A LEGENDARY race track once left dormant is being gutted and rebuilt, but not for racing.
Major League Baseball is transforming the Bristol Motor Speedway into a full-blown baseball stadium.
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The Tennessee speedway, long tied to NASCAR’s glory days, is almost unrecognizable amid the construction.
The multi-million-dollar effort is for the MLB Speedway Classic on Saturday, August 2, where the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will face off.
The game will begin at 7:00 pm ET and will be nationally broadcast on FOX.
Speedway turned ballpark
Crews are tearing through the infield, removing structures and flattening the ground with nearly 18,000 tons of gravel,
On top of that, they’re laying down another 340 tons of clay to create a base for a synthetic turf.
The surface will be similar to the artificial field at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, Front Office Sports reported.
Massive lighting rigs will be added to ensure baseball visibility standards are met.
More changes include fencing, foul poles, padding, and pop-up facilities for weight rooms, training spaces, and batting cages.
The site is following in the footsteps of past MLB event games like the Field of Dreams in Iowa.
This marks the first-ever American or National League game played in Tennessee.
Tennessee will be the fifth new state to host an inaugural AL/NL game since 2016, after North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa, and Alabama.
“This is kind of like Christmas for us,” said Bristol Motor Speedway president Jerry Caldwell.
“We’ve been preparing for a few years now for a Christmas meal, and we’ve now at least gotten the food together, and are starting to prepare.
“Our engineers are pleased with the progress to date, and we’ll be continuing to move that along over the next few weeks.”
MLB Speedway Fact Sheet
- MLB has 30 teams, split between the American and National Leagues
- The MLB Speedway Classic will be played August 2, 2025
- The game will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee
- Atlanta Braves will face the Cincinnati Reds
- This is the first time an MLB game will be played inside a NASCAR track
- The venue is being leveled with 18,000+ tons of gravel
- 340 tons of clay are being added as a base for the synthetic turf
- The surface will be similar to Toronto’s Rogers Centre artificial field
- The largest baseball crowd on record is 115,300 at a 2008 exhibition game
- Bristol Motor Speedway has a maximum capacity of – 165,000
- Setup includes temporary locker rooms, batting cages, and lighting
- All MLB structures will be removed after the game for NASCAR’s Sept. 13 event
- MLB will also host concerts and a fan festival during the Speedway Classic
Limited view, big crowd
Despite its 165,000-person capacity, not every seat will be used for the game.
MLB says it’s trying to balance crowd size with decent sightlines due to the unique oval layout of the track.
Still, it could break records, potentially challenging the 115,300 fans who watched the Red Sox-Dodgers game in 2008 at LA Memorial Coliseum.
Officials say the final headcount “will be historic.”
Former MLB player and current Network analyst Sean Casey said: “To think about a baseball game being in Bristol, the history of the speedway, and what that’s meant to NASCAR … it’s going to be a one-of-a-kind thing.”
Casey also joined Yankees legend Nick Swisher, NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael Waltrip, and speedway officials on a media blitz in New York City to promote the game.
“Sports fans in general are going to want to be a part of this,” Swisher said.
“Reaching out to this many fans in new ways like the Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway is exactly what you want to do to grow the game.”
Casey said players should “savor every second” of the opportunity and lean into the unique field.
“We are good at bringing a couple of our own ‘NASCARs’ out for the game in speedsters Elly De La Cruz and Ronald Acuña,” Swisher said.
Baseball meets NASCAR
Waltrip, a FOX racing analyst, praised the crossover between the two sports.
“It’s really cool to me how MLB and NASCAR are on the same track, each reaching out to new audiences,” he said.
Stenhouse, who used to pitch and play first base in high school, said he’d love to throw out some pitches, but NASCAR’s schedule has him in Iowa that weekend.
“Hopefully the fans will show up at Bristol and enjoy the game and then come back in a few weeks and watch the Night Race,” he said.
But the game isn’t the only draw.
Concerts and fan fest
MLB has booked live performances by stars including Tim McGraw, Pitbull, Jake Owen, Timothy Wayne, Reyna Roberts, and Adam Doleac.
There’ll also be a fan festival onsite to round out the experience.
“We’re working to make sure that for every fan who walks through that door, there’s a value proposition for them,” said MLB event director Aaron Kaplan.
“Whether they want to be closer to home plate, closer to the concert, or anywhere in between.”
Once the game is over, all the added structures will be torn down.
Bristol Motor Speedway will be prepped for NASCAR’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race set for September 13.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred called the matchup “a special game at Bristol Motor Speedway, a unique setting that sports fans will remember forever.”
“The Reds and the Braves form an ideal matchup because of their dynamic talent and the proximity of their markets,” he said in a statement.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also praised the event, saying, “Baseball is a great American brand that belongs in Tennessee.”
He added that the game would contribute to economic growth across the state.
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