Major League Baseball has recently had a streak of selecting unique venues for some of its most iconic games, including the Field of Dreams in Iowa and the oldest existing professional baseball stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.
So when MLB decided to add a full-scale baseball field inside NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway, they naturally turned to their official field consultant, BrightView, to make this project a reality.
“I’m incredibly proud of our sports turf team who brought this vision to life,” says Dale Asplund, BrightView’s president and CEO. “Projects like this prove that BrightView is so much more than beautiful landscapes — we’re problem solvers, innovators, and trusted collaborators on some of the most complex and creative builds, including sports. Congratulations to everyone involved in turning Bristol Motor Speedway into a world-class ballpark.”
BrightView worked alongside partners BaAM and Populous to transform the racetrack and infield pit road into a regulation-sized field for the Aug. 2 game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. This game marked the first American or National League game to be played in Tennessee.
While it took the company only 18 days to transform London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park into a ball field, it took 30 days for this metamorphosis.
“Converting a high-banked oval racetrack into a world-class baseball field isn’t something you do every day,” says Murray Cook, president of BrightView’s sports turf division. “But it’s exactly the kind of challenge we love. This project pushed us to get a little creative, while maintaining Bristol Motor Speedway’s iconic charm. The result is going to be nothing short of spectacular.”
Cook says the most challenging aspect of the project was getting the baseball field to fit within the existing conditions of the speedway. This included removing pit walls, signage, lights, the Sunoco fuel tanks and half of the Goodyear building.
“The building was in right field,” Cook says. “Half of it is now gone so we could extend the fence to the proper location at 375 feet. We couldn’t play here if we didn’t take out half of that building.”
Cook says Bristol Motor Speedway was responsible for removing these elements and will return them before the next race in September.
Up to 12 BrightView employees were working on the project at once, along with part-time people and volunteers.
Due to the steep track, Cook says they brought in 18,000 tons of gravel to create a level surface. He notes the banking of the racetrack’s infield area created some engineering hurdles, but they were able to grade and level the space to meet MLB standards.
“We created a huge water storage area under the field, along with drainage,” Cook says. “With any water that comes down the track, it goes into our sub-base gravel system. We have channels going across and stones stacked as a way to make the turf level and allow all the storage capacity for the water. Under all of that is the drainage system where the whole infield drains to that was already a part of the speedway.”
They also installed 124,000 square feet of AstroTurf’s Diamond Series synthetic turf. 340 tons of clay were used and shock pads were placed under the turf to reduce the ball bouncing and keep the field soft.
“It’s a two-part system for the turf to feel more grass-like,” Cook says.
BrightView also provided quality control oversite for field elements such as fencing, padding, foul poles, netting, and wall protection, all designed and installed to MLB specifications.
“When the game is over, we pack it all up,” Cook says. “We roll up the turf and all of our materials here — cages and screens, different items — all gets boxed up and shipped back to Dyersville, Iowa.”
