Kyle Busch & Chase Elliott Make Unexpected Cameo In Special MLB-NASCAR Crossover at Bristol
Written by admin on August 3, 2025
Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott traded high speeds for high stakes under a different kind of spotlight this weekend. When the Atlanta Braves were set to square off against the Cincinnati Reds at the MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, no one expected two of NASCAR’s biggest names to join the broadcast crew and fire up the rain-soaked crowd. Did Busch and Elliott bring the same energy to the MLB booth that they show behind the wheel, and what did baseball fans think of this crossover?
How Did Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott End Up Joining the MLB Broadcast at Bristol?
After wrapping up their Corn 350 qualifying runs in Iowa, Busch and Elliott raced over to Bristol Motor Speedway for a surprise appearance during the MLB Speedway Classic. The game was supposed to go down inside the infield of the legendary NASCAR track, but heavy rain immediately stirred things up.
Not only did rain force the Braves-Reds matchup to stop after one inning, but it also triggered an extended delay and pushed the rest of the game to Sunday. Still, fans got an unexpected treat as Busch and Elliott joined in on pregame festivities.
Elliott, always quick to show his Braves pride, teamed up with Busch for the ceremonial first pitch. Braves legend Chipper Jones threw to Elliott, while Reds icon Johnny Bench tossed to Busch. That was just for starters.
With the rain refusing to let up, Busch and Elliott jumped into the FOX booth alongside Joe Davis and John Smoltz. They helped fill airtime and gave fans a different flavor of commentary while everyone waited to see if the weather would cooperate.
Big thanks to drivers @KyleBusch and @chaseelliott for joining our booth in Bristol today!@NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/2taI4IwqhT
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 3, 2025
During a break in the action, Elliott took a moment to reflect on seeing such a massive baseball event staged at Bristol Motor Speedway, a track that usually dwarfs even the biggest racing crowds. The 0.533-mile oval is NASCAR’s second-smallest circuit.
“For us, Bristol feels so small, you know, on the race track, but the fact that you can fit a baseball field in here and do it to this magnitude and make it look this great…they’ve really done well in my opinion,” Elliott said.
Originally scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. start, the game was meant to showcase a can’t-miss pitching battle between Braves star Spencer Strider, a 2023 Cy Young finalist, and Reds prospect Chase Burns, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
What Does Kyle Busch’s Iowa Crash Mean for Sunday’s NASCAR Race?
Adding to the drama, Busch arrived in Bristol fresh off a tough setback. A big wreck during Iowa practice left him with serious work to do. He’d been second fastest before losing control between Turns 4 and 1, sending his car hard into the wall.
Video replays showed Busch’s No. 8 car shoot up the track, most likely as Busch tried to correct a slide, before slamming head-on into the barrier. Smoke and flames billowed from under the hood, and the car was badly damaged.
NASCAR confirmed Busch was checked at the infield care center and cleared without injury. But Sunday will not be any easier; he’s forced to use a backup car according to NASCAR rules, meaning he starts in the back of the field since he’s no longer in his primary ride.
There’s big trouble in practice for @KyleBusch.
Kyle climbed from the No. 8 under his own power. pic.twitter.com/VreIpf8qJe
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 2, 2025
Despite the crash, Busch discussed the incident with reporters, sharing, “Anywhere I would push it a little harder, I would feel rear chatter,” Busch said. “I felt really good about the changes that we made there, came out of Turn 4 really hot and heavy and hard on it and went off into Turn 1 with too much trust and chattered the right rear and wrecked it. I’m not real sure how to find more trust when you feel something good in one corner, and it’s not there in the next.”
Looking at the standings, Busch enters the weekend a big chunk behind the playoff cutoff, with the gap widened by Bubba Wallace taking the last win at Indianapolis. To keep his playoff hopes alive, winning looks like the only realistic path left, but the challenge just got steeper with his backup car starting at the rear on Sunday.
