Jim Nabors won't sing at Indy 500
Jim Nabors won't sing at Indy 500
An Indianapolis Motor Speedway spokesman says heart surgery will prevent Jim Nabors from performing “Back Home Again in Indiana” at this year's Indianapolis 500.
Doug Boles says the 81-year-old Nabors will have surgery later this month.
Boles told The Indianapolis Star that a Speedway video crew is set to record Nabors singing the song in his home state of Hawaii next week for playback during the pre-race festivities.
“He offered that,” Boles told the Star. “You've got to remember that (the 500) is as much a highlight of his year as it is for the hundreds of thousands of fans who hear him sing.”
Nabors, who starred as the hick Gomer Pyle on TV in the 1960s, began performing “Back Home Again in Indiana” at the race in 1972. Since 1987 has performed it every year but one: in 2007, also due to health reasons.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
