Nabors unable to attend Indy 500 due to illness
Nabors will address the Race Day crowd on the video boards at IMS from his home in Hawaii and then ask the fans to sing the beloved song together in his place.
"It's a shame that my good friend Jim Nabors is not going to be here on Race Day, and everyone here at the event will miss him tremendously," said Mari Hulman George, Indianapolis Motor Speedway chairman of the board. "We hope that the fans' rendition of 'Back Home Again in Indiana' serves as a get-well card to Jim from hundreds of thousands of his close friends here at the track."
Nabors has become a legendary figure in Indianapolis 500 lore since he began his stirring rendition of "Back Home Again in Indiana" during pre-race ceremonies in 1972. He has sung the tune before 29 Indianapolis 500-Mile Races since 1972, including every year since 1987.