his debut, and he has become the annual singer.
Nabors passed away later in 2017, three years removed from his final appearance at the "Racing Capital of the World", but all these years later, even as Cornelison has begun his own legacy ahead of his ninth performance this coming weekend, Nabors' Indy 500 legacy is as strong as ever.
IndyCar drivers reflect on Jim Nabors' lasting legacy
“We were really good friends, and actually the year before he passed, I was scheduled to go to Hawaii to visit him, me and my wife,” Tony Kanaan, who was the reigning winner of the Indy 500 when Nabors last performed in 2014, recalled to Beyond the Flag.
“He always invited us, and Jim, I mean, Jim — what can I say about Jim? You cannot think — my generation, and even generations prior to me — you cannot think about the speedway without him. Even the guy who replaced Jim [Nabors], he tries to sing the song like Jim!” Kanaan mentioned. “So, it’s just there!
“You talk about the 500, you have to talk about Jim Nabors — an iconic person, great person. He was a good friend, a huge race fan, and we definitely miss him a lot.”
Several other veteran drivers, including Scott Dixon, who plan to compete this weekend also recalled Nabors' time at the Speedway.
"I did [meet Jim], in the early years, for sure, when he was more accessible and stuff like that," 2008 winner Scott Dixon said. "But I've never really had time to sit down. It was always more just like a ‘hi, how are you?’, and obviously watching his fantastic performances, but what has become such a huge part of the tradition of the Indianapolis 500 is amazing, and what he did for the sport was fantastic."
Helio Castroneves, a four-time winner, shared a similar experience.
"I did," Castroneves said. "I did. It was a great experience. His incredible voice at the speedway was incredible. I mean, there was no comparison, no replacement, and yeah, still every time that song keeps playing, it's at the moment that you're like, wow, this is about to start!"
Two-time reigning Josef Newgarden, who only competed in three Indy 500s before Nabors retired, is among those who got to experience Nabors' voice at the Speedway, but didn't actually get to meet him. Still, he, too, understands his impact.
"I did not, unfortunately," Newgarden said. "It's tough to meet everybody who comes to the Indianapolis 500. There are so many people there, and you don't cross paths with everybody, and I never got a chance to interact with him, unfortunately.
"I always watched him from afar, not very far, but always appreciated his involvement. I know he was a fan-favorite and a passion point for a lot of people, so yeah, it was cool to be there while he was there, but I never got to interact."
The 109th running of the Indy 500 is set to be shown live on Fox from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET this Sunday, May 25, with Jim Cornelison set to sing the famed song just moments before the green flag waves at roughly 12:30 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action!