The Last Great Colosseum will soon transform into a baseball stadium as Bristol Motor Speedway hosts Major League Baseball in the "Speedway Classic 2025."
An official announcement took place Friday morning at the half-mile track. Dignitaries confirmed that the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will face off in the first-ever MLB game in Tennessee. This historic matchup will take place on Aug. 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET. Fox will provide coverage for the baseball game.
The baseball field will sit in the Bristol Motor Speedway infield, the area where the NASCAR teams set up their "garages" during race weekends in the spring and fall.
Bristol Motor Speedway will undergo a transformation for the first-ever MLB game in Tennessee. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/7s5BlMyzdK
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) August 9, 2024
According to Fox Sports, the construction will include removing part of the pit road wall, as well as one of the buildings where teams mount wheels on tires.
Fox Sports says that the dimensions will be 330 feet down the lines and 400 feet to center. The left-center distance will be 384 feet and the right-center distance will be 375 feet.
"I think it's awesome," Chase Elliott said during the unveiling event. "Bristol has always been a special place to me for that reason being on the racing side, obviously, but just to be a Braves fan. And that's what I am."
Bristol Motor Speedway President Jerry Caldwell explained on Friday that this collaboration with MLB is one that was years in the making. He confirmed that the planning for the massive event and the required reconfiguration is well underway and has been for years.
"This place is just massive," Caldwell said. "There's nothing else like it in the world. So we love showing off Bristol Motor Speedway and then being able to host amazing events."
The tickets for the MLB game, which will feature some country music flair, will go on sale to the general public in early December. There will be a presale starting on Sept. 16 for Bristol Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series ticket holders (2024 or 2025) and Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds Season Ticket Members.
"Major League Baseball is excited to deliver a special game at Bristol Motor Speedway, a unique setting that sports fans will remember forever," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "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."