Captivating Highlights, Photos from Historic MLB Speedway Classic for Braves vs. Reds

The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds faced off at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night in MLB's first game played in the state of Tennessee—well, sort of.

The historic contest was initially slated to get underway at 7:15 p.m. ET, but the weather had other plans.

Following a lengthy rain delay, the game finally got underway with first pitch at 9:40 p.m. ET. However, the Braves and Reds were unable to play one full inning before play was halted again due to the weather.

There were no such weather issues when play resumed on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The Braves held on for a 4-2 win behind the big bat of Eli White, who drove in all four runs for Atlanta with two homers.

Chase Burns started on the mound for Cincinnati, tossing a scoreless first inning back on Saturday night.

Braves pitcher Austin Cox, meanwhile, faced four batters in the bottom of the first before the game was suspended on Saturday. He struck out TJ Friedl before allowing Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz and Austin Hays all to get get hits.

Hays drove in McLain to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. The game will resume with one out in the bottom of the first and runners on first and second base.

The contest also featured a pregame intro from actor Liam Neeson.

Players honored the unique atmosphere with their uniforms and accessories as well as their outfits before the game.

Grammy Award-winning musicians Tim McGraw and Pitbull, who performed a concert prior to the game, met with the Reds in their clubhouse.

All-Star starting pitcher Andrew Abbott showed up to the event wearing a sleeveless race suit autographed by Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion.

Players from both teams were driven around the track prior to the beginning of the game.

The starting lineup introductions for the two squads also featured a special NASCAR theme.

There was a moment in the bottom of the second when a track official had some difficulty getting a foul ball to a fan sitting in the stands.

Given all of the weather issues on Saturday that wreaked havoc with the pitching for both teams, the Braves made a late addition to their roster for Sunday by calling up Hurston Waldrep from Triple-A. He responded by allowing one run over 5.2 innings.

The Reds had the go-ahead run at the plate with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Braves closer Raisel Iglesias escaped the jam by retiring De La Cruz, Austin Hays and Jake Fraley to preserve the win.

Bristol Motor Speedway typically seats 146,000 for NASCAR races, although a portion of the facility's seats were covered for Saturday's event. Still, the clash between Atlanta and Cincinnati contained a loud atmosphere with over 85,000 tickets sold.

Reds manager Terry Francona was impressed with the construction of the ballpark.

“When you get outside of the field, it’s actually pretty cool,” Francona said, per Teresa M. Walker of the Associated Press. “The way the stands kind of all face in, the ones they’re using, it looks pretty cool.”

The matchup was especially important for Cincinnati, as it entered Sunday 3.5 games back from the final National League wild card spot with a 58-53 record. The Reds are also 8.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the No. 1 spot in the NL Central.

Meanwhile, the Braves sit in the No. 4 spot in the NL East with a 47-63 record after their victory in Bristol.