Christopher Bell Says Bristol Is NASCAR’s Best Shot to Win Over MLB Fans During the 2025 Speedway Classic

Bristol Motor Speedway will transform into a baseball diamond on August 2, 2025, hosting an MLB showdown between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds will serve as the home team, following their two-game series with the Braves in Cincinnati on July 31 and August 1.

The unique regular-season matchup aims to bridge two fan bases from sports that rarely intersect, in the hope that the spectacle will draw new attention to the legendary short track. Christopher Bell echoed that sentiment, expressing hope that the MLB game will entice fans to return for a NASCAR weekend.

Speaking to Frontstretch ahead of the Iowa race, Bell said, “Yeah, I mean, hopefully the fans have a great time and see what a beautiful facility and venue Bristol Motor Speedway is, and yeah, it would be awesome.

“I mean, I know most of the first timers I bring to the racetrack, they just go over the banking and are like, ‘Holy smokes, I can’t believe how bent the track is.’ Bristol is super, super banked. So hopefully it drives interest. And we can get some people out for the race in the fall.” 

However, Bell isn’t the only driver energized by the idea. Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain also voiced their excitement, with Gragson noting, “I think it’s really cool that they’re doing that. It’s out of the ordinary.”

Drawing parallels to college basketball games on aircraft carriers and the NHL’s Winter Classic, Gragson believes the crossover event could be a win for both sports. He emphasized that exposing a new fan base to Bristol’s high-banked coliseum may inspire some to return for a race.

Ross Chastain shared a similar outlook when the event was first announced last year. Speaking to Forbes, he said, “I think it’s unmeasurable what it could do for both sports.”

He pointed out that some attendees may have never heard of the track but will come for the baseball game, and that spark of curiosity could lead to meaningful cross-pollination between MLB and NASCAR audiences.

All the details about the venue transformation

Bristol Motor Speedway has transformed into an unconventional ballpark, with temporary grandstands tucked behind home plate and down the third-base line. Most spectators, however, will take in the action from the towering racing grandstands. It won’t mimic the intimate feel of Fenway Park or Wrigley Field, but that hasn’t slowed ticket sales.

Fans have snapped up more than 85,000 seats, shattering the MLB single-game attendance record that had stood since 1954. For the occasion, both teams will don racing-themed uniforms, nodding to the track’s motorsports heritage.

Unlike the constant flurry of basketball and football that caters to an on-demand generation, baseball and auto racing belong to a different rhythm. Both grow like marathons rather than sprints, with tension built over hours.

As per the latest updates, before the first pitch, and even before the gates swung open after a rain delay, the Bristol celebration started in full force. Fans roamed a carnival-like party zone featuring a 110-foot Ferris wheel, NASCAR stock cars painted in MLB team colors, food trucks, live music, pitching tunnels, batting cages, photo ops with the Commissioner’s Trophy, and appearances by the iconic Clydesdales.

When introductions rolled out, hometown pride rang loudest. Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider, a Knoxville native, drew the biggest ovation, edging out Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns, who hails from Hendersonville and starred at the University of Tennessee.

NASCAR champions Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott joined Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Chipper Jones for a ceremonial first pitch that merged racing royalty with baseball legends.

Pitcher Andrew Abbott embraced the crossover spirit, arriving Saturday in a cut-off NASCAR race suit. A Lynchburg, Virginia native, Abbott said he wanted something fitting for the game that already felt like a once-in-a-lifetime event.