Which major sporting events are closest to the Tri-Cities?

Youre planning a sports-related trip to or from the Tri Cities.

One of the first things you want to know is exactly how far is it.

Some of the distances might surprise you as we look at different spots in the Tri-Cities and see how far to travel to major sporting venues.

You might be surprised with the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves coming to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Speedway Classic 25 baseball game in 2025.

Most would assume Atlanta would be the closer team to Bristol Motor Speedway, although both teams have had a presence in the market with radio affiliates.

The Reds Great American Ballpark at 305 miles away is actually four miles closer than the Braves Truist Park.

The Washington Nationals are the next closest team, 386 miles away from the Last Great Colosseum.

Keeping with the racing theme, Bristol Motor Speedway is 418 miles from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Its nearly 200 miles and 2 1/2 hours closer than Daytona International Speedway.

Theres even a bigger difference when measured from Kingsport Speedway which is 401 miles from the Brickyard.

North Wilkesboro Speedway is the closest NASCAR Cup Series track to BMS just 98 miles away.

Its 168 miles to Charlotte Motor Speedway from BMS, two miles closer than Martinsville.

Even though Virginia Tech is covered as a local team by the Tri-Cities media, ETSUs Greene Stadium is 13 miles closer to Clemson Memorial Stadium (149 miles away) than Virginia Techs Lane Stadium.

The University of Tennessees Neyland Stadium is obviously the closest of the Power 4 Conference schools at 110 miles or a 1-hour, 42-minute trip according to google maps.

What if I want to see an NFL game? The Carolina Panthers are the closest team to my house with Bank of America Stadium 144 miles and a little under three hours away.

Surprisingly, the Atlanta Falcons Mercedes-Benz Stadium is next closest at 249 miles, nearly 40 miles closer than the Tennessee Titans Nissan Stadium.

The Cincinnati Bengals are another option, 318 miles or five hours away.

If we travel from Viking Hall in Bristol, home of the The Classic high school tournament which several future professional players have participated, the closest NBA arena is the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, 163 miles or a little over three hours away.

To show how long a state that Tennessee is, home games for the Indiana Pacers (414 miles) and Cleveland Cavaliers (450 miles) are closer than the 505-mile trip to see the Memphis Grizzlies at Fed Ex Forum.

In fact, its only five miles and an estimated 15 minutes more to see the Philadelphia 76ers play at home.

College basketball is more popular in this area and you might want to see one of the bluebloods of the sport.

Its a four-hour trip or 267 miles from Freedom Hall, home for the ETSU basketball team, to the Dean Smith Center on the University of North Carolina campus.

Its closer, 236 miles, to see Kentucky play at Rupp Arena, actually off campus in Lexington, but the estimated driving time is longer than to Chapel Hill.

If you want to be part of the Cameron Crazies, its 269 miles to Duke, but the driving time is four hours and a minute, which is four minutes less than UNC.

Theres no professional hockey in the Tri-Cities, although the Knoxville Ice Bears have done some exhibition drills at the BMS Ice Skating Rink.

The Carolina Hurricanes are the closest NHL team to BMS, with the Lenovo Center some 262 miles away.

Its 287 miles from BMS to Bridgestone Arena, home to the Nashville Predators.

From Warriors Path Golf Course, its 177 miles to Quail Hollow, the Charlotte course which hosted the 2025 PGA Championship.

The next closest PGA course is Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, which is 182 miles away.

Augusta National, home of The Masters, is 259 miles from Warriors Path, while Pinehurst No.

2, which has hosted multiple U.S.

Open championships is 268 miles from the Kingsport course.

The most famous horse race in the area took place at Jackson-Love Highway in Erwin.

Colonel Robert Loves horse won against the one ridden by future President Andrew Jackson.

From the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, its 305 miles to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and 407 miles to the Pimilco Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes.

Indian-Highlands Park, home of Dobyns-Bennett tennis, is 177 miles from the Winston-Salem Open held at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.

The Cincinnati Open in Mason, Ohio is 317 miles from there with the Citi D.C.

Open in Washington, D.C.

398 miles away.

Enjoy the Speedway Classic and any of these other major sporting events, youd like to attend..

This article has been shared from the original article on timesnews, here is the link to the original article.