- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,257,085
- Reaction score
- 59
The Indianapolis 500 is a week away, but fans can get a taste of the action all week long as qualifying gets underway this weekend at the speedway.
Indy cars are expected to be on the track Friday, May 15, for "Fast Friday," and then again through the weekend for two days of qualifying runs to set the field.
The 110th annual Memorial Day weekend race is set to take place a week from Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves is back, trying to become the first driver to win the race five times. The Brazilian driver, who celebrated his 51st birthday on May 10, won the Indy 500 back-to-back in 2001 and 2002, again in 2009 and then in 2021 to tie A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears for most wins all time.
Alex Palou was a first-time winner in 2025.
Here's a look at what's ahead this week, and who will be singing "Back Home in Indiana" and the national anthem.
The 2026 Indy 500 is set to start at 12:45 p.m. May 24.
Roger Penske will give the command to to start engines at 12:38 p.m.
Coverage of the 110th running of the race — scheduled for May 24 — will begin at 10 a.m. on FOX.
Jim Cornelison, billed at "the national anthem singer" will perform the traditional prerace song at the south stage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
Cornelison's Instagram page says he's been the Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer since 2008 and the Bears opener since '10.
Jim Nabors, who appears on such TV series as "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Gomer Pyle, USMC" sang the Indy 500 song for 36 years through 2014 before his death in 2017.
From 2017 to the present, Cornelison has been singing the song.
[verse 1]
[chorus]
[verse 2]
Jordin Sparks will perform the national anthem at the Indianapolis 500. Her appearance will be a three-peat for the singer-songwriter and actress, who also sang at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015 and 2024.
The Grammy-nominated and multiplatinum Sparks, who grabbed worldwide attention early in her career on season six of "American Idol," has gone on to release singles that have sold more than 10 million digital tracks in the U.S. Her singles include "Call My Name," “Candy Cane Lane," and "Love Me Like I Am" with For King and Country.
While the race doesn't take place until Sunday, May 24, there are events throughout the week leading up to the race.
General admission ticket prices on the Indy 500 website start at $60, or $65 on race day.
Practice day tickets are $25, and carb day tickets are $50 or $55.
Reserved seating is mostly sold out, according to the site, but tickets remaining start at $85 and range up to $160.
Reserved seating available on the secondary market place Stubhub on May 15, ranged from $76 in the backstretch infield corner to more than $2,300 in the tower suites on the front-stretch infield.
Ticketmaster, as of May 15, had tickets from $76 to more than $4,000 in the Northwest Vista, or turn 4.
— The Indianapolis Star contributed.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Indy 500 national anthem singer, schedule, date, time
Continue reading...
Indy cars are expected to be on the track Friday, May 15, for "Fast Friday," and then again through the weekend for two days of qualifying runs to set the field.
The 110th annual Memorial Day weekend race is set to take place a week from Sunday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves is back, trying to become the first driver to win the race five times. The Brazilian driver, who celebrated his 51st birthday on May 10, won the Indy 500 back-to-back in 2001 and 2002, again in 2009 and then in 2021 to tie A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears for most wins all time.
Alex Palou was a first-time winner in 2025.
Here's a look at what's ahead this week, and who will be singing "Back Home in Indiana" and the national anthem.
When is the Indianapolis 500?
The 2026 Indy 500 is set to start at 12:45 p.m. May 24.
Roger Penske will give the command to to start engines at 12:38 p.m.
What channel is the Indy 500 on?
Coverage of the 110th running of the race — scheduled for May 24 — will begin at 10 a.m. on FOX.
You must be registered for see images attach
Who's singing 'Back Home in Indiana'?
Jim Cornelison, billed at "the national anthem singer" will perform the traditional prerace song at the south stage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
Cornelison's Instagram page says he's been the Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer since 2008 and the Bears opener since '10.
Jim Nabors, who appears on such TV series as "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Gomer Pyle, USMC" sang the Indy 500 song for 36 years through 2014 before his death in 2017.
From 2017 to the present, Cornelison has been singing the song.
What are the lyrics to 'Back Home in Indiana'?
[verse 1]
- I have always been a wand'rer, over land and sea.
- Yet a moonbeam on the water, casts a spell o'er me.
- A vision fair I see, again I seem to be.
[chorus]
- Back Home again in Indiana
- And it seems that I can see
- The gleaming candlelight still shining bright
- Thro' the sycamores for me
- The new mown hay sends all its fragrance
- From the fields I used to roam
- When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash
- Then I long for my Indiana home.
[verse 2]
- Fancy paints on mem'ry's canvas,
- Scenes that we hold dear
- We recall them in days after,
- Clearly they appear.
- And often times I see, a scene that's dear to me.
Who will sing the national anthem at the Indy 500?
Jordin Sparks will perform the national anthem at the Indianapolis 500. Her appearance will be a three-peat for the singer-songwriter and actress, who also sang at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015 and 2024.
The Grammy-nominated and multiplatinum Sparks, who grabbed worldwide attention early in her career on season six of "American Idol," has gone on to release singles that have sold more than 10 million digital tracks in the U.S. Her singles include "Call My Name," “Candy Cane Lane," and "Love Me Like I Am" with For King and Country.
What's the schedule for this week?
While the race doesn't take place until Sunday, May 24, there are events throughout the week leading up to the race.
- Fast Friday, May 15. Fast Friday practice sessions give drivers the chance to full speeds at the Brickyard to gear up for qualifying sessions the next two days. The sessions will be televised on FS1 and FS2.
- Qualifying takes place May 16-17. Sessions will be on FS1, FS2 and FOX.
- Monday, May 18, is a practice day. Sessions will be on FS1.
- Friday, May 22, is carb day at the track. Sessions will be on FS1.
- Saturday, May 23, is Legends Day. Fans get access to the star drivers of the NTT Indycar Series with the full field autograph session and the public drivers' meeting as drivers receive final instructions. Plus, Indy 500 veterans will have an autograph session of their own.
How much are tickets to the Indy 500?
General admission ticket prices on the Indy 500 website start at $60, or $65 on race day.
Practice day tickets are $25, and carb day tickets are $50 or $55.
Reserved seating is mostly sold out, according to the site, but tickets remaining start at $85 and range up to $160.
Reserved seating available on the secondary market place Stubhub on May 15, ranged from $76 in the backstretch infield corner to more than $2,300 in the tower suites on the front-stretch infield.
Ticketmaster, as of May 15, had tickets from $76 to more than $4,000 in the Northwest Vista, or turn 4.
— The Indianapolis Star contributed.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Indy 500 national anthem singer, schedule, date, time
Continue reading...
