Friday, December 05

CINCINNATI -- Major League Baseball players are used to big ballparks, loud crowds and just about every and any variable the game can offer. But it’s safe to say that on Aug. 2, players on the Reds and Braves will experience a setting entirely new and unique during the Speedway Classic at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

“When you get a chance to do something that’s never been done in a game that’s been played for over 100 years, it’s pretty cool,” Reds closer Emilio Pagán said.

Not only will it mark the first time a National or American League game will be played in the state of Tennessee, it will be at a site where legends of NASCAR have raced on Bristol’s famed half-mile oval since 1961.

Nicknamed “The Holy Grail of Short Tracks” and “The Last Great Colosseum,” Bristol Motor Speedway has built its history on the fenders of cars belonging to legendary names like Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Michael Waltrip and Cale Yarborough.

For the Speedway Classic, players like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Elly De La Cruz, and perhaps pitchers like Spencer Strider and Chase Burns, could showcase their version of speed and power on a field set up on what is normally the track's infield and pit area.

“I think it will be pretty sweet,” Braves right-handed starter Grant Holmes said. “Growing up watching NASCAR races, and being able to play in the center of it is pretty cool.”

Both clubs have played games in non-traditional locations in recent years. The Braves met the Marlins in 2016 in a game held at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. In 2019, the Reds played the Cardinals in Monterrey, Mexico, and in 2022, they faced the Cubs in an Iowa cornfield for the second edition of the Field of Dreams Game.

The Fort Bragg and Iowa games were played on temporary diamonds built specifically for the events. The same holds true for Bristol, and it could be the largest crowd to take in a Major League game this season, with upwards of 85,000 fans expected.

“There’s going to be a lot of people there. It’ll be pretty loud. Those NASCAR fans get pretty rowdy,” said Holmes, who grew up as a fan of both of the great Earnhardts, Dale Sr. and Dale Jr.

Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott may have the most knowledge of the Bristol venue itself. A Virginia native, Abbott grew up three-and-a-half hours from the track and has seen racing there, which is among several races that he’s attended.

“I grew up watching NASCAR with my folks at home -- an every-Sunday-after-church kind of thing,” said Abbott, who noted that he knows 2002 Daytona 500 winner and fellow Virginian Ward Burton. “It’s good for MLB for exposure, hitting that market area. I feel like there will be a lot of fans, a good turnout.”

Abbott considered Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski among his favorite former and current drivers. Having already seen Bristol’s short oval in action, the left-hander was looking forward to seeing how a big league field would be configured inside of it.

“It will be interesting,” he said. “A lot of guys will take in how big a racetrack actually is.”

Not everybody involved with the Speedway Classic is a NASCAR fan, but that hasn’t tempered the enthusiasm for the event.

“You know what? As I get older, I try to enjoy some of those types of things,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “I’ve never watched NASCAR, but the idea of going there is cool.”

You could say that another member of the Reds rotation, Florida native Brady Singer, has racing in his blood.

“My dad raced a lot at Daytona. He raced street bikes. I grew up going to Daytona, basically my whole childhood,” Singer said. “My brother raced as well, all around Florida. I raced motorcycles a little bit growing up. I’m huge into racing and I still watch it. I’m a huge fan of any motorsport.”

Singer has watched Bristol races often on television but has never been to the track itself.

“I know it’s one of the smaller tracks on the NASCAR schedule, so I’m curious to see how the stadium fits inside of it,” he said. “There’s a lot of history, so I’m definitely excited.”

To accommodate a Major League ballpark within a racetrack, several changes had to be made. Pit walls, poles, gas pumps and part of one building had to be taken down. The dimensions of the field will be symmetrical, however, and measure 330 feet down the lines, 400 feet to center field, 375 feet to the right-field alley and 384 feet to the left-field alley.

It will all be situated between Turns 3 and 4 and the infield of the speedway.

“I think it will be a lot of fun,” Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder said. “I feel like there’s always a pretty good feel around these events. No matter where it’s at, you get teams to meet in the middle somewhere and make it an event like that, it’s pretty cool.”

The teams are scheduled to arrive at the track on game day and take a look around at their surroundings. No matter who wins the game itself, it will likely be a memorable evening in Bristol for players, team personnel and fans alike.

“I’m sure it’s going to be an amazing crowd and an amazing event,” Pagán said. “Hopefully, we can play a good Major League Baseball game and put on a good show.”

Francona has had a longtime friendship with Rays manager Kevin Cash, dating back to when he had Cash as a catcher with the Red Sox in 2007-08 and as a coach on his staff with Cleveland. The two men have pulled pranks on each other several times over the years and Francona had one ready for his pal on Friday.

As the Rays were taking batting practice at Great American Ball Park, Francona had the Reds scoreboard crew post a video running on a loop of Cash striking out while playing for Boston. 

"For public consumption, I don’t think I’d ever say something nice about him," Francona said. "For this room, I love the guy and I think he’s one of the best. But if you’re going to air this, ‘No, I don’t think much of him.’”

"Speed, defense, all of it. It was amazing to see, from one speed guy to another speed guy. He put it all on display tonight. I had a couple of times on the bag, he was like, 'Man, you're too fast.' I was like, 'Nah, that's you.' I appreciated the love from him. Had to give it right back." -- Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson about De La Cruz on Friday

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