When does the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol take place?
In a historic moment for Major League Baseball (MLB), the MLB Speedway Classic held on August 2, 2025, at Bristol Motor Speedway set a new regular-season single-game attendance record. With over 85,000 tickets sold, the event surpassed the previous record of 84,587 established in 1954 at Cleveland Stadium.
The Speedway Classic attracted approximately two-thirds of Bristol Motor Speedway's roughly 146,000 NASCAR seating capacity, supplemented with additional temporary seating behind home plate and along the baselines. This marked a significant departure from traditional baseball stadiums, as Bristol is primarily a NASCAR track and has a much larger seating capacity than typical MLB venues.
Compared to other sports events at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Speedway Classic was uniquely large for an MLB game but still used fewer than half the total NASCAR seating capacity. While NASCAR events regularly draw crowds close to Bristol’s full capacity, this MLB event was notable for bringing professional baseball to such a large and distinctly nontraditional venue.
The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will square off in this spectacle, with Chipper Jones, Braves Hall of Famer and World Series Champion, throwing the ceremonial first pitch to Johnny Bench, Reds Hall of Famer and 14-time All-Star selection. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET, and coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on Fox.
The synthetic grass being used for the field is the same surface used by the Toronto Blue Jays. Fox Sports plans to use 40 cameras for the MLB Speedway Classic broadcast, including in-car cameras on two classic bullpen cars, a rover device, or RC Car Camera, that will speed around the racetrack, and unique cameras such as an UmpCam at home plate, a drone from Beverly Hills Aerials, and drone shots from a helicopter.
Tim McGraw will headline the pregame concert, and the MLB Speedway Classic is expected to set a new MLB regular-season attendance record. With an attendance of 156,990 fans, the "Battle at Bristol" set a single-game NCAA attendance record in 2016 at the same venue. The event marks a landmark for MLB in leveraging large motorsport venues to set attendance records and attract diverse fanbases.
As Bristol Motor Speedway, nicknamed "The Last Great Colosseum," continues to host big sporting events, the MLB Speedway Classic will feature the Braves and Reds wearing NASCAR-inspired special uniforms. The MLB Speedway Classic is presented by BuildSubmarines.com. With an attendance of over 85,000, the Speedway Classic has set a new standard for MLB attendance, showcasing the enduring appeal of America's pastime in unconventional settings.
The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will face each other in a unique MLB game, the Speedway Classic, taking place at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 2, 2025, a significant departure from traditional baseball stadiums. This historic game, which will be broadcast by Fox, promises to set a new MLB regular-season attendance record, as it did during the NASCAR event "Battle at Bristol" in 2016 with an attendance of 156,990 fans.
