BRISTOL, Tenn. (April 24, 2025) – NASCAR’s most popular driver was busy Thursday helping to spread the word about all things NASCAR during a daylong media tour in New York City, where he also took some time to promote the upcoming MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Elliott plugged the upcoming race this weekend at Talladega and also talked about how he loves to race at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, one of the sport’s crown jewels, which will again be a part of the Playoffs in September when it visits Bristol Motor Speedway’s high-banked concrete half-mile.
But before September, a baseball game will be played in the infield of the iconic sports and entertainment venue when the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds face off inside the World’s Fastest Half-Mile 100 days from now, on August 2 at 7 p.m. (FOX).
A lifelong Atlanta Braves fan, Elliott will be cheering on his team against the Cincinnati Reds during the much-anticipated game. It will be an historic game – the first MLB American or National League game in the state of Tennessee – in front of a very large and enthusiastic crowd.
Elliott started his day with an early wake up call, and a 7:40 a.m. appearance on the popular FOX & Friends show.
The FOX & Friends crew asked Elliott about how his racing season is going and his thoughts on the baseball game coming to Bristol along with the concert with country legend Tim McGraw.
“It’s going to be a big deal having a major league baseball game inside Bristol Motor Speedway later this summer,” said Elliott, who won the prestigious NASCAR All-Star race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020. “I’m a big Braves fan, so I can’t wait. Bristol did a college football game a few years back that turned out great and I think they will do a great job with the baseball game too.”
The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports then participated in another interview at The CW around 8:30 a.m. He also went on live with host Markie Martin (no relation to the NASCAR Hall of Fame driver) of News Nation’s Morning in America.
Just before noon he was live on the MLB Network chatting with hosts Robert Flores, Lauren Shehadi, former Braves player Mark DeRosa and former Reds first baseman Sean Casey. The group had a fun exchange and talked about a variety of topics, including one question Elliott says he gets asked all the time. Shehadi asked what happens if a driver has to take a bathroom break during a three-hour race?
“It’s usually hot and we sweat a lot in the cars, so hopefully by sweating that much you don’t have to go until after the race,” Elliott told the group with a grin. “Sometimes you do, and that can be a problem, but the majority of the time it’s not an issue.”
After his MLB Network interview, Elliott visited with MLB Digital and MLB Social teams where they put some fun interactive content together comparing and contrasting both sports.
He had lunch at the Capital Grille in Rockefeller Center with several reporters from sports and business outlets where they discussed the similarities of speed in both racing and baseball.
After lunch he did a few one-on-one interviews, including a radio-phoner with NASCAR Sirius XM Radio with host Margeaux Gagnon.
He ended his tour with additional meetings and interviews, including a visit to Front Office Sports’ New York headquarters.
To purchase tickets to the MLB Speedway Classic, please visit https://www.mlb.com/events/speedway-classic/tickets. To buy tickets to the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol, Sept. 11-13, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call (866) 415-4158.
About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events, including an upcoming Major League Baseball game. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2025, the venue will transform into a baseball stadium to host the MLB Speedway Classic featuring the Atlanta Braves vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2nd. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and from 2021-2023 the track converted to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.
