A pair of NASCAR Daytona 500 winners in Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael Waltrip, along with Bristol Motor Speedway executives, took part in a daylong media tour in New York on Wednesday to spread the word about all things NASCAR and the upcoming MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Stenhouse and Waltrip were joined by Yankees great Nick Swisher as guests on FOX & Friends to kick off a day of interviews hyping upcoming NASCAR races, including the crown jewel Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in September and also talking a little baseball. The MLB Speedway Classic will be played in Tennessee at the legendary NASCAR venue when the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds take to the field inside The Last Great Colosseum on Saturday night, Aug 2. (FOX, 7 p.m. ET).
After their visit with FOX & Friends, the group moved around New York City and had photo opportunities in Times Square with the MLB Speedway Classic Pace Car and at the prominent NASDAQ billboard to take another memorable photo.
The group then went to MLB headquarters for additional interviews and social media plays before taking part in a media zoom teleconference with a variety of journalists just before lunch.
During the zoom, the trio were joined by former Braves All-Star player Andruw Jones and Reds Hall of Famer Sean Casey as media tossed them some questions.
One journalist wanted to know the significance of all this. Both Swisher and Casey jumped in immediately.
“The fact that we are honored enough to be part of this amazing event is incredible,” Swisher said. “Sports fans in general are going to want to be a part of this. For all of us who have played baseball, to see what MLB is doing to expand the sport, kudos to them. Reaching out to this many fans in new ways like the Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway is exactly what you want to do to grow the game.”
Casey, who said he played in two special games during his career, one at the LA Coliseum and another in Japan, says these players need to recognize the opportunity and savor every second of it.
“The history of Bristol Motor Speedway and what that means to NASCAR fans and the drivers in that sport is really inspiring,” Casey said. “For Major League Baseball and our sport, along with all the baseball fans, to have an opportunity to compete there given everything that has taken place there in racing and now to have this new chapter for all the baseball fans is just tremendous. Personally, for the guys who will be in this game, to give this amazing experience to these players, it’s a one-of-a kind thing. I’m excited to see it all go down.”
As for preparation tips as the teams enter a stadium that has never hosted a baseball game before, Jones, a five-time All-Star with the Braves, said to just keep it simple.
“Have fun, enjoy it,” Jones said with a big smile.
Swisher said he is jealous and would savor the opportunity to play in this game and that the MLB has done many games like this before in nontraditional places, so the players should be fine.
“Protocols are in place that have to be followed,” Swisher said. “They will make sure the field is the best, in tip-top shape. I think we are good at bringing a couple of our own “NASCARs” out for the game in speedsters (Elly) De La Cruz and (Ronald) Acuna. The two worlds with NASCAR and baseball couldn’t be better. People are going to be pleased with what they see that night.”
Said Casey: “I would encourage all players to check it out when they get there and take a look at the walls and find out where the lips are on the grass to the dirt. When you get to Bristol you are really going to have to take a look and see how things work, how the ball plays off the wall. I hope the Braves and Reds really lean into that, two teams getting to experience Bristol and enjoy that.”
Waltrip and Stenhouse Jr. also had some suggestions based on their years of experience competing on the all-concrete high banks in their race cars.
“Bristol is a unique venue because it’s so electric,” said Waltrip, who is now a racing analyst on FOX Sports. “It has everything you want to be successful. The fans are incredible. The atmosphere is intense. It’s really cool to me how MLB and NASCAR are on the same track, each reaching out to new audiences and fan bases. The NASCAR world is broadening its horizons as well. To know on August 2nd we are going to play a Major League Baseball game at Bristol Motor Speedway and then turn around on September 13 and have NASCAR there with the Night Race is just so cool to me.”
Stenhouse, who says he was a left-handed pitcher and played some first base in his high school days before making auto racing his full-time job, says he would love to have the opportunity to check out the field first-hand but NASCAR’s schedule is in Iowa that weekend.
“I would love to get on the mound and throw some pitches,” said Stenhouse, who currently drives the No. 47 Chevy for Hyak Motorsports. “It would be neat to get there and take in the field.”
Stenhouse recommended that every player take a look at some video of the track when it’s in full beast mode.
“Bristol is my favorite place to race and to watch a race,” Stenhouse said. “Hopefully the fans will show up at Bristol and enjoy the game and then some of those fans will come back in a few weeks and watch the Night Race. I’ve finished second at Bristol a handful of times, so it’s killing me knowing that one of these two teams is going to win at Bristol before I do. But seriously, I can’t wait to tune in and watch these guys play. If they hit one over the wall, I want to see where it lands.”
To show how tough Bristol can be, Waltrip suggested looking up a video as well. The one from the 1990 Xfinity season that shows his car disintegrating after impact with one of the track walls. He says the track is just unique among all the places NASCAR visits.
“The banking is straight up," Waltrip said. “You can barely climb up it, and it’s only a half-mile track. You’re just constantly in the corners at speeds upwards of 150 miles per hour. It’s just crazy how precise and how technical you have to be to be successful there.”
Another journalist asked which team would be favored with the fanbase. Track president Jerry Caldwell said both teams are well represented by fans throughout the region. Both teams’ stadiums are approximately 300 miles away from BMS. Even though technically the Reds are positioned as the “Home Team” for the game, Jones still thinks the Braves may have more fans in attendance.
“You could call it Braves country honestly, all throughout the Southeast,” Jones said. “We built a big fan base there through TV. It’s a good thing to be part of it and we will have a lot of Braves fans out there for sure. We hosted some NASCAR nights at Braves games back in the day and we always had a lot of NASCAR drivers there visiting us who are Braves fans.”
Swisher, who now works as a baseball analyst and consultant, says he’s pumped to get to Bristol and take in the game after having a great time during the media tour with Stenhouse and Waltrip.
“I’ve had a blast today hanging out with Mike and Ricky, we’re blessed to have ambassadors like this to help spread the word about this project,” Swisher said.
Later, Waltrip and Stenhouse ended their day by traveling to nearby Citi Field to cheer on the Braves. Prior to the game they were both invited to attend Braves batting practice.
Following the media tour it was apparent the buzz for the game is filled with anticipation and with only 36 days until the words “Play Ball!” are uttered inside the Last Great Colosseum, the sense of urgency for the MLB Speedway Classic is intensifying.
"It's going to be one of those special nights that goes down in history," Caldwell said. "People are going to want to be there and want to be a part of it, or tune in on FOX and take in this event."
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