Major League Baseball fans who attended the first-ever Speedway Classic were wet, hungry and angry. While there is no way to control the weather, food (rather, a lack thereof) presented a serious issue for those who wanted to eat a meal at Bristol Motor Speedway.
It was described as the MLB version of ‘Fyre Fest.’
Things got so bad in such a short amount of time that some attendees are trying to figure out how to get their money back. They cannot believe the lack of preparation.
Rain, rain, go away…
Neither Major League Baseball nor Bristol Motor Speedway nor the Cincinnati Reds nor the Atlanta Braves can make sure it doesn’t rain. Nobody but God can prevent inclement weather at an outdoor stadium.
Thus, everybody involved with the Speedway Classic was at the mercy of the clouds.
A two-hour weather delay pushed back all of the pregame festivities, like the national anthem. The game did not even last one full inning before it was again suspended for rain and eventually postponed.
It was a huge bummer for everybody involved. Especially the fans, who were forced to either sit in the pouring rain or shelter within the concourse of the race track for an extended period of time only to be told to go home. Miserable would be an understated word to describe the conditions.
These fans are real ones. pic.twitter.com/8HegpygLs1
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 3, 2025
And yet, there was nothing they could do.
Food was completely gone in a hurry.
Bristol Motor Speedway created a special menu for the Speedway Classic with things like street corn, egg rolls, and city-specific hot dogs. It looked delicious!
You HAVE to see the food options at the #SpeedwayClassic tomorrow 🌭🏎️
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 2, 2025
Levy Senior VP of Culinary Steven Maak gives the rundown on just a few options at Bristol Motor Speedway. pic.twitter.com/koqhOy8qDY
Unfortunately, not everybody got to try the new food. Most people didn’t even get to eat the regular stadium food like nachos and popcorn!
According to boots on the ground, food was completely gone long before the game started.
“Sitting in the rain. No food to be found. They ran out before the national anthem. Bristol Speedway. They knew how many tickets they sold. Ridiculous operation. Fan Zone was nothing but HUGE lines. No food,” said Scott Burns.
Hot dog buns was the first thing to go.
“It’s been tough. They ran out of hot dog buns pretty early. They were serving them on a pile of chips,” reported Kyle Sutton.
Nacho cheese was next.
Beer and peanuts were the last things to go but hard to come by.
Some people decided to drink through it.
“The concourse I’m on has already run out of 75% of the food options, whiskey, and beer. I’m drinking tequila on an empty stomach. Send bail,” quipped Steven Ortlieb.
Others called for their money back.
“Major League Baseball thought none of this through in Bristol. They should be ashamed. EVERY PERSON should get their money back. Even if the weather would have been good, Bristol Motor Speedway was wildly unprepared for demand of food and beverage. Just an absolute disaster,” chimed Ryan Suckow.
One particular fan decided to take matters into his own hands. Or at least considered it.
“[Everything was] full price! Even without buns and cheese. Think I’m gonna dispute it on my credit card,” said Lester Tate.
I would imagine he won’t be the only one.
Who is to blame?
As previously stated, nobody can control the weather. Even Reds manager Terry Francona joked that rain was the only thing he has yet to figure out how to beat.
It was not Major League Baseball or Bristol Motor Speedway’s fault that a lengthy delay created a rush of patrons in search of food and drink. It is impossible to deny the role of the weather in the lack of food.
With that being said, many fans who attended the game do not think it would’ve made a big difference if it was sunny and 75. They do not think MLB or Bristol Speedway were prepared for more than 85,000 fans. The weather just sped up the inevitable disaster, described as “Fyre Fest.”
Here’s the thing.
Racing fans are more than welcome to bring their own food to a race at Bristol Motor Speedway. A large number of them do! They pack a cooler full of chips, sandwiches, etc.
Major League Baseball did not allow this same policy. No outside food. No outside beverage.
Speedway Classic attendees were forced to go through the concession stands. The concession stands ran out of food, and eventually, drink.
I put a small amount of blame on the weather. I put the majority of the blame on MLB.