BRISTOL, TENN. — Aug. 3, 2025 — When Larry Carrier opened what would become Bristol Motor Speedway in 1961, this image never crossed his mind: an MLB player standing at home plate near the racing surface waiting on a fastball from the mound 60 feet, six inches away.
Baseball? At Bristol?
Why not? The place built for stock car racing also has hosted professional football, college football, concerts, worship services and boxing, among other events.
With the MLB Speedway Classic presented by BuildSubmarines.com, baseball officially joined the ranks Saturday evening, where the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, two historic National League teams, locked horns for a one-of-a-kind battle at the “Last Great Colosseum.”
Due to persistent rains the event took two days to complete but was a first for MLB in the state of Tennessee, and it attracted a crowd of 85,000-plus, a baseball attendance record that surpassed the mark established more than 70 years prior, when Cleveland Stadium hosted 84,587 on Sept. 12, 1954.
Showers fell several times during the day, and the start of the contest was delayed two hours and 17 minutes by a downpour that started during pregame ceremonies.
The first pitch was finally thrown at 9:41 p.m. ET, but rain intensified, and the game was suspended in the bottom of the first inning with the Reds leading, 1-0. The game resumed Sun-day at 1 p.m. ET, with the Braves prevailing, 4-2.
Celebrities in attendance included Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, one of the Reds’ all-time greats, and Chipper Jones, who held down third base for the Braves for most of two decades. Bench, 77 years old and a baseball immortal, looked like he still might cut you down stealing second base.
The planning took years. The idea first crossed someone’s desk in 2021, and it wasn’t a massive surprise because Bristol has hosted other major events and has one of the world’s biggest seating capacities.
There was a rumor between dugouts that NHL representatives were looking on.