Major League Baseball is joining forces with the motorsports world. Next season the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves will play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, one of NASCAR's most iconic venues, dubbed as the MLB Speedway Classic '25. The league announced the plans on Friday, setting the date for Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.
"Major League Baseball is excited to deliver a special game at Bristol Motor Speedway, a unique setting that sports fans will remember forever," MLB Commisioner Rob Manfred said. "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."
The Reds will serve as the home team, with them also hosting two games in Cincinnati prior to the Speedway Classic. (Sunday will be observed as an off day for both clubs.)
Bristol Motor Speedway is located near the Tennessee/Virginia state line and about 90 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina. It seats approximately 150,000 fans for NASCAR events and has rarely hosted non-motorsport events. In 2016, Tennessee and Virginia Tech played a college football game on the infield that drew 156,990 fans, a record for an NCAA football game. MLB.com noted that the "baseball diamond will be built across the track and infield of the legendary speedway."
Here's what the diamond will look like inside the venue:
In addition to international games (London, South Korea, etc.), MLB has also played games at unique venues in the United States in recent years. Here are some recent examples:
- June 20, 2024: St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama
- Aug. 12, 2021 and Aug. 11, 2022: Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa
- July 3, 2019: Braves vs. Miami Marlins at Fort Bragg
- June 13, 2019: Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals in Omaha, Nebraska
The Little League Classic has been played annually since 2017 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This year's game will feature the Tigers and New York Yankees on Aug. 18.
As non-division rivals, the Braves and Reds are scheduled to play two series in 2025: May 5-8 in Atlanta and Aug. 1-3 in Cincinnati/Bristol.
The largest crowd ever for an MLB game is 115,300 for an exhibition game between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on March 29, 2008. It is the only MLB game ever with more than 100,000 people in attendance.
