Straight No Chaser Back Home Again in Indiana Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 24: Jim Nabors waves to the crowd during the Indianapolis 500 parade on May 24, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Indy 500: Back Home Again in Indiana

Today we will be "Back Home Again in Indiana" once more for the 103rd running of the race Indy 500, but once more without the late Jim Nabors.

One of the most cherished pre-race traditions for IndyCar's most prestigious race, the Indianapolis 500, that has existed throughout the majority of the history of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is the singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana".

This tradition began in 1946 ahead of the 30th running of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana, and the tradition of it being sung by one particular man began 26 years later ahead of the 56th running of the event in 1972.

Before this race, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman approached Jim Nabors, the man who starred as Gomer Pyle onThe Andy Griffith Showand then the show's spin-off, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., about signing ahead of the event.

Nabors passed away on Thursday, November 30, 2017 at the age of 87. But while this will be the second Indy 500 since his passing and the fifth Indy 500 since he last made an appearance at the event, let's take a look back at how this tradition began.

Back in 2007, here is what Nabors had to say about his meeting with Hulman ahead of the 1972 Indy 500, according to IndyStar.

"He said, 'Welcome, want to sing?' 'Sure,' I said."

In 2014, here is what he had to say about what went down after he and Hulman talked 42 years prior, according to USA Today.

"When I got over there to meet the conductor of the Purdue band, I said, 'What key do you do this in?' He looked at me and said, 'We only got one key.' I said, 'No, Star-Spangled Banner's got two keys.' He said, 'You're not singing that.' I said, 'What the hell am I singing?'

"He said, 'You're singing the traditional song that opens the race, Back Home Again in Indiana. And I looked at him kind of funny and said, 'I'm from Alabama. You still want me to do it?' He said, 'Well, do you know it?' I said, 'I know the melody, but I don't know the words.' This is a true story. I'm writing on my hand the words in this five minutes."

Nabors went on to sing "Back Home Again in Indiana" ahead of the 1972 Indy 500, and the tradition stuck.

He sang this song ahead of 36 of the 43 Indy 500 races that took place between 1972 and 2014. He missed the races that took place in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986 and 2007, and he performed the song on video ahead of the 2012 Indy 500, as he could not attend the race due to poor health.

As a result, Nabors became arguably the most beloved and iconic person in the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Here is a video of Nabors's final performance of the song ahead of the 98th running of the Indy 500 five years ago (start at 57:00).

This year's Indy 500 will also be the first Indy 500 since the passing of Mari Hulman George, the former chairperson of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, the IndyCar parent organization. She passed away on Saturday, November 3, 2018.

Following Nabors's final performance of "Back Home Again in Indiana" in 2014, he and George gave the command to start engines together to officially put a stamp on his unforgettable Indy 500 career.

After Straight No Chaser performed "Back Home Again Indiana" ahead of the 2015 Indianapolis 500 and Josh Kaufman did so ahead of the 2016 Indy 500, Jim Cornelison performed it ahead of both of the most recent two editions of the race, and he is set to do it again this year and perhaps for many years to come.

But with all due respect to these performers, no one will ever truly be associated with "Back Home Again in Indiana" in the way that the one and only Jim Nabors was and is.

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Source: https://beyondtheflag.com/2019/05/26/indy-500-back-home-again-in-indiana/

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