Martin Truex Jr. addresses tragic death of longtime partner Sherry Pollex
Martin Truex Jr. isn't someone who likes the spotlight. He's reserved. That's just who he is. So when it was announced on Sept. 17 that his longtime former girlfriend Sherry Pollex had lost her years-long battle with cancer, no one expected the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to come out and address the subject.
Instead, the 2017 Cup Series champion, who teamed with Pollex and his foundation for years to raise awareness and money for various cancer-fighting initiatives, published a statement that mentioned how she made a difference in the lives of many others battling the terrible disease and offered his condolences to her family.
This past weekend in Texas was the first time since the heartbreaking news that Truex publicly appeared when he met with the media before the first race in the Round of 12.
The 43-year-old was asked a variety of questions about the sweltering heat, the race, and the struggles during his playoff run before NBC's Dustin Long broached the sensitive subject and asked him how he was doing.
"I'm OK," the driver replied.
"Did you have any additional comment on Sherry?" Fox's Bob Pockrass followed up.
"I'd rather not talk about that right now," Truex responded.
That was it. The conversation moved on, and he answered several more racing-related questions before leaving the media center. The entire exchange between the driver and reporters was uncomfortable, but it was a subject that needed to be addressed.
To Truex's credit, he was short but cordial in both of his responses or basically what you'd expect from him. With that now behind him, he can focus on the task at hand and that's racing to win his second Cup title.
More must-reads: