INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis 500 is one of the most tradition-rich events in all of sports.
For those who attend the event or watch it on ABC, hearing Jim Nabors singing Back Home Again in Indiana with the accompaniment of the Purdue marching band right before the command to start engines is an iconic sports moment.
When developing the promotional strategy for this year’s ABC telecast (Sunday, May 27, at 11 a.m. ET, ESPN) associate director, sports marketing, David Zane tapped into the 100-year history of the event while keeping a modern look.
The resulting spot (seen above), which began airing May 14, includes images of the pre-race festivities as well as racing action. And underneath it all is Nabors’ smooth voice and the Indiana song.
“We wanted to showcase the history, tradition and the pageantry of the Indy 500 and we wanted to marry that with a really nice track of music,” said Zane.
“And when it all came together, we thought that Jim Nabors was just so perfect.”
Zane’s group contacted Nabors at his home in Hawaii and the affable star of the 1960s sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. happily agreed to record a version of the song just for the spot.
“He was just the nicest guy and he was willing to do anything we needed,” said Zane.
At a studio in Hawaii, the 81-year-old Nabors heard the concept for the spot and saw a rough version before singing the song he has performed at nearly every Indianapolis 500 since 1972.
Unfortunately, for health reasons, Nabors will not be traveling to this year’s race, but he will still be part of the event and perform the song by video.
And his presence in the promo spot is helping point viewers to the race, which ABC is airing for the 48th consecutive year.
“He was really appreciative and it was a really cool experience,” Zane said. “He was just great.”
