Will Martin Truex Finally Win the Daytona 500?

All the while, Truex has coped with a deeply personal challenge: Sherry Pollex, his longtime girlfriend, has battled ovarian cancer first diagnosed in 2014. After aggressive treatment, she improved but late last year Pollex announced the disease had come back.

For Truex, standing by his partner’s side while she endured yet another surgery and more rounds of chemotherapy is as much a part of life as strapping on his helmet and climbing into the cockpit of his racecar.

Cancer, he said, “is what we live all the time.”

“But you learn to understand what matters most and not worry about the stuff that doesn’t matter,’’ he added.

His boss put it more succinctly.

“He’s gone through so much,” Gibbs said.

Truex tries not to think in the long term.

With a mentality that has been honed as both a world-class racecar driver and a partner to someone in the fight of her life, Truex tends to focus on the world right through his windshield: his next race, Pollex’s next treatment, and maybe, if he’s fast enough, hoisting a second Cup Series championship come November.

He’s not thinking about retirement, nor is he worried about his place in his sport’s history.

“I’ve never really thought much about a legacy or what my career means,” Truex said. “The main thing right now is that I still love racing, I love to compete, and I love to win.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/14/sports/autoracing/martin-truex-daytona-500.html