MLB Speedway Classic
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| Date | August 2, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Bristol Motor Speedway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| City | Bristol, Tennessee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 100,000 (expected) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time of game | 7:15 EDT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Television | Fox | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TV announcers | Joe Davis (play-by-play) John Smoltz (analyst) Ken Rosenthal (reporter) Tom Verducci (reporter) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The MLB Speedway Classic is an upcoming Major League Baseball (MLB) specialty game to be played between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds on August 2, 2025. The game will be played in the infield of Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, the home of a 146,000 seat NASCAR racetrack. This will be the first regular-season Major League Baseball (MLB) game played in the state of Tennessee.
An attendance of over 100,000 people is being expected for this game. It is possible that the game could set a new all-time attendance record, which currently stands at 115,300 people for a preseason game between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers which was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on March 29, 2008.[1]
Background
On August 6, 2024, reports surfaced that the Braves and Reds would play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2025. Three days later, on August 9, MLB revealed the game would be happening, under the name, Speedway Classic '25.[2][3]
Construction & Field Dimensions
The field dimensions for the MLB Speedway Classic will consist of the dimensions being 330 feet down each of the foul lines, 400 feet to center field, 375 feet to the right-field alley, and 384 feet to the left-field alley. The diamond being built across the track and infield of the speedway, primarily situated between Turns 3 and 4 of the track (south west section of the speedway). Turns 1 and 2 will have a stage for the pregame concert.[4]
In late June 2025, construction started for the conversion of Bristol Motor Speedway. On June 25, AstroTurf announced they were selected as surface provider for the game, thereby the game will be played on artificial turf instead of natural grass.[5]
Pregame Concert
Like previous MLB Specialty Games, Bristol Motor Speedway will host a pregame concert. Bristol is a border city divided by the Tennessee and Virginia state lines, and is known as the “birthplace of country music." In celebration of those roots, Grammy Award-winning artist Tim McGraw will headline a special pregame concert leading into the MLB Speedway Classic. The concert will also include Grammy-winning artist Pitbull, and Jake Owen.[6] The concert will start approximately one hour before the first pitch and Fox plans to feature portions of the performance during its pregame event coverage.[7]
Fan Zone
Along with the concert, there will also be a fan zone outside of the stadium that features a full day of live music including Owen, Timothy Wayne, Reyna Roberts and Adam Doleac. There will also be interactive games, a 110-foot ferris wheel, batting cages, pitching tunnels, regional food, exhibits, and photo opportunities.[8]
Uniforms
In early July, reports surfaced that the Braves uniforms were navy, and featured an italicized font for the numbers on the back of the jerseys. There is also a sleeve patch that has the MLB Speedway Classic '25 logo on it.[9] Reds catcher, Tyler Stephenson revealed his catchers gear for the game which had an influence of Ricky Bobby from the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby with a Wonder Bread design.[10]
Game
Scheduling
The game will be the first NL/AL regular season game in the state of Tennessee, and the first MLB game played on a race track. The game is on the first Saturday of August, and is the finale of a three game series with the first two games being played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.[11]
Line score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | ||||||||||||
| Cincinnati Reds |
See also
- List of neutral site regular season Major League Baseball games played in the United States and Canada
- Battle at Bristol, a college football game held at the same venue.
References
- ^ Shaikin, Bill (March 30, 2008). "Baseball from another dimension". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ Leach, Matthew (August 9, 2024). "MLB Speedway Classic '25 coming to historic Bristol". MLB.com. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Pockrass, Bob (August 9, 2024). "Bristol to host 2025 'MLB Speedway Classic' featuring Braves, Reds". Fox Sports. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ Murphy, Brian (June 11, 2025). "What you need to know about 2025 MLB Speedway Classic". MLB. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "AstroTurf Selected as Surface Provider for MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway". AstroTurf. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "Country music stars are performing at Speedway Classic". X. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
- ^ Murphy, Brian (June 11, 2025). "What you need to know about 2025 MLB Speedway Classic". MLB. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ Foster, Jason (June 24, 2025). "Speedway Classic aims for 'wow moment' as Fan Zone is unveiled". MLB.com. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
- ^ Williams, Cody (July 8, 2025). "Braves & Reds to Sport Special Jerseys for the Inaugural Speedway Classic". The Daily Down Force. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ Horowitz, Bryan (July 7, 2025). "Reds catcher tips cap to 'Talladega Nights' with Speedway Classic gear". MLB.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Cincinnati Reds 2025 Second Half Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved June 29, 2025.