Speedway Classic Suspended: Reds Lead Braves in a Rain-Soaked Bristol Spectacle
BRISTOL, Tenn. — August 2, 2025 – Ty Back
The buzz started long before the players took the field. Concerts. NASCAR legends. Baseball greats. A trophy presentation that felt more like a festival than a game. Johnny Bench and Chipper Jones, standing beside Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Michael Waltrip, gave fans a moment to remember. Ceremonial pitches were tossed under drier skies hours before the real action began.
Then came the wait — a 2-hour, 17-minute rain delay. Fans packed Bristol Motor Speedway, some clad in ponchos, others defiant under the drizzle. The Reds finally emerged at 9:38 p.m., greeted by Waltrip’s enthusiastic cry: “Boogity Boogity Boogity, let’s play ball boys!”
First pitch hit the glove at 9:40 p.m. ET.
Chase Burns, Knoxville native, got the nod from Terry Francona, returning to the dugout after a year off. Burns wasted no time. He punched out Jurickson Profar and rolled through the top of the first with two strikeouts, despite the rain and an infield that clung to every drop.
Bottom half, Matt McLain reached on a miscue. Elly De La Cruz followed with an infield single — he’d already crushed two out to right during warmups. Then Austin Hays smacked a liner to left, scoring McLain and putting Cincinnati on top, 1-0.
But the rain hadn’t finished. With two on, one out, and the crowd still buzzing, the infield gave way. After a short maintenance delay, the game was suspended.
MLB announced a Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET resumption.
The crowd? Record-breaking. More than 85,000 strong, it topped a regular-season attendance mark set in 1954. The field? A future gift to East Tennessee State University, courtesy of MLB Together — 124,000 square feet of turf destined to elevate a college program.
It’s not over. Not yet. But one thing’s clear: the Speedway Classic is already legend.
