BRISTOL, Tenn. — Before Hurston Waldrep earned his first major league win by pitching at a NASCAR venue, it was only fair that his day included a lengthy drive.
Waldrep was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett, then pitched 5 2/3 innings for Atlanta in the Braves' 4-2 win over Cincinnati in the rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway. The game started Saturday but was suspended in the first inning because of rain. Waldrep was told that night he'd be pitching Sunday — and to expect a car service early in the morning.
“Wake up at 4:45, got in the car a little after 5, drove here with my girlfriend. Got here 9:45 or so. Everything since then, it’s been nonstop," Waldrep said. “Didn’t really have time to sit here and think about how it all happened. Nonetheless, grateful for it, happy to be here. It’s been an unbelievable day.”
It's about 250 miles from Gwinnett County, northeast of Atlanta, to Bristol — which would be over 450 laps around the track at Bristol. Waldrep said he tried to sleep on the ride up, but that wasn't easy. Since he didn't arrive until Sunday, he missed the fanfare of the previous day, but he was there for most of the baseball.
“It was really breathtaking to walk out, see how they set everything up, see the field, and just hearing from the players how last night went," he said. "It was all around just awesome.”
A record crowd of 91,032 for a regular-season Major League Baseball game had gotten to see all the pomp and pageantry on Saturday with the MLB Speedway Classic before the rain washed out the game itself in the bottom of the first inning.
Fans returning Sunday only wanted to watch the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds play ball. They enjoyed enough of star Tim McGraw and Pitbull in the rain that suspended the first MLB regular-season game in the state of Tennessee.
“We got to see all of that (Saturday), so as long as we see game today I think we’ll be good,” Cindy Lowe of Mount Airy, N.C., said.
Sunday was dry at Bristol Motor Speedway with overcast skies. The sun actually broke through in the ninth inning on what wound up a perfect day for baseball. The Braves trailed 1-0 when the game resumed Sunday, and Eli White hit two home runs — the first MLB player to hit a home run at the historic racetrack — leading Atlanta over the Reds 4-2.
This MLB Speedway Classic was first announced nearly a year ago as part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to places where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama and North Carolina, too.
Waldrep made his big league debut in 2024, starting two games for the Braves. This was his first big league appearance this year. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed a run and three hits.
“After I took him out, I was like, ’Everything we put you through today, you’ve done your job,'” manager Brian Snitker said. "He’s made a lot of strides. I think his time in Triple-A has been really really good for him.”
