NASCAR’s Martin Truex Jr. Remembers Sherry Pollex as a ‘Tireless’ Advocate
NASCAR stock car racing driver Martin Truex Jr. issued a statement on Monday (Sept. 18) about the death of Sherry Pollex, with whom he was in a longterm relationship between 2005-2023.
Pollex died on Sunday (Sept. 17) after a years-long battle with ovarian cancer. She was 44 years old.
On social media, Truex Jr. remembers Pollex both for her lifelong commitment to charity and advocacy and for the courage with which she fought her cancer.
"From the very minute of her diagnosis, Sherry was determined to not only fight ovarian cancer with everything she had, but also make a difference in the lives of others battling this terrible disease," he writes.
"Sherry's passion for making a difference in the lives of others was inspiring to everyone," Truex Jr. continues.
"Through her tireless charity work for so many years, her legacy will live well beyond our lifetimes and continue to help countless families who are battling ovarian and childhood cancer."
Pollex and Truex Jr. launched the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation together in 2007 to support pediatric cancer research. After Pollex's ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2014, the foundation's mission pivoted to benefit both children with cancer and people facing ovarian cancer diagnoses.
Pollex publicly shared her own battle with the disease, creating SherryStrong.org as a resource to encourage early ovarian cancer detection and to help those diagnosed with it understand their treatment options.
She was also the organizing force behind Catwalk for a Cause, a NASCAR-based charity fashion gala. Since the annual event's founding in 2010, it has raised more than $4 million to combat pediatric cancer, according to NASCAR's website.
She was originally diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014 at the age of 35, and completed 17 months of chemotherapy. In 2021, the disease returned, and doctors found that it had spread to one of her lungs. Additionally, the cancer recurrence was an especially aggressive strain that was resistant to treatment.
As he concluded his statement on Pollex's death, Truex Jr. made special mention of all those closest to Pollex through her long illness.
"I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her entire family, who have shown incredible strength and resilience throughout her battle," he says.
