Sherry Pollex, a philanthropist around NASCAR and the longtime former girlfriend of driver Martin Truex Jr., died at 44 years old over the weekend after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer.
In 2007 she launched the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, which ultimately became a charity focused on children’s cancer and ovarian cancer.
In 2010, several years before Pollex was diagnosed with cancer herself, she was “instrumental” in the founding of Catwalk for a Cause, a fashion gala that raised money for children’s cancer, according to her obituary on NASCAR.com.
Pollex and Truex Jr. were together from 2005 until January of 2023, when the couple announced that they had separated.
“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,” Truex Jr. wrote in a statement on Instagram Sunday night.
“Sherry’s passion for making a difference in the lives of others was inspiring to everyone. 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.
I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her entire family, who have shown incredible strength and resilience throughout her battle.”
She graduated from Florida State with a degree in sports marketing, eventually becoming an employee of a marketing firm that worked with NASCAR.
Pollex was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014 when she was 35 years old.
A number of prominent figures in NASCAR mourned her death.
“She was such a fighter. Inspiring in how she went about her own challenges but also how she learned to live every day to its fullest. Amy and I were lucky to have known her and call her a friend,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted.
Wrote Ryan Blaney: “So sad to hear about Sherry, amazing human being who did so much to help children and the people around her. It was a treasure to know her kindness and heart.”
Pollex was the daughter of Greg Pollex, who owned the NASCAR team ppc Racing.