When NASCAR shifted its Clash event from Daytona to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between 2022 and 2024, the transformation of a football field into a racetrack drew plenty of attention. Now, the tables have turned, with Bristol Motor Speedway set to host an MLB showdown next week. The 64-year-old half-mile track will trade its usual roar of engines for the crack of the bat, and Noah Gragson is all in on the concept and even revealed his favorite player.
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The 2025 MLB Speedway Classic is scheduled for August 2, 2025, featuring the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, with the first pitch at 7:15 p.m. ET on FOX. The Reds will serve as the home team, following a pair of games against the Braves in Cincinnati on July 31 and August 1.
When asked about MLB stepping onto his familiar track, Gragson expressed his excitement. “I think it’s really cool that they’re doing that. It’s out of the ordinary. I remember when, who was it? Virginia Tech and Tennessee played. That was super cool how they’re able to transform the track.”
Drawing comparisons to basketball games staged on aircraft carriers and the NHL’s Winter Classic, Gragson added, “It’s just a different atmosphere, and I think it’s really cool, and I think people want to be a part of it… It’s definitely gonna be cool just being able to race there and being a driver that’s raced there and won there, knowing what that place means to me.”
Gragson believes the crossover will benefit both sports. He maintained that having a different sport at Bristol and a different fanbase is definitely beneficial for NASCAR, as people will attend the track and appreciate the experience. According to him, some of those fans might even come back for a race.
To him, it’s a great cross-promotion between MLB and NASCAR because it will get some NASCAR fans out to the baseball game when they might not go to a baseball game, or they don’t have a baseball team near them in Bristol, Tennessee.
As for which player he’ll back, Gragson didn’t hesitate. “I like Elly De La Cruz, so I’ll be cheering him on. It’ll be cool,” he said about the shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds team.
For the MLB Speedway Classic, a fully functional baseball diamond will be constructed across the track and infield, primarily positioned between Turns 3 and 4 of the track. The field will feature 330-foot foul lines, a 400-foot center field, and alleys stretching 375 feet to the right-field alley and 384 feet to the left.
