Latest news with #SpeedwayClassic
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Pitbull and Tim McGraw to perform before Braves vs. Reds at Bristol Motor Speedway
Major League Baseball is proud to announce that, for the first time, entertainment and sports will face off against each other, as MLB presents the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug 02, 2025. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The event features an MLB regular-season game between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, marking the first-ever MLB game in the state of Tennessee. In addition, country musician Tim McGraw is set to perform a pregame concert, as well as international pop phenomenon Pitbull, making it an unforgettable experience for fans. A historic venue, Bristol Motor Speedway, meets America's pastime This will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway, which is known for NASCAR, but will convert its famous half-mile oval into a baseball diamond just for this event. The site, which can set 165,000 or more, has been the site of large-scale events, including the 2016 college football record-setting game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The Speedway Classic is another move from MLB's playbook to make baseball more accessible away from traditional stadiums and ballparks, but not the first, given the successful 'Field of Dreams' game in Iowa and games already played at Fort Bragg and Rickwood Field. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will air nationally on FOX, and will be considered a home game for the Reds. There will be a temporary baseball diamond over the infield of the speedway with 330-foot lines and a 400-foot centerfield. Looks like one can kill two birds with one stone, as these guys try to set up an innovative viewing experience, combining the suspense of baseball with a big-race venue. Music and baseball collide for an unforgettable event Tim McGraw and Pitbull are also part of the entertainment-centric vibe of the announcement, with a pregame concert before the event. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now McGraw has a baseball background, with his dad, Tug McGraw, being a two-time World Series champion. The parties are even more fun with the lively Ojito himself – Pitbull, who brings the heat into your backyard. Together, the two will kick off the evening, emphasizing the intersection between sports and music in an electrifying tone. Also Read: MLB Speedway Classic tickets are on sale on the Cincinnati Reds' website, and a share of sales during December will aid local non-profits. Anyone who plans to be in the Denver area during the 2025 MLB season should book their seats now for this historic game, as it will undoubtedly be one of the defining moments of the 2025 season.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Manfred eager to see how many fans turn out for the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol
Derek Schiller, president and CEO of the Atlanta Braves, speaks during a news conference about the Speedway Classic baseball game, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race is run in Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Bristol, Tenn. (Andrew Coppley, CIA Bristol Motor Speedway via AP, Pool, File) Derek Schiller, president and CEO of the Atlanta Braves, speaks during a news conference about the Speedway Classic baseball game, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race is run in Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Bristol, Tenn. (Andrew Coppley, CIA Bristol Motor Speedway via AP, Pool, File) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Major League Baseball has played at the 'Field of Dreams' movie site. Now baseball is eager to see just how big a crowd will show up for a game at a NASCAR bullring of a track. And Bristol Motor Speedway can hold a lot of people. Advertisement It's part of Commissioner Rob Manfred's push to take MLB to locations where baseball isn't played every day live. MLB played a game at the movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, too. Now it's Tennessee's turn. Manfred noted Tuesday after speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports Presented by Sports Business Journal that the Tennessee Volunteers are the defending college baseball national champions with Vanderbilt winner of two college titles. Manfred sees lots of alignment between NASCAR and MLB fans. 'Big crowd, big crowd,' Manfred said of what is expected at Bristol on Aug. 2. 'We think that it's an opportunity to have a really large audience for a major league game, and we think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.' Advertisement Nobody is ready to put a number on how many will turn out for the MLB Speedway Classic when the Cincinnati Reds host the Atlanta Braves. Bristol set a record for a college football game in 2016 and has a capacity of 146,000 for racing. This game will be played on a field laid over part of the speedway infield and the high-banked track. Derek Schiller, president and chief executive officer of the Braves, said MLB approached the team a few years ago about this possibility. Schiller said the Braves were adamant about wanting to be a part of this game. 'We know that there's a uniqueness to it that is unmatched,' Schiller said. "Playing a baseball game at a motor speedway and being part of that was really important also because this is part of where our fan base comes from. So we we think many, maybe most of those fans are going to be Atlanta Braves' fans.' Advertisement Officials announced Tuesday that country superstar Tim McGraw will perform a concert an hour before first pitch. McGraw has ties to baseball having earned a college scholarship playing the sport. His late father Tug McGraw won two World Series titles pitching for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. That's just part of the day of events planned leading up to the game. Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, would only tease that more announcements are coming. All are designed to give fans reasons to get to the track and into their seats as early as possible. Hosting an event like this is nothing new for Bristol. The track hosted the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech in the Battle of Bristol in 2016 before a record 156,990 fans. So track officials have experience adapting the half-mile concrete track into something new. Caldwell said preparations started before the track's spring race April 13, won by Kyle Larson. Bristol then will have six weeks until hosting a night NASCAR Cup Series race in the playoffs on Sept. 13. Advertisement 'It's becoming very real," Caldwell said. "We're approaching 100 days out from the game, and we're thrilled with the progress.' ___ AP MLB: and AP NASCAR:
Fox Sports
13-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
2025 Food City 500 - Live Leaderboard - April 13, 2025
KEY EVENT Kyle Larson takes the lead in lap 40 after Alex Bowman led 39 consecutive laps. Johnny Bench's thoughts on the Speedway Classic: 'It's going to be so fun' | NASCAR on FOX share facebook x reddit link KEY EVENT The green flag to begin the race was raised at 3:13 PM ET Denny Hamlin's pre-race interview from Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway | NASCAR on FOX share facebook x reddit link KEY EVENT The orange flag was raised at 2:49 PM ET
