Record crowd expected at MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. — A record regular season crowd for Major League Baseball is expected this Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
According to MLB, Saturday’s MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol will break the MLB’s all-time regular season single-game attendance record. In the lead up to the game, they announced more than 85,000 tickets were sold for “the first American or National League game ever played in Tennessee.” That eclipses the previous record of 84,587 set Sept. 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.
According to the MLB, they have sold tickets to people from all 50 states in the U.S., Washington, DC; Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands “and nine countries on four continents.”
Before the game, Hall of Fame Braves legend Chipper Jones will throw the ceremonial first pitch to Hall of Fame Reds player Johnny Bench.
Baseball will go NASCAR as they’ll integrate some of the fun traditions from four wheels.
Four U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets, from VFA-103 of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, will do the flyover.
Pregame festivities will also include a player parade in the style of NASCAR’s driver introductions, racing-themed activations for fans of all ages and “an on-field, NASCAR “Victory Lane” celebration for the winning team” with a trophy presentation.
During the game, players on both teams will also wear special, NASCAR-style uniforms and helmets.
First pitch in the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol is set for Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. ET. Catch the game on FOX.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com