The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds were ready to start their engines Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.
Then Mother Nature waved the red flag.
The MLB Speedway Classic began with a rain delay, deflating the adrenaline that had pumped up everyone inside one of NASCAR’s most famous tracks.
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Pregame festivities included performances from Pitbull and Tim McGraw, U.S. Navy Musician First Class Kathryn Dobyns singing the national anthem, NASCAR pit crews helping introduce the starting lineups by servicing Braves- and Reds-themed stock cars and a flyover by four U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.
But the rain started coming down. It was pouring when Braves icon Chipper Jones and Reds legend Johnny Bench participated in the ceremonial first pitches.
Jones, an eight-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion with the Braves, threw to NASCAR driver Chase Elliott.
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Fellow NASCAR driver Kyle Busch — a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion — walked out to Bench, a 14-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the Reds, and traded spots, allowing the 77-year-old Bench to man his old position as catcher.
As the rain continued to hit the converted diamond in the heart of the race track, the tarp came out.
Nevertheless, fans expected to break MLB’s all-time regular-season, single-game attendance record attendance Saturday remain excited for a breathtaking experience.
Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci are collecting interviews for Fox Sports during the delay, showcasing how players and coaches for both teams share that enthusiasm.
This story is being updated.
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