Braves, Reds planning first ever MLB showdown at storied (and weird) venue in 2025

MLB has been trying to have official games in novel locations for a while now. The Atlanta Braves famously played a game against the Marlins at Fort Bragg in 2016 and just this season, the Cardinals and Giants played at historic Rickwood Field. Between these games as well as MLB's visits to other countries in recent years, it is clear that baseball is trying to reach out to different communities to spread the love of the sport.

However, the latest revelation in this vein may be the weirdest choice of them all. According to a report from The Athletic, Bristol Motor Speedway will host the Braves and Reds for a game during the 2025 season.

More details revealed about Braves-Reds game at Bristol Motor Speedway

Weirdly enough, this is an event that was rumored to be in the works before the 2024 season. While there was little in the way of mainstream noise regarding playing a game at a racetrack, there were certainly whispers at the local level that something was in the works. Including the Braves in such an event at Bristol makes sense given its proximity to Atlanta as well as a somewhat shared fanbase.

There are certainly going to be some logistical hurdles to overcome to make this work well, however. Building a field that is in proper condition in a venue that is normally meant to race cars is no small feat. However, The Athletic was quick to note that Bristol has hosted a large non-racing sporting event before as Tennessee and Virginia Tech played a college football game there and it ended up attracting north of 150,000 people.

What isn't known yet is the exact date of this game, although it is likely those details will be revealed this Friday as an announcement is expected. However, the Braves and Reds play two series in 2025: one from May 5-8 where Atlanta is the home team, and one from August 1-3 in Cincinnati. An educated guess would be that the first or last game of the May series is the best bet especially since having a huge crowd in early August in Bristol sounds brutally hot, but we'll know more soon.

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