Wildly popular victory brings Martin Truex Jr. praise

Kevin Harvick would’ve preferred to win instead of finishing second for an eighth time this season. But the frustration of the defending Sprint Cup Series champion was tempered some by who stood in the winner’s circle Sunday at Pocono Raceway.

That would be Martin Truex Jr., who snapped a 69-race winless streak spanning nearly two years and produced one of the more acclaimed moments in recent NASCAR memory by taking the Axalta 400 checkered flag. The victory was popular for many reasons, foremost because of the trials and tribulations he has experienced over the past 18 months.

“He’s had more to overcome personally and professionally than probably anybody sitting in a seat right now,” said Jimmie Johnson, who finished third. “And for him to still walk in the garage every week with a smile on his face, climb in the car, put in the effort, be the great guy he is I think speaks volumes, and a very popular win for him. I went into victory lane myself, gave him a fist bump and told him good job, as well, so very popular win for sure.”

In 2013, Truex seemingly had earned a Chase for the Sprint Cup spot only to be displaced when NASCAR discovered his then-team, Michael Waltrip Racing, had conspired to fix a race in an effort to ensure Truex, who had no knowledge of the chicanery, qualified for the playoffs

The aftermath saw NASCAR levy record penalties against MWR and Truex’s sponsor, NAPA, leave the organization due to embarrassment. Reeling from the financial impact of a high-dollar sponsor suddenly departing, MWR had little choice but to contract from three full-time teams to two, with Truex being the odd man out.

Truex moved to the single-car Furniture Row Racing, based in Denver -- not the NASCAR hub of Charlotte, N.C. His first season with the team was disappointing, leading just a single lap and ranking 24th in the 2014 point standings.

An already trying period became more so when Truex’s longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last August. Pollex underwent surgery to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries, among other organs, and began chemotherapy multiple times a week.

Furniture Row owner Barney Visser offered to let Truex stop racing, but he continued on, wanting the distraction from what was going on with his personal life. Spurred by a crew chief change late in the year, Truex’s performance eventually improved, which has carried over to this season.

Through 14 races, Truex has been consistently one the best drivers. Only Harvick has more points and just once has he not recorded a top-10 finish. All that was missing was a victory, something Truex had not achieved since June 28, 2013.

That void in the win column was filled Sunday when Truex led the most laps for the fourth straight race and outran Harvick to secure the victory.

“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” Truex said of Pollex’s diagnosis. “But when you get through something like that, it makes you pretty damned proud of what you’ve accomplished, and this is easily the biggest win of my career.”

Truex’s win brought an outpouring of heartfelt congratulations. Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- one of Truex’s close friends -- stopped in victory lane, while many others expressed their sentiments on social media.

And it’s why Harvick, though frustrated with another runner-up finish, could smile about whom he lost to Sunday.

“I think when you look at everything personally that Martin and Sherry have dealt with, I’m just super, super happy for them personally,” Harvick said. “I’m super happy for Barney and his team, but more importantly for Martin and Sherry. To see them have that bright spot of today is something that I think the whole garage is going to support and be happy with.

“Obviously you always want to win, but when you can see something come full circle like their situation, it makes you proud to know them and be a part of the sport in general, to see how they’ve supported Sherry and all the things that they’ve gone through.”