MLB Speedway Classic: What to know about Braves vs. Reds with attendance record set to fall at NASCAR stadium

For the first time ever, a game featuring American or National League teams will be played in Tennessee. The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will meet Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, one of NASCAR's most iconic tracks. The 2025 MLB Speedway Classic will be the first game with AL/NL teams in the state of Tennessee.

"I think it will be pretty sweet. Growing up watching NASCAR races, and being able to play in the center of it is pretty cool," Braves righty Grant Holmes told MLB.com. "... There's going to be a lot of people there. It'll be pretty loud. Those NASCAR fans get pretty rowdy."

The game will be played on the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway and several changes had to be made to accommodate a baseball diamond. Pit walls, gas pumps, and even part of a building had to be taken down. Here's how you can watch Saturday's game:

2025 MLB Speedway Classic

Date: Saturday, August 2 | Time: 7:15 p.m. ET Location: Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tennessee) Live stream: Fubo (Start watching, save $20!) | TV channel: FOXTeams: Atlanta Braves vs. Cincinnati RedsProbable pitchers: RHP Spencer Strider vs. RHP Chase BurnsOdds: Braves (-172), Reds (+142), O/U 9 at FanDuel

Saturday's game will be the final game of a three-game series for the Braves and Reds. The first two games were played on Thursday and Friday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Reds will be the home team for the Speedway Classic, and the two teams will have an off-day on Sunday. Here now is what you need to know about Saturday's historic Speedway Classic.

The field of play

The baseball field is set on the Bristol Motor Speedway infield between Turns 3 and 4 of the race track. The dimensions of the field are almost symmetrical. It is 330 feet down the right and left field lines, and 400 feet to center. It is a little deeper to the left-center field gap (384 feet) than it is to right-center (375 feet). The bullpens are tucked away in the outfield corners.

The field itself is Diamond Series AstroTurf, the same surface used at Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. Following the game, the playing surface will be donated to East Tennessee State University in nearby Johnson City, Tennessee.

An attendance record will be broken

Bristol Motor Speedway seats 146,000 for NASCAR events. For Sunday's game, approximately two-thirds of the facility's seats will be used, and temporary seating has been installed behind the plate and along the first and third baselines. Over 85,000 tickets have been sold, which is a new record for an MLB game. The previous record was 84,587 tickets for a game between Cleveland and the New York Yankees at Cleveland Stadium on Sept. 14, 1954.

Unlike the intimate settings of the Field of Dreams Game in Iowa or last year's Rickwood Field game in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday's Speedway Classic will be a spectacle of grandeur. The field is surrounded by the race track and the sheer size of the facility will make for an atmosphere never before seen for an MLB game.

The teams will wear special uniforms

As a nod to motorsports, the Braves and Reds will wear special caps and uniforms with race car style numbers Saturday, among other neat features. Check it out:

Both starters have Tennessee roots

Saturday's starting pitchers both have roots in Tennessee. Strider was born in Ohio but went to high school in Knoxville, about 110 miles northeast of Bristol Motor Speedway. He is 5-8 with a 3.71 ERA in 14 starts this year. This is Strider's first year back from his second career UCL surgery on his pitching elbow.

As for Burns, he grew up outside Nashville in Gallatin. That's about 380 miles west of Bristol Motor Speedway. Burns pitched for the University of Tennessee in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Wake Forest for his draft year in 2024. The Reds made him the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft and Burns is 0-3 with a 6.27 ERA in six starts this year. It is his MLB debut.

The disappointing Braves are 46-62 and 13 ½ games behind the third wild card spot. The Reds are 57-53 and 3 ½ games out of a postseason berth. Saturday will be a unique experience, but an important game for the Reds nonetheless.