Major League Baseball will host a special regular season game between the Cincinatti Reds and … More
Some have thought it quirky to host a Major League Baseball game at a NASCAR speedway, but fans have purchased tickets at a phenomenal pace. With it, MLB is about to set a new regular-season attendance record.
When the Atlanta Braves face off against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, August 2, the game will be hosted as a special event at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Major League Baseball has built a special field inside the iconic oval where some of NASCAR’s greatest races have taken place. If there were questions about whether the game would draw fans, MLB will see the fruits of the special event at the bottom line.
According to the league, the MLB Speedway Classic is expected to break the all-time regular season single-game attendance record of 84,587, which dates back to September 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees. As of Monday, more than 85,000 tickets have been sold. For context, the largest attended non-regular season game was a preseason exhibition game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in March 2008, which drew 115,300 in attendance. The largest-attended World Series game is 92,706, when the Dodgers hosted the White Sox at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 6, 1959.
The pre-game festivities will lean heavily into cross-promotion with NASCAR, including a pregame player parade, NASCAR-style driver introductions, racing-themed between-inning activations featuring fans of all ages, and an on-field, NASCAR “Victory Lane” celebration for the winning team with a custom Speedway Classic trophy presentation.
The ceremonial first pitch will feature Hall of Famers Chipper Jones throwing to Johnny Bench.
Musical guests throughout the day will include Tim McGraw, Pitbull, and Jake Owen.
The MLB Speedway Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports on Saturday, Aug. 2nd, with first pitch at 7:15 p.m. (ET).