Indy 500: Kelly Clarkson’s National Anthem Floors Social Media

Kelly Clarkson stopped by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon to sing the national anthem ahead of the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.

Upon her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” social media exploded with reactions from IndyCar fans across the nation.

The three-time Grammy winner sang in the traditional spot, complete with a flyover, before the 33 drivers were called to their cars in front of the largest single-day spectator sporting event crowd in the world. Her performance took place on the heels of Tuesday’s season 16 finale of The Voice, where Clarkson serves as a coach on the singing competition.

The American Idol champion’s national anthem performance marked her second consecutive moment at the Indianapolis 500, and third time overall she sang the anthem ahead of the race, as she performed in 2011 with Seal while accompanied on piano by David Foster.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome Kelly back to IMS on Race Day to sing the national anthem for hundreds of thousands of fans in the stands and millions of viewers around the world,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said in a press release. “She is a global icon and an incredible singer, and our fans have loved her performances of the anthem last year and in 2011. We look forward to her delivering another stirring, poignant rendition just before engines are fired for ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”

Clarkson’s schedule has become impossibly busy over the last few months, hosting the Billboard Music Awards for the second consecutive year earlier in May, starring as a voice actor in UglyDolls, and prepping to make her daytime debut with The Kelly Clarkson Show, which is set to air in September on NBC. She’ll also return to The Voice in the fall as a coach for season 17 alongside Blake Shelton, John Legend and Gwen Stefani, who is set to take Adam Levine’s seat.

Just after Clarkson’s performance, Chicago Blackhawks national anthem singer Jim Cornelison sang the traditional “Back Home Again in Indiana” ahead of the famous callout of “Drivers Start Your Engines.”

Christian Bale and Matt Damon were named as honorary starters of the historic race in celebration of their upcoming film Ford v. Ferrari, which follows the story of Ford’s quest to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of the Le Mans in the 1960s.

The 103rd running of the Indy 500 airs live starting at 11 a.m. ET on NBC. The race day began with a performance from DJ/producers Skrillex, Alesso, Illenium and Chris Lake. The race is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Icon Sportswire / Contributor / Getty