Latest news with #SteveSwift
04-08-2025
- Automotive
Race on for Bristol Motor Speedway to prepare for NASCAR after hosting the MLB Speedway Classic
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- The instant the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Braves cleared the baseball diamond inside the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway, a new clock started. 'The Last Great Colosseum' has to switch from hosting the MLB Speedway Classic and be ready for NASCAR's return to the historic racetrack hosting a playoff chase race Sept. 13. 'As soon as the last pitch is thrown, the last hit's hit, teams do their thing, postgame's taken care of, pads will start coming off the wall, and they'll work through the night to basically start disassembling so we can reassemble for the NASCAR race,' said Steve Swift, Speedway Motorsports' senior vice president of operations. Major League Baseball used BaAM to create everything from clubhouses for the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds complete with showers, strength and conditioning rooms, coach and trainers' offices and batting cages. Grandstands down both base lines with broadcast booths. Pit walls taken down to keep the Reds and Braves from crashing into them have to be rebuilt. Swift said pouring concrete walls does take time and then more time to cure properly. Additives can help concrete cure faster, but that's just one of the reconstruction issues causing obstacles. Swift said Bristol has had great partners planning for all the details of making this happen. Now it's time for Bristol Motor Speedway to go from hosting the first MLB regular-season game in the state of Tennessee and setting a record with a paid attendance of 91,032 back to its racing roots. 'It is difficult, but it's things that we like,' Swift said. "It gives us a challenge and we like challenges.' The transformation to a baseball diamond in the infield required 17,500 tons of gravel to level the infield, then 340 tons of Pennsylvania clay for the playing surface. Braves first baseman Matt Olson said Saturday that he couldn't believe Bristol was transformed all for one game. Well, everything that can be recycled will be used somewhere after the baseball diamond is removed. Some of the gravel will be used in Bristol Motor Speedway's parking lots. Swift said they have found groups to help use some of the materials to help people still recovering from the damages left by Hurricane Helene. That includes 2x4s and plywood used for the grandstands. 'A lot of stuff is going to go to good use as far as the rebuild portion," Swift said. "We just need to get it out of the way so we can put back asphalt and concrete.' This new renovation schedule has a couple of days built in for protection. The target date for being finished is Sept. 7. 'There may still be some paint drying whenever they roll in with the Goodyear haulers, but we'll definitely shoot for that (Sept. 7) day," Swift said. "And at the latest, we're looking at Tuesday.' Bristol hosted a college football game in 2016 that drew 156,990. Now the NHL might be in Bristol's future after Sportico reported Friday that league officials would be checking out how the racetrack handled Major League Baseball. When asked about possibly hosting an outdoor hockey game, Swift only said a hockey rink would be similar to a football field and that Speedway Motorsports has big dreams for what is possible at places like Bristol. 'We've shown with football and now baseball being here, that things can take place and we can do the the things that nobody would even think about,' Swift said.
Winnipeg Free Press
04-08-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Race on for Bristol Motor Speedway to prepare for NASCAR after hosting the MLB Speedway Classic
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — The instant the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Braves cleared the baseball diamond inside the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway, a new clock started. 'The Last Great Colosseum' has to switch from hosting the MLB Speedway Classic and be ready for NASCAR's return to the historic racetrack hosting a playoff chase race Sept. 13. 'As soon as the last pitch is thrown, the last hit's hit, teams do their thing, postgame's taken care of, pads will start coming off the wall, and they'll work through the night to basically start disassembling so we can reassemble for the NASCAR race,' said Steve Swift, Speedway Motorsports' senior vice president of operations. Major League Baseball used BaAM to create everything from clubhouses for the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds complete with showers, strength and conditioning rooms, coach and trainers' offices and batting cages. Grandstands down both base lines with broadcast booths. Pit walls taken down to keep the Reds and Braves from crashing into them have to be rebuilt. Swift said pouring concrete walls does take time and then more time to cure properly. Additives can help concrete cure faster, but that's just one of the reconstruction issues causing obstacles. Swift said Bristol has had great partners planning for all the details of making this happen. Now it's time for Bristol Motor Speedway to go from hosting the first MLB regular-season game in the state of Tennessee and setting a record with a paid attendance of 91,032 back to its racing roots. 'It is difficult, but it's things that we like,' Swift said. 'It gives us a challenge and we like challenges.' The transformation to a baseball diamond in the infield required 17,500 tons of gravel to level the infield, then 340 tons of Pennsylvania clay for the playing surface. Braves first baseman Matt Olson said Saturday that he couldn't believe Bristol was transformed all for one game. Well, everything that can be recycled will be used somewhere after the baseball diamond is removed. Some of the gravel will be used in Bristol Motor Speedway's parking lots. Swift said they have found groups to help use some of the materials to help people still recovering from the damages left by Hurricane Helene. That includes 2x4s and plywood used for the grandstands. 'A lot of stuff is going to go to good use as far as the rebuild portion,' Swift said. 'We just need to get it out of the way so we can put back asphalt and concrete.' This new renovation schedule has a couple of days built in for protection. The target date for being finished is Sept. 7. 'There may still be some paint drying whenever they roll in with the Goodyear haulers, but we'll definitely shoot for that (Sept. 7) day,' Swift said. 'And at the latest, we're looking at Tuesday.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Bristol hosted a college football game in 2016 that drew 156,990. Now the NHL might be in Bristol's future after Sportico reported Friday that league officials would be checking out how the racetrack handled Major League Baseball. When asked about possibly hosting an outdoor hockey game, Swift only said a hockey rink would be similar to a football field and that Speedway Motorsports has big dreams for what is possible at places like Bristol. 'We've shown with football and now baseball being here, that things can take place and we can do the the things that nobody would even think about,' Swift said. ___ AP auto racing:
San Francisco Chronicle
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
From racetrack to ballpark: Bristol's MLB transformation shifts into high gear
Turning a racetrack into a baseball field worthy of hosting Major League Baseball takes time and a plan. Demolition started in early June with heavy construction now in high gear to transform Bristol Motor Speedway into a ballpark — if only for the Aug. 2 Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds in the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee. As of Tuesday, Bristol no longer is a racetrack. 'It's not going to be good to have a 2-foot wall ... in the outfield for a player to run into, so naturally those had to go,' Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations development for Speedway Motorsports, said. Turning this track into a ballpark requires about 17,500 tons of gravel to level the infield. Murray Cook, president of BrightView Sports Turf Division, said trucks will start bringing in 340 tons of Pennsylvania clay for the playing surface later this week. The grass will be synthetic with 124,000 square feet set to be laid down with this field using the same surface as the Blue Jays in Toronto. There will be fencing, padding and foul poles. Musco Sports Lighting is adding 215 lights to the top of the track so no ball should be lost in a shadow. 'The field obviously is a big part of this event, and we're making it as major league level as it needs to be for this game,' Cook said. Hosting an MLB game requires much more than just a field. BaAM is helping MLB and Bristol so that the teams have locker rooms complete with showers, strength and conditioning rooms, coach and trainers' offices, batting cages and even a full weight room. 'Everything that we're going to do is temporary in nature, and it's been precisely planned layers and layers," BaAM president Annemarie Roe said. "We have about 33 days from today until we hand over to baseball operations.' There will be grandstands down both the first- and third-base lines with broadcast booths, camera platforms, media positions and video replay included along with audio and video components. Concessions and merchandise will be available for fans on game day. For any players wanting to go over the wall, they'll have to carry 400 feet to clear center field, 375 in the alleys and 330 down each base line. True renovations always reveal something owners don't expect. Same goes for Bristol officials who found out they won't have to replace everything after Aug. 2. Swift said they won't have to replace the Sunoco pumps and tanks with NASCAR now bringing those to each race. The Sunoco signs also are gone to avoid sitting in center field. Half an infield building was removed to clear space for the outfield wall. Bristol has loads of experience with extreme track makeovers from bringing in dump trucks of dirt for races. This track hosted a college football game in the Battle of Bristol, drawing an NCAA-record 156,990 fans in 2016. Interest has been big, and MLB is planning a lot of events before the first pitch with Pitbull and Tim McGraw already set for a pregame concert from a stage in the infield. Country star Jake Owen will highlight more performances outside the track announced Tuesday. The fan zone also will feature the Commissioner's Trophy, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages, team mascots and being Bristol — branded MLB stock cars for photos. Bristol will have a chance at the record for the largest crowd to see a baseball game. A March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum drew 115,300. Once the Reds and Braves wrap up and all the fans leave, the next challenge begins. Bristol will race against the clock to turn the field back into a track for a night race in the NASCAR playoffs Sept. 13.
Hamilton Spectator
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
From racetrack to ballpark: Bristol's MLB transformation shifts into high gear
Turning a racetrack into a baseball field worthy of hosting Major League Baseball takes time and a plan. Demolition started in early June with heavy construction now in high gear to transform Bristol Motor Speedway into a ballpark — if only for the Aug. 2 Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds in the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee . As of Tuesday, Bristol no longer is a racetrack. 'It's not going to be good to have a 2-foot wall ... in the outfield for a player to run into, so naturally those had to go,' Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations development for Speedway Motorsports, said. Turning this track into a ballpark requires about 17,500 tons of gravel to level the infield. Murray Cook, president of BrightView Sports Turf Division, said trucks will start bringing in 340 tons of Pennsylvania clay for the playing surface later this week. The grass will be synthetic with 124,000 square feet set to be laid down with this field using the same surface as the Blue Jays in Toronto. There will be fencing, padding and foul poles. Musco Sports Lighting is adding 215 lights to the top of the track so no ball should be lost in a shadow. 'The field obviously is a big part of this event, and we're making it as major league level as it needs to be for this game,' Cook said. Hosting an MLB game requires much more than just a field. BaAM is helping MLB and Bristol so that the teams have locker rooms complete with showers, strength and conditioning rooms, coach and trainers' offices, batting cages and even a full weight room. 'Everything that we're going to do is temporary in nature, and it's been precisely planned layers and layers,' BaAM president Annemarie Roe said. 'We have about 33 days from today until we hand over to baseball operations.' There will be grandstands down both the first- and third-base lines with broadcast booths, camera platforms, media positions and video replay included along with audio and video components. Concessions and merchandise will be available for fans on game day. For any players wanting to go over the wall, they'll have to carry 400 feet to clear center field, 375 in the alleys and 330 down each base line. True renovations always reveal something owners don't expect. Same goes for Bristol officials who found out they won't have to replace everything after Aug. 2. Swift said they won't have to replace the Sunoco pumps and tanks with NASCAR now bringing those to each race. The Sunoco signs also are gone to avoid sitting in center field. Half an infield building was removed to clear space for the outfield wall. Bristol has loads of experience with extreme track makeovers from bringing in dump trucks of dirt for races . This track hosted a college football game in the Battle of Bristol, drawing an NCAA-record 156,990 fans in 2016. Interest has been big, and MLB is planning a lot of events before the first pitch with Pitbull and Tim McGraw already set for a pregame concert from a stage in the infield. Country star Jake Owen will highlight more performances outside the track announced Tuesday. The fan zone also will feature the Commissioner's Trophy, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages, team mascots and being Bristol — branded MLB stock cars for photos. Bristol will have a chance at the record for the largest crowd to see a baseball game. A March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum drew 115,300. Once the Reds and Braves wrap up and all the fans leave, the next challenge begins. Bristol will race against the clock to turn the field back into a track for a night race in the NASCAR playoffs Sept. 13. 'There's the right way, the wrong way, and the speedway,' Swift said. ___ AP MLB: and AP auto racing:
Fox Sports
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
From racetrack to ballpark: Bristol's MLB transformation shifts into high gear
Associated Press Turning a racetrack into a baseball field worthy of hosting Major League Baseball takes time and a plan. Demolition started in early June with heavy construction now in high gear to transform Bristol Motor Speedway into a ballpark — if only for the Aug. 2 Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds in the first MLB game in the state of Tennessee. As of Tuesday, Bristol no longer is a racetrack. 'It's not going to be good to have a 2-foot wall ... in the outfield for a player to run into, so naturally those had to go,' Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations development for Speedway Motorsports, said. Turning this track into a ballpark requires about 17,500 tons of gravel to level the infield. Murray Cook, president of BrightView Sports Turf Division, said trucks will start bringing in 340 tons of Pennsylvania clay for the playing surface later this week. The grass will be synthetic with 124,000 square feet set to be laid down with this field using the same surface as the Blue Jays in Toronto. There will be fencing, padding and foul poles. Musco Sports Lighting is adding 215 lights to the top of the track so no ball should be lost in a shadow. 'The field obviously is a big part of this event, and we're making it as major league level as it needs to be for this game,' Cook said. Hosting an MLB game requires much more than just a field. BaAM is helping MLB and Bristol so that the teams have locker rooms complete with showers, strength and conditioning rooms, coach and trainers' offices, batting cages and even a full weight room. 'Everything that we're going to do is temporary in nature, and it's been precisely planned layers and layers," BaAM president Annemarie Roe said. "We have about 33 days from today until we hand over to baseball operations.' There will be grandstands down both the first- and third-base lines with broadcast booths, camera platforms, media positions and video replay included along with audio and video components. Concessions and merchandise will be available for fans on game day. For any players wanting to go over the wall, they'll have to carry 400 feet to clear center field, 375 in the alleys and 330 down each base line. True renovations always reveal something owners don't expect. Same goes for Bristol officials who found out they won't have to replace everything after Aug. 2. Swift said they won't have to replace the Sunoco pumps and tanks with NASCAR now bringing those to each race. The Sunoco signs also are gone to avoid sitting in center field. Half an infield building was removed to clear space for the outfield wall. Bristol has loads of experience with extreme track makeovers from bringing in dump trucks of dirt for races. This track hosted a college football game in the Battle of Bristol, drawing an NCAA-record 156,990 fans in 2016. Interest has been big, and MLB is planning a lot of events before the first pitch with Pitbull and Tim McGraw already set for a pregame concert from a stage in the infield. Country star Jake Owen will highlight more performances outside the track announced Tuesday. The fan zone also will feature the Commissioner's Trophy, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages, team mascots and being Bristol — branded MLB stock cars for photos. Bristol will have a chance at the record for the largest crowd to see a baseball game. A March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum drew 115,300. Once the Reds and Braves wrap up and all the fans leave, the next challenge begins. Bristol will race against the clock to turn the field back into a track for a night race in the NASCAR playoffs Sept. 13. 'There's the right way, the wrong way, and the speedway,' Swift said. ___ AP MLB: and AP auto racing: recommended
