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Danica Patrick Breaks Silence on Her Controversial Martin Truex Jr – Sherry Pollex Hate Saga: “This Is My Truth”

Published 04/03/2024, 5:46 AM EDT

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It’s no secret that Danica Patrick is one of the most polarizing figures in NASCAR. Naturally, Patrick has had altercations with some of the community’s favorite drivers throughout the years, landing her on the target board of some relentless fans. But with that said, Patrick shows no signs of changing her mind on Martin Truex Jr. and his long and tumultuous relationship with Sherry Pollex, who unfortunately passed away just last year after battling with ovarian cancer. Sherry Pollex was perhaps one of the brightest minds in the NASCAR community that wasn’t directly involved in motorsport.

She began dating Truex Jr back in 2005 and went on to campaign for various charities for ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, Pollex was diagnosed with the same in 2014 and tragically passed away on 17 September 2023. Whilst Truex Jr had announced their decision to part ways in January, Pollex had majorly impacted the NASCAR community for the greater part of the last two decades.

A person can’t be different on and off the track according to Danica Patrick

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One individual, who was devastated when Pollex passed away, was Danica Patrick. However, this sorrow probably turned into anger directed at the ‘insensitive’ statement that Truex Jr. put out after Pollex’s passing. While it was a heartfelt message that conveyed his condolences to the Pollex family, Patrick felt that Truex Jr had not done enough to appreciate Pollex’s efforts.

Commenting on Truex’s statement, she wrote on her Instagram story, “I avoid negativity at almost all costs. But this is the most insensitive disconnected statement from a guy that I have never liked. And obviously for good reason. I don’t care what happened between them but this is as cold as it gets. A PR rep wrote this guaranteed. You’re free from this now Sherry.” Although some fans had been calling out Patrick for stating that Pollex was now ‘free’ from all of this, the community-made a 180 turn after the latest episode of the Kenny Wallace Podcast.

Finally, fans got some further insight from Patrick into why she wasn’t too fond of Truex Jr. and felt the need to call him out that day. She stated, “I just ended up feeling like, on track he was such a d**k when he didn’t need to be. He would just drive way too close when he’d be lapping me, like, get me loose. It’s just stupid stuff like that where he just seemed very disrespectful and unnecessarily aggressive. And I never liked the relationship that he had, I always thought that he just could have done a better job with Sherry.”

While Patrick revealed that she indeed got flack from fans after her comments, she couldn’t decipher between Truex Jr.’s on-track disrespect and his off-track ‘insensitivity’. She added, “For me, you can’t separate the two, you can’t separate the person on track from the person off track. They’re all you.” So despite her getting pressured by fans for being insensitive herself, Patrick revealed how some insiders also shared her sentiments.

Danica added, “Like I don’t have to see everyone every weekend, so I don’t have to worry. This is my truth, this is my experience and also some of my opinions, and everyone’s gonna have different opinions.” She concluded by dropping a bombshell and said, “So many bad stories and you want to know what? Everyone texted me and said, ‘You said what we wanted to say’ and I wouldn’t name a single name in my whole life, but honestly, plenty of people were like, ‘You go girl you got more ba**s than I do’.”

And just like that, fans might want to rethink their hatred toward Danica Patrick when she voiced her opinion.

Speaking of her opinion on some of NASCAR’s veterans, it seems like Truex Jr’s JGR teammate fares much better in Danica Patrick’s eyes.

Has Denny Hamlin redeemed himself in Patrick’s books?

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Looking back at all the times Danica has had altercations with the sport’s legends, she also revealed what she thinks of Denny Hamlin ever since their infamous clash at 2015 Daytona. Back then, Patrick was fuming at Hamlin whilst he tried to explain he was just trying to side-draft her. But now, it seems like the 42-year-old understands Hamlin’s personality better.

She shared with Kenny Wallace, “Well look, anybody on the inside, like a lot of people who are gonna listen knows the sport pretty well and know the personalities pretty well and Denny is one of the most seasoned that’s been in the series for a long time. And you know Denny can be a handful off track like that’s been exposed in different situations.”

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However, Patrick felt Hamlin fared better in comparison to other drivers, including his JGR teammate. Patrick stated, On track, I think he’s more fair than a lot. And I’ve always actually had a pretty decent time on track other than these moments where you know, he pushes too hard and leaves no room for error.”

For Patrick, Hamlin’s approach to racing was slightly different from other drivers. While some were aggressive right from the get-go, the Beloit native believes that Hamlin is rather strategic. She concluded, “He’s not as bad as some, but he’s definitely aggressive. He’s not doing it from the beginning just to do it, I think he does wait a little bit. He’s a bit more of the ‘end of the race’ for a reason kinda guy but he’ll lay a fender.” 

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Whilst it’s safe to say Denny Hamlin seems to have improved his impression in Danica Patrick’s eyes, do you think her current stance on Truex Jr changes things with fans?

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Written by:

Kabir Bajaj Ahmed

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Kabir Bajaj Ahmed is an F1 & NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. Known for his storytelling and extensive research skills, he has covered multiple stories on Dale Earnhardt Jr and his legendary dad, allowing readers to relive the thunderous days of 'The Intimidator'. Being a racer himself, Kabir can resonate with the motorsport world better than most.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh