Jim Cornelison will return to sing '(Back Home Again in) Indiana' at the Indianapolis 500

For the sixth year in a row, Jim Cornelison will sing "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" — a tradition that many fans treasure as the most powerful 90 seconds before the cars take off at the Indianapolis 500.

It's the longest consecutive streak for a vocalist except for the iconic Jim Nabors, who sang it most years between 1972 and 2014. This year, the beloved Hoosier anthem will be extra special with crowd restrictions lifted for the first time since 2019.

"Can't wait. Such an honor to be part of this," Cornelison tweeted, along with a link to a commercial welcoming fans back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The pre-race performance of the song by a vocalist dates back to 1946, when James Melton delivered a rendition arresting enough to prompt listeners to let the speedway know of their appreciation.

But the roots of "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" at the race go back to 1919, when reports indicate that a band — possibly the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band — played it when driver Howdy Wilcox wrapped up his win, John Norberg wrote in his book "Heartbeat of the University: 125 Years of Purdue Bands."

'(Back Home Again in) Indiana': Its surprising history and everyone who sang it

James F. Hanley wrote the piece to honor his home state and the state song, Paul Dresser's "On the Banks of the Wabash." Portland, Oregon, native Ballard MacDonald wrote the lyrics.

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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500: Cornelison will again sing '(Back Home Again in) Indiana'