Charlotte Motor Speedway lost & found has a first: Someone left a woman - with a beer

Cleaning crews at Charlotte Motor Speedway commonly find odd and mysterious items left behind by fans after the Coca-Cola 600.

But this week, the track had a first. The day after the race, crews happened upon a woman left behind – with Bud Light still in hand.

Jody Nash told WBTV, the Observer’s news partner, that when she woke up on Monday, her friends had already driven away. A tent was also left behind, so she joked that at least she had a place to sleep if her friends never returned.

“Hey mom, I’m OK. I’m still here in Turn 2,” Nash told WBTV. “Will y’all come get me?”

WBTV reporter Steve Ohnesorge came across Nash while doing a story about the post-race cleanup. Similar stories have been done by media outlets in other NASCAR towns, including a 2016 USA Today story about actor Dennis Quaid trying to find the owner of a black Lab pup he found at Texas Motor Speedway.

WBTV’s story about Nash was tongue-in-cheek but was quickly discovered on social media, which took the matter seriously.

“NASCAR Fan Left Behind After Falling Asleep At Coke 600,” read a headline on Crave.com, an arts, entertainment and culture website.

“Slumbering NASCAR Fan Left Behind After Race By Just About Everybody,” said the racing website BlackFlag.

NASCAR fans seemed to sympathize with Nash, given the race had a lengthy rain delay Sunday night.

“Fell asleep?” asked one fan on BlackFlag. “Riiiiiiiiiiight. Passed … out is more like it.”

“When the race ends at midnight, I think ‘fell asleep’ is the right term, even if you’re drunk out of your gourd,” posted another fan.

Speedway spokesman Scott Cooper confirmed that a woman was indeed left behind Sunday night, and that he was getting calls from national media asking how such a thing could happen.

He said it’s not unusual for cleanup crews to find all kinds of personal possessions, from dozens of sets of keys to phones to furniture and even grills. (The track’s lost and found is in Ticket Services on the second floor of the Smith Tower.)

On Monday, crews even found an inflatable swimming pool between two Porta-Jons, WBTV reported.

“And it’s not unusual for us to find people camping in tents that are still asleep after a late night of fun at the speedway,” Cooper said. “But it is unusual to find people who’ve been left behind. Thankfully, most family and friends take their family and friends with them when they go.”

If you are worried about Nash, don’t be. WBTV reports she found a way back home safely.

This story was originally published May 31, 2017 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Charlotte Motor Speedway lost & found has a first: Someone left a woman - with a beer."