CONCORD, N.C. _ It was a late night for the four reporters in the press box covering NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 race last weekend. The May 24 event stretched into early Monday morning after a rain delay and late-lap caution further extended the longest race of the year.
When I reached my car parked in the Charlotte Motor Speedway lot just before 2 a.m., I experienced pure bliss removing a mask that had been covering my face for 12 straight hours. My relief, however, was short-lived.
I turned on the engine, took a deep breath, and then, I felt it: The sniffles.
This was a new development since I had entered the speedway healthy, without experiencing a fever or any COVID-19 symptom leading up to the race, but the press box was cold and I didn't feel sick otherwise. Tired, definitely, but not sick. It was probably allergies.
I forgot about my mild runny nose until the following day when a text from NASCAR Medical came up on my phone asking me to fill out a health screening questionnaire before attending my next race on Tuesday. Completion of the form is required before each race as part of NASCAR's coronavirus event protocol.
"Have you received a lab confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19?"
No.
"Have you been within 6 feet of a person for at least 5 minutes with a lab confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days?"
No.
"Are you experiencing any of the following: Fever greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 3 days, cough, sore throat, chills, runny nose/nasal congestion, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing/wheezing, headache, muscle pains/body aches, fatigue, diarrhea, new loss of taste or smell, NONE OF THE ABOVE."
Previously, I didn't need to check any of the boxes next to those symptoms. Now, I wasn't so sure.
I weighed my options, still experiencing the runny nose. It was probably nothing, but what if it was something? I reasoned that when it comes to a global pandemic, better safe than sorry. I checked "runny nose" and finished filling out the survey, which also asked if I resided with anyone who was experiencing the symptoms previously listed (no). I submitted the form and went on with my day.
Later that evening, I got a text from someone introducing himself as Ryan Stanton, the Medical Director for the American Medical Response/NASCAR Safety team.
"I am following up as your pre-screen was flagged for followup," Stanton texted.
He asked if I had correctly filled out my form and if my symptom was new or allergy-related. I texted back that I thought it was allergies and that I wasn't experiencing any symptoms then.
Stanton's questions were thorough.
"Is this ongoing for you this time of year?" he asked.
I responded that yes, I usually have seasonal spring allergies.
"No symptoms, fever, or exposures that would make you concerned for anything other than allergies?" Stanton followed.
"Correct," I responded. "No fever, cough, COVID symptoms or exposure to anyone with COVID or experiencing symptoms."
I added that I would let him know if new symptoms popped up overnight. He responded around 11 p.m. that he was "just clearing up flags prior to tomorrow."
The next morning, I received my daily text from NASCAR's racing communications officer, Mike Forde, who asked me if I was experiencing an elevated temperature or exhibiting other COVID-19 related symptoms (none). Per protocol, NASCAR individually asks everyone at the track (including drivers, crew members, owners, media and speedway personnel, etc.) that same question each race day. Individuals are then asked again if they are experiencing symptoms by health officials at check-in before taking a forehead temperature scan.
Tuesday, I watched the Trucks race from the press box feeling good. No runny nose.
I then returned to the track on Wednesday, and again on Thursday after rain postponed the Cup race to the following evening. Each day, I filled out my questionnaire and responded to my daily text from Forde.
Check-in at the track was lonely, with no fans to weave through, but efficient. Everyone I interacted with wore a mask, and hand sanitizer was delivered to our seats as well as posted in a dispenser outside each doorway leading into the press box.
No more than two people at a time were allowed inside the elevator, and there was ample space, more than six feet, between the four print reporters on-site, which included one local or NASCAR-designated reporter (myself), a representative from the Associated Press and two rotating reporters from outlets selected by the National Motorsports Press Association.
"NASCAR ran the Coca-Cola 600 without spectators and used appropriate social distancing, face covering, hand hygiene and signage," North Carolina's Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said Tuesday.
Before attending last Sunday's race at Charlotte, I had to sign a COVID-19 Assumption of Risk waiver and a HIPAA Health Information waiver, as well as read through NASCAR's 39-page Event Operations Protocol Guide, which was approved by the governor's office before the sport returned to North Carolina amid the pandemic.
"They took precautions seriously and had a great event that was enjoyed by millions," Cohen said. "Let's all take the precautions that NASCAR did."
As live sporting, entertainment and political events return slowly but surely in the coming months, sanctioning bodies will have to determine what that looks like when it comes to media access and procedures.
Ongoing politics are involved in who and how many reporters are allowed on-site for NASCAR's return races, but the sport got it right when it comes to how seriously it is taking something as big as a virus that has claimed more than 100,000 lives, as well as something as small as a case of the sniffles.
Reporting from the track at Charlotte this past week, I felt safe.
