In an effort to host more baseball games in more unique locations, the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves are set to play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway, the legendary auto racing track in Bristol, Tennessee, on August 2nd.
This will be the first-ever MLB game played at a NASCAR track, and the teams involved are going all-out for their part in league history.
On Monday, July 21, the Cincinnati Reds unveiled the uniforms they plan to wear for the contest: white jerseys equipped with classic checkered flag patterns and numbers in the same style seen on drivers’ cars.
The Braves also revealed their jerseys, which will feature similar NASCAR-inspired numbers, as well as a new ballcap designed by New Era with hod rod flames across the brim.
The Aug. 2 game will count as a Reds home game and will be proceeded by games against the Braves at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park on July 31 and Aug. 1.
The game will be held a little more than a month before the speedway, know as ‘The Last Great Colosseum,’ hosts NASCAR’s annual Bristol Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 13. The baseball field will be set in the middle of the track’s infield.
Are there any other specialty pieces of gear for this game?
Rawlings has designed new batting helmets directly modeled after racing helmets for this game.
Furthermore, Reds’ catcher Tyler Stephenson has already revealed a custom chest plate for the game, modeled after the movie ‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.’
The straps on the back of the protector include the famous line from the movie: ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last.’
Has Bristol hosted other major sporting events?
Bristol Motor Speedway anually hosts two NASCAR weekends a year – one in the spring and one in late summer or early fall.
Partnership with MLB: The Show
The Bristol Motor Speedway ballpark as well as the Reds’ and Braves’ specialty uniforms are expected to be available to play with in the popular baseball video game MLB: The Show 25.
What other fanfare will be at the Speedway Classic?
There will be a pregame concert headlined by Tim McGraw, Pitbull, and Jake Owen. Owen will host a full day of musical sets in a dedicated fan zone at the venue, per Bristol Motor Speedway. The Commissioner’s Trophy is also expected to make an appearance, giving fans a once in a lifetime opportunity to take photographs with baseball’s most coveted trophy.