Major League Baseball set an attendance record for a single game with the MLB Speedway Classic held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee with 91,032 tickets sold for the event originally scheduled for Saturday.
The event was postponed by rain with less than one inning completed after a rain delay, forcing the game to be played Sunday afternoon. Noticeably fewer fans returned to Bristol when the game resumed, which casts doubt on the actual attendance figure. Nonetheless, the setting created a spectacle for MLB and those who attended the historic event.
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Bristol Motor Speedway’s “Colossus TV” scoreboard hanging near the baseball field created a unique visual setting for the MLB Speedway Classic. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Daniel Shirey via Getty Images)
Pregame pageantry
Organizers took major steps to make the Speedway Classic feel like a special event. Pregame introductions were far more extravagant than what would be seen for a typical regular-season MLB game. Festivities included a flyover by four U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.
Noelvi Marte of the Cincinnati Reds takes the field during pregame introductions before the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Daniel Shirey via Getty Images)
Fans cheer during a flyover before the MLB Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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Great spectacle, not a great view
Fans sitting behind the outfield wall were farther from the field than usual with the Bristol Motor Speedway track between the fence and seating sections.
Fans wait in the rain before the MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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Hall of Famers in the rain
Reds icon Johnny Bench and Braves legend Chipper Jones were set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for Saturday’s event under soggy conditions. While the latter did throw to NASCAR’s reigning most popular driver Chase Elliott, two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch ran the ball out to Bench, allowing the Hall of Famer to reprise his catcher role. The setting became even less than ideal when the game was postponed until Sunday due to rain.
Cincinnati Reds icon Johnny Bench and Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the MLB Speedway Classic. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
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Fewer fans returned after postponement
Understandably, many fewer fans returned to Bristol Motor Speedway when the MLB Speedway Classic resumed Sunday after being postponed. Travel arrangements and lodging accommodations surely compelled several spectators to return home, especially with workdays looming Monday.
The crowd was notably smaller when the MLB Speedway Classic resumed Sunday after being postponed due to rain Saturday. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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Bristol Motor Speedway swallows the baseball field
Just how big is the race track at Bristol Motor Speedway? For those unfamiliar with auto racing or the venue itself, the baseball field that the Braves and Reds played on took up half of the infield. That created a unique visual setting, while also allowing other events surrounding the game — including concert performances by Tim McGraw and Pitbull — to be held inside the venue.
The baseball field for the MLB Speedway Classic occupied half of the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Rob Tringali via Getty Images)
The Colossus looms
Some might have questioned why the baseball field was built on one side of the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway, rather than positioned in the middle of the racetrack.
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Besides allowing for the outer bowl of the venue to be situated behind the outfield, the playing surface also had to be placed away from “Colossus,” the enormous scoreboard and LED screen suspended above the infield. Colossus was in foul territory, where it couldn’t interfere with balls in play.
“Colossus TV,” the giant scoreboard and LED screen suspended above Bristol Motor Speedway hangs in foul territory for the MLB Speedway Classic, away from the field of play. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Daniel Shirey via Getty Images)
The Home Run Car goes racing
The combination of auto racing venue and baseball game may have best been displayed by the Home Run Car that raced around the Bristol Motor Speedway track after a home run. The car, with a flag saying “HOME RUN” waving out of the passenger-side window, drove around the track twice Sunday with Eli White hitting two home runs for the Braves.
The MLB Speedway Classic’s Home Run car rounds the track after a home run by the Atlanta Braves’ Eli White. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Rob Tringali via Getty Images)
Checkered flag waves for Eli White
Braves outfielder Eli White was responsible for all four runs in Atlanta’s 4-2 win over the Reds with two home runs. He received the MLB Speedway Classic trophy with a checkered flag signifying the event’s race track setting waving behind him.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Eli White hit two home runs with four RBI in the team’s 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the MLB Speedway Classic. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Jamie Squire via Getty Images)
Though rain dampened the MLB Speedway Classic, the setting at Bristol Motor Speedway created a spectacle for many memorable images that established a new standard for future showcase events in non-traditional settings for Major League Baseball games.
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