What’s Happening?

NASCAR and MLB fans now know the date, name, and look of the monumental game that Major League Baseball will play at Bristol Motor Speedway. MLB and BMS made the news official today at Thunder Valley.

• On Tuesday, Jordan Bianchi and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported that Bristol Motor Speedway will host an MLB game in 2025. This move shocked both fanbases but has a familiar tone as the two parties have similar histories of creative promotions.
• The Atlanta Braves will be the visiting team, and the Cincinnati Reds will be hosting. Both teams are playing on neutral ground, with both ballparks being just over five hours from BMS. This will be the first game in Tennessee for the American or National Leagues.

What’s in store?

MLB scheduled the Speedway Classic ’25 for Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. ET, with public ticket availability expected in December. NASCAR drivers and personalities Chase Elliott, Jaimie Little, Ross Chastain, and Kevin Harvick were in attendance at the track today, alongside MLB alumni and MLB Network personalities.

Bob Pockrass was also on the ground reporting. The notable Fox Sports presence is no coincidence. FOX MLB will cover and broadcast the event as they do with almost all major MLB events.

This relationship opens the door for FOX personalities like Mike Joy or former FOX analyst and Bristol legend Darrell Waltrip to play some part in the broadcast, though nothing official has been announced.

Tennesse Governor Bill Lee also attended and spoke to MLB Network about how the event came together.

An event of this nature is no stranger to the MLB and BMS, who have produced nontraditional spectacles in the past and recent years.

A history of out-of-the-box thinking

Bristol Motor Speedway has a long history of nonracing events at the track. Shortly after opening in 1961, the 0.533-mile oval would host one of these events, a 1961 preseason NFL game.

Long after the Eagles and former Redskins slung around the pigskin at the track to minuscule attendance, Bristol would give it one more try in 2016. The Battle at Bristol holds the record for the highest-attended College Football game, with a crowd of 156,990 to watch the Virginia Tech Hokies and Tennesse Volunteers.

Bristol has also hosted “traditional” races at BMS, including the Food City Dirt Race from 2021 to 2023, which brought NASCAR Cup Series Cars back to the dirt for the first time this century.

MLB has made a recent streak of going out of their comfort zone.

MLB has hosted games at neutral sites in recent years as part of its MLB World Tour, mainly in other countries that are both baseball-heavy and new to the sport.

These have included:

• Dominican Republic Series – Estadio Quisqueya – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
• London Series – London Stadium – London, UK
• Mexico City Series – Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú – Mexico City, Mexico
• Seoul Series – Gocheok Sky Dome – Seoul, South Korea
• Tokyo Series – Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan

There have been games in countries other than those on the MLB World Tour, such as Puerto Rico and A.

MLB has also had neutral site games in the U.S.:

• Fort Bragg – played at a ballpark at the Military base now known as Fort Liberty
• Field of Dreams Game – played at a ballpark at the Iowa movie site
• Little League Classic – played in Williamsport, Pa.
• Rickwood Field – the oldest ballpark in the U.S., located in Alabama
• Now, MLB and BMS team up to build a ballpark inside a race track.

Now, MLB and BMS team up to build a ballpark inside a race track.

What will it look like?

Many fans of both MLB and NASCAR debated what the stadium would look like.

Some thought tucking home plate into turns one and two or three and four could create a modern-day Polo Grounds, the former home to the then New York Giants, known for its over 450 ft centerfield and under 300 ft corner outfields.

However, the two parties have adopted a more practical approach. With a stadium set in the infield, tarping off the unused far-away grandstands in turns three and four.

While it has proper dimensions, a realistic 400-foot center field, and even a tarped-off batter’s eye, a requirement of MLB stadiums, the odds of those in the grandstands getting a ball are slim.

But for those lucky enough to attend, going home with a memory of a historic night at the track may be enough.

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