INDIANAPOLIS — The sounds of the Singing Surgeons and Jim Cornelison will highlight pre-race festivities for Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Dr. Elvis Francois and Dr. William Robinson, a pair of surgeons who went viral in March with their Instagram performance of “Imagine,” will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Cornelison, the anthem singer for the Chicago Blackhawks, returns for his fourth consecutive performance of “Back Home Again in Indiana”.
“We’re honored and humbled to perform the national anthem at ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’” Francois and Robinson said. “IMS is a fantastic venue that fills us with awe every time we visit. While we’re all sad fans won’t be at this year’s race, our performance will carry a message of hope and optimism as we pay tribute to the heroes fighting COVID-19 each and every day.”
“It is such an honor and privilege to return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the Indianapolis 500 is a tradition known around the world,” Cornelison said. “Each year I am humbled by the response from the INDYCAR fans, and I know this year’s performance carries extra meaning under such extraordinary circumstances. I’ll miss the roar of the crowd, but I’ll carry the wonderful fans of IMS with me as I sing. This performance is for them.”
For more than 100 years, the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge has taken place in May in conjunction with Memorial Day. This year’s race was originally scheduled for Sunday, May 24, but was rescheduled to Sunday, August 23 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sunday’s race will be led to the green flag by Marco Andretti. Andretti will be joined on the first row by past race winners Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato.
