Here is why country music icon Tim McGraw is performing at the 2025 Speedway Classic between the Reds and the Braves.
MLB is set to make history on Saturday, August 2. Instead of the Braves and the Reds continuing to play their three-game series at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, the series will be moved to Bristol, Tennessee.
First, it will be the first MLB game ever played in the state of Tennessee. However, the most important aspect of that is the location. The dubbed 2025 Speedway Classic between Atlanta and Cincinnati will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway. The league converted the infield of the track into a baseball diamond. They added some seats around the home plate area and then are planning to pack the raceway's stands with fans.
The Speedway Classic is expected to set the all-time attendance record for a regular-season baseball game. There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance around the historic event, and that includes the entertainment. Country music megastar Tim McGraw will be on hand for a pre-game concert ahead of the game on Saturday night.
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Here is more on why McGraw is performing at the 2025 Speedway Classic.
Why is Tim McGraw performing at MLB Speedway Classic?
MLB wanted to find a performer who matched the magnitude of the event. It went with McGraw, whose father played in the majors and who himself had a baseball scholarship to Northeast Louisiana University.
MLB and Bristol Motor Speedway wanted someone who could serve "to honor the state's (Tennessee's) rich country music history." McGraw is expected to have special guest artists and "longtime collaborators."
McGraw has had 47 No. 1 radio singles and 19 No. 1 albums. He has the second-most No. 1 country albums in the U.S. behind George Strait.
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Where is Tim McGraw from?
McGraw was born in Delhi, Louisiana in 1967. The small town had a population of 2,534 as of the 2024 consensus. Delhi is 246 miles north of New Orleans, 137 miles east of Shreveport and 166 miles north of Baton Rouge.
His mother met his father in Jacksonville when she was in high school. She became pregnant as a teenager, and her parents sent her to Louisiana to live with relatives, hence why McGraw was born there instead of Florida.
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Did Tim McGraw's dad play baseball?
Yes. McGraw's father, named Frank McGraw Jr., went by the nickname Tug. He was a left-handed pitcher for the Jacksonville Suns when Tim was born. They didn't have much contact during his childhood, but developed a relationship once the younger McGraw turned 18 and stayed close until Tug passed in 2004.
Tug pitched in the majors from 1965-1984. He played in 824 career games and ended with a 96-92 record with a 3.14 ERA. Tug was a member of the Mets and the Phillies. He played with New York from 1965-1974, winning the 1969 World Series with the franchise.
Tug was with Philadelphia from 1975-1984. He won the 1980 World Series with the Phillies. Tug finished fifth in the Cy Young voting that year. He was named an All-Star in 1972 and 1975.
Category: Baseball
