Bristol Motor Speedway To Host MLB Game In 2025

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Bristol Motor Speedway will host a regular season Major League Baseball game in 2025 between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, the track announced Friday alongside MLB officials.

“On behalf of the team at Bristol Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports, we are thrilled to partner with Major League Baseball to bring the Speedway Classic to the ‘Home of Big Events’ on Aug. 2, 2025,” said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. “There is deep baseball history in Bristol and around this area, long acknowledged as the heart of the Appalachian League.

“Bristol’s location makes it the perfect ‘meet in the middle’ destination for a showdown between these two beloved clubs. It’s only appropriate for the World’s Fastest Half-Mile to showcase this game where the talented athletes will be on display in a venue that’s reputation was built on speed and high performance.”

The game, coined the “MLB Speedway Classic ’25,” will take place inside the BMS infield. Scheduled for Aug. 2, it will serve as a home game for the Reds. FOX will broadcast the event. 

Bristol hosted the “Battle at Bristol” in 2016 — a regular-season college football game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech. It drew an NCAA record 156,990 fans. 

MLB has played games in unique locations in the past. A regular-season game was played at Fort Bragg (N.C.) in 2016, Omaha, Neb. in 2019 and at the Field of Dreams (Iowa) in 2021. The St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants played at Rickwood Field earlier this year, and the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers will play in the Little League Classic later this month — continuing a tradition in Williamsport, Pa. 

The Speedway Classic, though, will be a first for all parties involved.

“Major League Baseball is excited to deliver a special game at Bristol Motor Speedway, a unique setting that sports fans will remember forever,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. “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.”

Pre-sale tickets go on sale Sept. 16 for those with tickets to NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol and Braves and Reds season-ticket holders. Tickets for the general public go on sale in early December. Camping will be available.