Few figures within the NASCAR community are as beloved as Sherry Pollex. The longtime ex-girlfriend of Martin Truex Jr. passed away last year after a lengthy nine-year battle with ovarian cancer, having supported many causes related to the disease through the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation. The daughter of PPC Racing team owner Greg Pollex was also the founder of Sherry Strong Integrative Medicine Oncology Clinic and created SherryStrong.org to help women assess treatment options for the disease.

Every year, Sherry Pollex would actively participate in events organized by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and Sherry Strong Foundation. Despite her absence days after her death anniversary, NASCAR drivers carried on her legacy by participating in Catwalk For A Cause, leaving fans emotional.

Sherry Pollex’s legacy appears to be in safe hands

A sport that is dominated by rivalries, on-track incidents, and disagreements came together in a rare show of unity for Catwalk For A Cause. Organized by Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex’s foundations, the event featured NASCAR drivers walking with pediatric cancer patients on the ramp, in a bid to spread awareness about ovarian and childhood cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 20,000 women are set to be diagnosed with the disease this year, ranking fifth in cancer deaths among women.

Sherry Pollex established Catwalk For a Cause in 2010, combining two of her favorite things: NASCAR and fashion, with the proceeds going towards battling childhood cancer. In a conversation with the Athletic in 2022, she reiterated her commitment towards raising awareness and helping cancer patients by saying, “On some days, that can be a really hard pill to swallow. But on other days, it’s like, ‘You know, I’ve been given this really important role in this life, and if I’m going to leave a legacy behind and help other people, then I need to do it 100 percent.’”

In 2022, the fashion show raised over $600,000, showing just how important the Catwalk For a Cause has been to not just spreading awareness but helping victims of the disease. Before her passing, Pollex had embraced the role of being an ovarian cancer spokesperson and was one of the early adopters of exploring potential treatment options. Despite her diagnosis in 2014, she continued to soldier on for the greater good, even when it became evident that her disease was terminal, despite having recovered three times.

Sherry Pollex’s relationship with Martin Truex Jr. began in 2005, and the pair eventually parted ways in January 2023 after being together for nearly 18 years. Both have done a tremendous amount of work to help childhood and ovarian cancer patients through their foundations over the years, and it’s heartwarming to see that Pollex’s legacy is being carried forward by the NASCAR community. In the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s own words, “Her legacy will live well beyond our lifetimes and continue to help countless families” who are being forced to battle the deadly disease.

Emotional NASCAR fans share their views on social media

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As expected, the NASCAR community rallied behind the joint initiative conducted between the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and the Sherry Strong Foundation. The Catwalk For a Cause has been an annual event for almost 15 years, even before Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and it was the first time the event was being held in her absence. Naturally, fans missed her presence this time around, with one X user writing, “This was great, so miss seeing Sherry there. I really wish that Martin could have just mentioned Sherry after all they did getting this started together, but then again maybe he just can’t. It’s just so sad.”

With some of the biggest names in NASCAR, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Larson in attendance and walking on the ramp, the event was an inevitable hit for what it aimed to achieve. Hailing the unity within the motorsports community in making Catwalk For a Cause a success, even in the absence of Sherry Pollex, one fan wrote, “The event appears to have been a success again. It was so great so many came together to make it a success. Thanks also to drivers and families for doing another wonderful job this is a race of sorts to find a cure for cancer.”

Pollex always wanted to leave behind a legacy to help other people, and one fan felt that she would have been happy seeing Catwalk For A Cause becoming more successful than ever before. The fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Sherry is smiling upon us.” Another fan couldn’t help but feel emotional, seeing NASCAR drivers walk the ramp with children suffering from cancer and lifting their spirits through their presence. The fan said, “This is so wholesome”, commenting on a video of the event uploaded by Fox Sports Journalist Bob Pockrass.

One fan simply said, “Beautiful”, an apt way of summing up an evening where the NASCAR community united to tackle a cause bigger than anything that would ever happen on a racetrack. Carrying on Sherry Pollex’s legacy will continue to improve the lives of plenty of patients in need for years to come, and what better way to sum up not just the cause but the motivation behind it than by calling it anything other than the simple but meaningful word?