The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, started by the soon-to-retire NASCAR veteran Martin Truex Jr., has been instrumental in their fight against cancer. The foundation runs several cancer awareness campaigns and fundraisers. The most well-known amongst them is their signature event, “Catwalk for a Cause.”

This was a dream project by MTJ and his late girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, who had been a strong advocate for women fighting ovarian cancer and children suffering from pediatric cancer. Even after a year of her passing, Pollex is still dearly loved in the NASCAR community for her philanthropic efforts to fight cancer. Rackley-Willie Allen Racing honored her legacy with their #25 truck at the Kubota Tractor 200 in Kansas.

Sherry Pollex is riding shotgun in Dawson Sutton’s truck

‘Catwalk for a Cause’ was started in 2010. It is a charity fashion gala that brings the NASCAR industry together in the fight against childhood cancer. The gala has run successfully for more than a decade and recently hosted its 14th edition, where many NASCAR stars and their spouses were seen walking the ramp. During the event, the MTJ Foundation pairs their kids with NASCAR drivers and their significant others. In a heartfelt moment, we saw Kyle Larson and his wife Katelyn walking the ramp.

In one way or another, NASCAR drivers and teams like to be involved in the noble work started by Pollex. In a similar effort, Rackley W.A.R. has put the Sherry Pollex name on Dawson Sutton’s No. 25 Chevy truck in the Kansas race as a tribute to her work and that of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation.

The team took to X to write, “We are very proud and honored to fly the name of Sherry Pollex on the No. 25 #NASCAR Truck of @dawsonsutton26on Friday. Sherry has deep roots in NASCAR. She battled cancer for over a decade and was well-known for her charitable work in the fight against the disease.”

Dawson Sutton started the race in 5th position after recently taking over the ride from Ty Dillion. It was announced by the team that the 18-year-old will run the remaining races of the season. While the reasons for the same are unclear, many suspect it to be Dillion’s poor stats. He has only managed two top-10 finishes this year.

While Dillon won’t be running the truck, he’ll still be with the team to mentor Dawson. He said, “I am thankful to everyone at Rackley W.A.R. for the opportunity to make my return to the Truck Series. I look forward to mentoring Dawson for the remainder of this season, and am very excited to focus on my future plans behind the wheel in 2025.” 

However, his successor, Dawson, has shown great promise at the Kansas race today and managed to finish P5 behind Honeycutt, Eckes, Riggs, and Heim. However, in the other two races that Sutton has run so far, he finished 28th at North Wilkesboro and then bettered it with an 18th-place finish at Nashville. So, Kansas was a good Top 5 finish for the 18-year-old driver, adding another feather to Sherry Pollex’s legacy and contribution to the community.

Pollex’s endless contributions in the fight against cancer

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Other than her connection with MTJ, Pollex has a deep connection with NASCAR. Her father, Greg Pollex, raced Late Models before foraying into team ownership. His team PPC Racing won the Xfinity Series in 2000 with Jeff Green. Pollex and MTJ started the foundation in 2007 and have focused on assisting children and families affected by pediatric cancer. In 2010, they launched Catwalk for a cause.

According to the MTJ Foundation’s website, since the event’s inception, “Catwalk for a Cause” has raised over 5 million dollars for pediatric and ovarian cancer initiatives. Not to mention, Pollex herself was diagnosed with advanced Stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2014. After a long fight and 17 rounds of chemotherapy, she was cleared of it in 2016, heartening others with her positive outlook through treatment.

Post this, Pollex decided to turn her experience with ovarian cancer into a resource for other women. She launched SherryStrong.org, a website dedicated to empowering women with body awareness. The site aims to help women identify ovarian cancer symptoms and explore how complementary therapies like integrative and holistic practices can work alongside traditional medical treatments.

In 2021, the cancer returned, and the disease had spread to one of her lungs. The strain had rapidly spread and was diagnosed to be resistant to the treatment. Throughout her journey, she never gave up being an ambassador for fighting the disease.

She had said, “It’s maybe not what I would have chosen for myself — nobody really wants to be the poster child for any type of cancer — but maybe I’m supposed to go through all this so I can pave the way for other women. 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.”

Her work continues to inspire and help countless people.

What are your thoughts on Sherry Pollex’s work?