Sherry Pollex, whose charitable efforts to combat cancer inspired the NASCAR community, has passed away. She was 44 years old.
Sunday, Pollex’s family made a statement on her passing. Cancer was to blame, a battle she had waged ever since her initial diagnosis in 2014.
Catwalk for a Cause, a charity fashion show that united the NASCAR community in the fight against children’s cancer, was founded in large part because of Pollex. Since its inception in 2010, the occasion has helped fund disease-fighting programs by raising more than $4 million.
Four years before she was personally diagnosed at age 35 with Stage 3 ovarian cancer, the project had just been launched. Her humanitarian endeavors grew to include funding for ovarian cancer research, a type of disease for which she claimed that in the previous 30 years, there had been virtually little progress in care and treatment techniques. The Sherry Strong Integrative Medicine Oncology Clinic will open in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2020 thanks to a partnership between her foundation and Novant Health.
The National Motorsports Press Association’s 2017 Myers Brothers Award was given to Pollex and his former teammate Martin Truex Jr. for their great accomplishments in stock-car racing. For the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award in 2022, Pollex was also a finalist.
Pollex was unable to attend the Catwalk 2023, which was held only last Wednesday. The co-hosts of the event included Pollex in their opening remarks, calling her “an absolute hero” as the audience applauded her.
NASCAR issued the following statement in response to Sherry Pollex’s passing: NASCAR is saddened to learn of Sherry Pollex’s passing. She was an example to everyone she knew because of her battle with illness and her commitment to aid others through the Sherry Strong Foundation. The families and friends of Sherry are in the thoughts and prayers of NASCAR and the NASCAR Foundation.
On May 10, 1979, Sherry Pollex was born in Marshall, Michigan. Later, she relocated to Brighton, Michigan, with her family. The distance between the two villages and Michigan International Speedway, where she used to watch NASCAR races with her family while wearing a Rusty Wallace T-shirt, was about an hour. Her older sister, Jill, was also there.
People simply don’t realize how wonderful this place is, Pollex said of her home state in an interview with the Detroit Free Press in 2015. “The smell of the pines, the lakes — people just don’t know how good it is here,” Pollex said of her home state. She claimed that, prior to her family’s participation in racing, she was “a hockey kid” who loved the Detroit Red Wings. Years later, the Red Wings sent her a care package and a get-well letter when she was initially diagnosed with cancer.
Greg Pollex, Pollex’s father, competed in late-model racing on Michigan’s dirt circuits before transitioning into team ownership in NASCAR. His PPC Racing team won the 2000 championship with Jeff Green by competing mostly in what is now known as the Xfinity Series.
Sherry Pollex was in middle school when her family relocated to Florida; she later enrolled at Florida State University and graduated with a degree in Sports Marketing. Her connection to the sport was enhanced when she accepted a job with a marketing company that had clients in NASCAR.
Truex introduced Pollex to him as he rose to fame in the Xfinity Series, & the two later used that platform for charitable endeavors. The Driver’s Foundation was established in 2007 with the goal of supporting kids with cancer and their families. The couple separated in January after 18 years of marriage.
After becoming unwell that summer of 2014, Pollex received her own diagnosis. She underwent an emergency surgery on August 15 where physicians removed her ovaries, fallopian tubes, spleen, appendix, and a portion of her stomach over the course of several hours after a CT scan revealed extensive Stage 3 ovarian cancer (Stage 4 is the most serious). Chemotherapy for Pollex started four weeks later.
She claimed that doctors had given her a 30% chance of surviving for the ensuing five years. She encouraged people with her upbeat attitude during her chemotherapy treatment, and on January 11, 2016, she rang the bell to mark the conclusion of 17 months of treatment.
In 2019, Pollex told Jeff Gluck, “I wake up every day with so much thankfulness and excitement for this life that I’m experiencing, even though I have a chronic condition. And it’s really difficult. I frequently get the question, “I don’t get it. How do you maintain your optimism and constant happiness when having stage 3C ovarian cancer? And every morning when I wake up, I simply marvel at how great life is. There is so much beauty and goodness in the world if you just take a glance around. If you look for us, there are many of us who wish to change the world and encourage one another.
In September 2021, doctors discovered that Pollex’s cancer had returned and had spread to one of her lungs. Later scans showed that her cancer had continued to advance and was particularly resistant to treatment.
She leaves behind a strong, enduring legacy as a supporter of noble causes and a tenacious advocate in the battle against the illness.
Pollex admitted to The Athletic in 2022, “I frequently question if that’s my purpose here. Nobody really wants to be the face of any form of cancer, so it’s probably not what I would have chosen for myself, but perhaps I have to go through all of this to help other women. That can be a tremendously difficult concept to accept on some days. But on other days, it’s like, “You know, I’ve been given this incredibly important position in this life, and if I’m going to leave a legacy behind & help other people, therefore I need to do it 100 percent.