Speedway Classic draws largest MLB crowd since 1954

Field Level Media
05 Aug 2025, 03:49 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

It spanned two days and featured nearly as many hours of pregame rain delay (2 hours, 17 minutes) as game play (2:41), but the MLB Speedway Classic did not flounder in the stands.

Some 91,032 tickets were sold as the Atlanta Braves put away the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on Sunday after the game was postponed from Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee -- setting the MLB regular-season record set 71 years ago.

The previous top mark occurred on Sept. 12, 1954, when the New York Yankees fell to the then-Cleveland Indians at Cleveland Stadium.

The all-time, single-game attendance record sits at 115,300 for a preseason matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on March 29, 2008.

Outside of exhibition games, the weekend's Speedway Classic attendance ranks as the fourth-highest in MLB history. The 1959 World Series, featuring the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, drew the highest crowds at 92,706 (Game 5), 92,650 (Game 4) and 92,394 (Game 3) -- all played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

That said, aside from the weather delay, the game was still mired in logistical problems. Concession stands, for example, ran out of food during the first rain delay on Saturday. To atone, however, Bristol officials announced that fans going to the game on Sunday were permitted to bring in outside food and non-alcoholic beverages.

--Field Level Media

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