Jim Nabors was the replacement singer who turned an Indiana song into a gig for the ages.

The man who became a household name as television’s goofy Gomer Pyle sang “Back Home Again in Indiana” before the 1972 Indianapolis 500 after the scheduled singer didn’t show. Speedway owner Tony Hulman didn’t realize his last-minute request would become a tradition, but one rendition led to another and another.

Now 78 and living in Maui, Hawaii, Nabors is scheduled to return this month to sing again. He has missed a few 500s since his debut, but this will be his 31st performance.

The song tradition began in 1946, when James Melton of the New York Metropolitan Opera Company was so impressive, he was asked to return and do the honors the next year. Over the years, several noteworthy names took their turn, including Dinah Shore in 1955, Dennis Morgan in 1960, Mel Torme in 1961, Vic Damone in 1964, Johnny Desmond in 1965, Ed Ames in 1966 and Peter Marshall in 1979.

Nobody had sung the song more than three times before Nabors came along. But for many race fans, to hear the final lyrics, “When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash, then I long for my Indiana home,” that can only mean Nabors.

—Phillip B. Wilson