Area around Bristol Speedway buzzing ahead of Braves’ historic visit
Credit: AP
BRISTOL, TENN. — Banners of racing legends Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty grace the outside of Bristol Motor Speedway. Displayed adjacent to them — for a temporary time — are Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene.
Welcome to one of the unique events in MLB history.
The Braves and Reds will experience a first Saturday when they play in MLB’s first Speedway Classic. It will be the first game played in a racing venue — what better host than the iconic facility in Bristol? — and the first major league contest in the state of Tennessee.
“If you’re playing in the Southeast, you want the Braves involved,” said Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway. “And we have such a strong presence with our race fans coming out of Ohio and Kentucky. It’s a natural setting to meet in the middle. And to be the first facility to host a major league baseball game in the state of Tennessee, we’re thrilled.”
Bristol is all-in on baseball leading into the weekend. Decorations abound welcoming visiting fans. This mountain region is used to hosting grand events — and the colossal speedway with its surrounding Appalachian Mountains scenery makes it incomparable — but the area has also treated this weekend as unprecedented.
Some local establishments are offering free baseball-themed items and/or altering their menus to fit the occasion. For instance, the coffee spot “Whimsicals,” located in historic downtown, features custom baseball offerings like the Babe Ruth Latte, Caramel Curve Ball and Home Run Waffles.
Braves and Reds fans have flooded the storied Birthplace of Country Music Museum in recent days. And while Bristol is more than a five-hour drive north of Cobb County, it’s expected to have a heavier Braves presence than Reds presence. Despite the Braves enduring a disappointing season, plenty of their widespread fan base wanted to see this showcase.
The game is expected to exceed 85,000 fans, according to MLB, and set the MLB attendance record. Just outside the venue is a fan zone that will include a variety of attractions, from live music to a Ferris wheel to numerous eateries and shopping options. The area also has the Legacy Walk, which honors the greatest figures in Braves and Reds history and provides bios of each individual.
“Those fans are going to show out, and I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of Braves fans out there,” said former Braves outfielder Andruw Jones. “We hosted some NASCAR nights back at Turner Field a bunch of times (when I was playing). A lot of those NASCAR fans are big Braves fans. So we’re looking forward to it. There are going to be a bunch of fans out there rooting for the Braves.”
This event is part of MLB’s continued effort to expand its sport with showcases at unique locations. MLB recently played games in Alabama, Nebraska and Iowa, along with international contests in Japan, London and South Korea.
The Braves last participated in one of these showcases in 2016, when they played the Marlins at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Like the game in Bristol, it featured two firsts: the first MLB game in North Carolina and the first played at an active military base.
While an unconventional setup, the speedway will have more standard dimensions: 330 feet to left and right field, 400 feet to center, 375 feet to the right alley and 384 feet to the left alley.
The Reds have greater aspirations than the Braves at this juncture. Cincinnati is competing in the better-than-expected National League Central, trying to earn a wild-card berth. The Braves are too far back in the standings and would require a baseball miracle to come close to a postseason berth.
While this will be the first major league game played in Tennessee, it likely won’t be the last. This state is starving for a team to call its own. And the expectation is that whenever MLB announces its expansion plans, Nashville will be awarded a franchise. That would make it the closest a team has been based near Atlanta since the Braves relocated there in 1966.
But the Braves probably will maintain a hold on the region for a while thanks to their following across generations. And they’ll forever be the one of the first two teams to play in Tennessee.
The MLB Speedway Classic will begin at 7:15 p.m. Saturday and air nationally on Fox.
About the Author
Gabriel Burns is a general assignment reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After four years on the Braves beat, he's expanded his horizons and covers all sports. You'll find him writing about MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and other Atlanta-centric happenings.
