BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — Fans of the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds have descended on Bristol as excitement builds for the MLB Speedway Classic.

The first Major League Baseball game ever played in Tennessee will take place Saturday night in Bristol Motor Speedway, and a record crowd of more than 85,000 people will fill the stands.

Advertisement

Things to know before you go to the MLB Speedway Classic

Fans of both teams have come from across the United States. While the Reds and Braves have played each other more than 2,000 times, the Speedway Classic will be a unique matchup.

Ohio resident David Grizzell has been to BMS before for the Battle at Bristol in 2016 and made the trek back for the Speedway Classic.

“They said a baseball game. We were here for the football game, Tennessee versus Virginia Tech, we were here for that,” Grizzell said. “I’ve been a season ticket holder since 2009, and like I said, pretty much any event like NASCAR or special event, we will be here.”

Advertisement

Speedway Classic at BMS to set attendance record for single MLB game

Some ticketholders made their first trip to Bristol for Saturday’s historic game, including Mitch Flickinger from Wooster, Ohio. Flickinger is not much for NASCAR, but he loves the Reds.

“I was like, ‘I have to get here,’” Flickinger said. “I’m a huge Reds fan, so I had to get to the game.”

Flickinger traveled more than seven hours to get to Bristol.

Braves fans have also been taking over Bristol. On Friday night, the Braves Pitstop at Paramount Bristol allowed fans to watch the second game of the Braves-Reds series in Cincinnati. The Paramount also hosted Atlanta Braves Tonight, with special guests Braves royalty and Hall of Famer Mark Wohlers, NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip and University of Tennessee Head Baseball Coach Tony Vitello.

Advertisement

Braves Director of Marketing and Advertising Jori Palmer said the opportunity to interact with fans outside of Atlanta has been a blast.

“[We’re] able to see there are Braves fans everywhere,” Palmer said. “I mean, we are the team of the South, and coming up to Tennessee, we know we have so many fans here.”

Palmer believes a future series akin to the Speedway Classic would help professional baseball grow and entice more fans.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.