The Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds sold more than 85,000 tickets, a record for an MLB regular-season game, though the event was marred by logistical challenges.
The official number of tickets sold for the game, which was scheduled for Saturday and completed Sunday after an inclement weather postponement, was 91,032. The previous milestone for most regular-season game tickets sold was 84,587 set on Sept. 12, 1954, in a contest between Cleveland and the New York Yankees.
A preseason game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on March 29, 2008, holds the record for MLB single-game attendance with 115,300 tickets sold.
Fans at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Saturday encountered logistical issues at the venue. Many concession stands ran out of food during the first rain delay, which lasted two hours and 17 minutes. A Reds fan who spoke to The Athletic on Saturday night said it was “the worst logistical experience,” and, “They ran out of food and beer, and the fan zone was underwhelming.”
Many took to Twitter to decry the circumstances, including longtime trial lawyer Lester Tate, who once served as president of the State Bar of Georgia. “The Bristol game was the MLB version of Fyre Fest,” he wrote.
Fox Sports’ Kevin Burkhardt also commented on the lack of food, saying on air, “We’re out of food, so it’s really panic time,” according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The venue’s communications department announced early Sunday that fans could bring in outside food and non-alcoholic beverages after not being allowed to do so on Saturday. The Braves won, 4-2.
Stopped at a gas station near Bristol Motor Speedway and inside there is a line of Braves and Reds fans buying food and drinks to bring in with them to watch the #SpeedwayClassic25 .
Since they ran out of concessions last night, fans are allowed to bring in food today.— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) August 3, 2025
(Photo of Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
