BRISTOL, TN (WCYB) — Baseball fans gathered at the Bristol Motor Speedway for the first-ever MLB Speedway Classic, undeterred by rain that forced the league to suspend play early in the first inning on Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, the sun returned, and so did the fans, eager to witness America’s pastime in a unique setting.

Luke Farmer, a Braves fan from Atlanta, reflected on the weather’s impact. “Well, I think, you know, it certainly dampened a lot of spirits,” he said. “But overall, I think people are still hopeful. And the reason why people come to these games, especially Braves fans, is because they’re faithful. Even though we’re down near bottom of the standings, we’re still hopeful to pull out another World Series win, even from the wild card slot. It’s just, you know, a thing you have to believe in. That’s what makes this it’s one of the things that makes this game so great, I have to say.”

Despite the delayed start, Braves fans remained optimistic about a comeback and the unique experience. Farmer added, “Yeah, they were down, but it was only the first inning. And you see, typically, after that happens, it’s kind of difficult to cancel games. But thankfully, the MLB decided we’re going to push through this, and I’m really happy they did.”

Some fans, like a family from Cincinnati, made a last-minute decision to stay. Selena Tegtmeier, a Reds fan, said, “We were prepared to leave this morning and head back to Cincinnati.”

Even as crews began dismantling parts of the event setup, families continued to make memories. Morgan Tegtmeier noted, “We were hoping that the lines get a little bit shorter for like, the pitching and the batting. That way, he got the opportunity to go and do those things that he didn’t get to do yesterday.”

With baseball on the infield and race cars in the background, fans declared the weekend one for the history books, rain or shine.