BRISTOL − The MLB Speedway Classic is delayed due to inclement weather at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Braves and Reds were slated to start at 7:15 p.m. ET on Aug. 2. The tarp was put on the field at 7:19 p.m. If the game is postponed, it would be played Aug. 3.

“It’s gonna be a little while it looks like,” Reds manager Terry Francona said on FOX. “They’re gonna have to fix the field when it does dry out, then they want to see if there’s another (storm) cell behind it.”

It rained throughout the day at BMS, including during the Braves’ batting practice. Braves great Chipper Jones and Reds great Johnny Bench threw out ceremonial first pitches as the rain picked up before the game was slated to start.

MLB announced July 28 that more than 85,000 tickets have been sold, which would mark the highest attendance for a single regular-season game in Major League Baseball history. That would eclipse the previous record of 84,587, set on Sept. 12, 1954, when the New York Yankees played Cleveland at Cleveland Stadium.

Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY

GAME: How MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway happened from first visit to first pitch

Rookie Chase Burns, a former Tennessee star from the Nashville area, is the starting pitcher for the Reds. Spencer Strider, who pitched at CAK in Knoxville, is starting for the Braves.

This story will be updated.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.