MLB Rumors: Braves, Reds to Play at NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway in 2025
Doric SamAugust 6, 2024
Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will reportedly meet for a game at one of the most iconic motorsports venues during the 2025 season.
According to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi and Evan Drellich, the Braves and Reds will face each other at NASCAR’s famed Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee next year. An official announcement from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith is expected to come on Friday.
Marc Carig @MarcCarigBREAKING NEWS from @Jordan_Bianchi and @EvanDrellich: Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds to play game next season at Tennessee’s iconic Bristol Motor Speedway, multiple sources tell @TheAthletic.https://t.co/jf51ZGC3pa
By scheduling a game at Bristol Motor Speedway, MLB is adding another venue to its list for special events. In recent seasons, the league has scheduled games at the Field of Dreams in Iowa, the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham and the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, site of the Little League World Series. The league has also expanded its international schedule with games in London, Mexico City, Tokyo and Seoul.
Bristol is no stranger to special events, as it hosts two NASCAR races per year that draw nearly 150,000 spectators. In 2016, the venue hosted a college football game between Tennesee and Virginia Tech that drew a crowd of 156,990, the largest ever for an NCAA football game.
Bianchi and Drellich indicated that this could be the start of a partnership between MLB and Smith, who was described as “equally ambitious.” His company portfolio reportedly “includes 10 tracks that host a combined 14 NASCAR Cup Series races.”
The Braves have been one of the top teams in the National League over the past few seasons, while the Reds are led by one of the most exciting players in the majors, shortstop Elly De La Cruz.
Fans will certainly be pumped to watch Atlanta and Cincinnati battle it out at Bristol next year.
