Mark your calendar for Aug. 2, 2025. Major League Baseball is coming to Bristol Baby.
In only the second professional sporting event outside of racing held at the track, Bristol Motor Speedway will host The Speedway Classic.
The first professional sporting event was held in 1961 as the Washington Redskins faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles in a preseason NFL game at BMS in 1961.
In 2016, Tennessee and Virginia Tech played at Bristol Motor Speedway in The Battle at Bristol and set a record for the largest crowd at an NCAA football game with an attendance of 156,990.
For the last couple of years, the question for BMS execs was, when is Bristol going to host another football game?
On Tuesday, the media had linked Bristol Motor Speedway with hosting a MLB game inside The Last Great Colosseum.
Wait, a baseball game?
Yes. A Major League Baseball game.
On Friday, in an announcement that only Bristol can deliver, it was revealed that it wasn’t just a rumor. The World’s Fastest Half Mile will host a MLB baseball game, for real.
Introducing The Speedway Classic.
But seriously, at Bristol Motor Speedway?
Yes, it’s true. The Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves will play a regular-season game in the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX, Major League Baseball announced on Friday.
The MLB Speedway Classic, which will be presented by BuildSubmarines.com, will mark the first American League or National League game ever played in Tennessee, which will become the fifth different state across the country since 2016 to host an MLB game that will be a first-time AL or NL contest.
A baseball diamond ready for the Major League game will be planned and built across the infield of the famed Bristol track, at one of the largest standalone sporting venues in the nation.
“On behalf of the team at Bristol Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports, we are thrilled to partner with Major League Baseball to bring the Speedway Classic to the ‘Home of Big Events’ on Aug. 2, 2025,” said Jerry Caldwell, President and General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway in the announcement. “There is deep baseball history in Bristol and around this area, long acknowledged as the heart of the Appalachian League. In addition, Bristol’s location makes it the perfect ‘meet in the middle’ destination for a showdown between these two beloved clubs.”
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Dignitaries present at the announcement included Caldwell, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and baseball legends Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves and Eric Davis of the Reds lending their support of the event.
Jones and Davis were joined by NASCAR drivers Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott and former driver Kevin Harvick in the special announcement. Chastain and Elliott even took Jones and Davis out on the track in two race cars adorned with Atlanta and Cincinnati colors, respectively.
“It’s only appropriate for the World’s Fastest Half-Mile to showcase this game where the talented athletes will be on display in a venue that’s reputation was built on speed and high performance,” commented Caldwell. “We want to give a special thank you to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the General Assembly for their leadership and vision to work alongside Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to help develop this monumental event.”
MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger and FOX Sports reporter Jamie Little emceed the event, with the announcement broadcast live on MLB Network.
Speedway Motorsports President Marcus Smith, owner of Bristol Motor Speedway, was in attendance as well.
“To see NASCAR and MLB pull together, I think this is a great platform for that. I think our fan bases fit naturally together,” Caldwell said. “Those that have been to MLB events, it has to be done in a first-class manner. That’s the way we do everything, and we do, as well. We’ll make sure that it’s a great experience for the fans.”
Caldwell added that “for 20 years, the speedway has carried the phrase ‘It’s Bristol Baby.’ Now coming in 2025, Bristol Motor Speedway shows that there’s nothing it cannot do. From concerts to monster trucks and football games – the Last Great Colosseum will now open its venue to the game of baseball.”
Lee added that “big national events are something we like to do. We think we do it really well. We think people across the country are interested in events that come here. It’s also an interesting congruence with the music industry. So typically, those two things go hand in hand with big sporting events and music. And nobody has music like Tennessee so it’s a good combination.”
The economic impact of the event could exceed $100 million in a positive impact for the upper East Tennessee/Southwest Virginia region.
“When you have an event like this, what happens is, it showcases your state. It showcases this part of the state and the ripple effects of that for months and years to come. It’s hard to measure,” added Lee.
Youngkin was not in attendance for the announcement at BMS. The Virginia governor was in Norton at the grand opening of the new Earthlink facility and inspections along the I-81 corridor.
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MLB Vice President of Global Events Jeremiah Yolkut told the media that MLB is “excited to bring people in Tennessee to a Major League Baseball game for the first time in their state, in their territory. So rather than the fan who comes to our ballparks, we’re bringing a ballpark to them in Tennessee. We’re excited for that.”
Yokult added that “both clubs, from the inception of the idea and then playing in it, have really “leaned in” on what this event is going to be. We’ve worked with them. So, we’re very familiar with both clubs and we have no doubt that together we’re going to make some magic here in Bristol.”
MLB has once again partnered with BaAM Productions, BrightView and Populous on delivering a once-in-a-lifetime experience to sports fans at the Speedway Classic, which will include fan attractions and live music in the ”birthplace of country music.”
MLB Commisioner Rob Manfred, in a statement, said: “Major League Baseball is excited to deliver a special game at Bristol Motor Speedway, a unique setting that sports fans will remember forever. The Reds and the Braves form an ideal matchup because of their dynamic talent and the proximity of their markets. We look forward to celebrating our game with a wide array of fans, both on and off the field throughout the weekend, and highlighting the rich traditions of sports, music and community in Tennessee and across the region.”
Reds President and CEO Phil Castellini said in a prepared statement that “the Reds are excited to be the home team for this unforgettable first at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Thank you to Major League Baseball for making this groundbreaking game happen. We cannot wait for all of Reds Country to cheer on their Reds in this unique and historic setting.”
Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller added that “it is an honor for our organization to be a part of Major League Baseball’s Speedway Classic. Bristol Motor Speedway is sure to offer one of the most exciting and memorable experiences in our game’s history. We look forward to seeing tens of thousands of fans from across Braves Country gather in Bristol next August to cheer on our team in this iconic venue.”
NASCAR Executive Vice President, Chief Venue and Racing Innovation Officer Ben Kennedy said in a statement that the event is “going to be incredibly cool to see Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds descend upon Bristol Motor Speedway, one of NASCAR’s most iconic venues, for what will surely be an extraordinary game and experience in 2025. The Braves and Reds are two storied franchises, and both reside in markets filled with passionate NASCAR fans. Already the site for so many amazing NASCAR moments, Bristol Motor Speedway is the perfect backdrop for this exciting milestone event.”
The transformation of the BMS infield to hold a regulation baseball diamond will be left to Murray Cook of Roanoke, who serves as the MLB field and stadium consultant.
Cook indicated that the event will happen roughly one month before the scheduled night race at BMS, and added that part of one building in the infield will be demolished as well as the removal of some pit walls but with the ability to be put back into use before the September NASCAR race.
Cook is responsible for making it possible for baseball to be played internationally in London, the Field of Dreams game in Iowa, and the recent game honoring the former Negro Leagues in Birmingham this year.
The Speedway Classic will be considered a Reds home date. Pre-sales tickets for the Classic will begin this September and will include early access purchase opportunities for Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds season ticket holders, as well as Bristol Motor Speedway racing ticket-holders.
The public ticket offering is expected this December.
FOX Sports will provide exclusive national coverage of the MLB Speedway Classic. The event will be considered a Reds home date, with two games on Thursday and Friday in Cincinnati now preceding the special Saturday matchup and Sunday being held as a potential rain makeup date.
The MLB Speedway Classic follows other recent special events that have taken groundbreaking Major League games to non-traditional domestic locales, including the 2016 MLB at Fort Bragg game (which included the Braves playing the Miami Marlins); the annual Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., since 2017; MLB in Omaha at the College World Series in 2019; MLB at Field of Dreams in 2021 and 2022 (the latter of which included the Reds playing the Chicago Cubs); and MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues in June of this year.
These events marked the first American League or National League games ever played in North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa and Alabama, respectively.
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