MLB Speedway Classic: Braves vs. Reds sets attendance record at Bristol Motor Speedway in historic game

The MLB Speedway Classic, originally scheduled to take place on Saturday night but postponed in the first inning because of unrelenting rain, established a new record for attendance on Sunday, with the league’s official box score listing 91,032 fans on hand to see the Atlanta Braves defeat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee. (It’s unclear how many of those fans returned on Sunday.)

Saturday’s start was delayed by inclement weather for more than two hours. Once the game began, Reds right-hander Chase Burns delivered a clean top of the first inning. The same wasn’t true of Braves lefty Austin Cox, who was a late insert in place of scheduled starter Spencer Strider. (Strider is in his first year back following elbow surgery, and the disappointing Braves erred on the side of caution by removing him from a messy situation.) Cox surrendered an RBI single to Austin Hays before action was stopped with multiple runners stationed on soggy bases.

The Braves were able to recover upon Sunday’s resumption, however, with call-up Hurston Waldrep providing 5 ⅔ innings of one-run ball for his first MLB win. Offensively, Atlanta’s efforts were paced by outfielder Eli White, who homered twice and drove in four runs.

The Reds did put the tying run on with no outs in the ninth inning, but Braves closer Raisel Iglesias was able to record three consecutive outs to preserve the lead and the 4-2 victory.

Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Chipper Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitches on Saturday, alongside NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. Country superstar Tim McGraw, son of former MLB pitcher Tug McGraw, and Pitbull performed a pre-game concert before players took a lap around the track.

The Speedway Classic isn’t the first major-league game to ever take place in the state of Tennessee, but it is the first game involving teams from either the American or the National League. More than 85,000 tickets were sold for the event, clearing the previous record of (84,587) that was established for a game between the now-Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees. That game took place at Cleveland Stadium on Sept. 14, 1954.

It should be noted that Sunday’s contest completed the three-game series between the Braves and the Reds, the first two contests of which were previously played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.