Back to News

May 15, 2015

Catwalk for a Cause raises money for cancer research

By Kathy Sheldon

NASCAR.com

Published:

3 Minute Read

Kids steal show as Truex Jr.’s foundation raises more than $250,000

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — When do you see Dale Earnhardt Jr. upstaged by a youngster with flaming red hair? At Martin Truex Jr. and Sherry Pollex’s Catwalk for a Cause, of course.

Drivers Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Newman also walked the catwalk Thursday night with young cancer patients in the annual fundraiser for the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and its commitment to fight cancer with the Levine Children’s Hospital.

But it was Elijah who brought down the house.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

• Latest news
• Standings
• Schedule

Each driver or pair of drivers, or driver’s significant others who walked with a young patient was upstaged by the little fighter. Krissie Newman, Lorra Bowyer, Amy Reimann and DeLana Harvick rocked the runway alongside smaller models who each drew bigger cheers than the big NASCAR stars.

Before the actual runway show began, Truex and Pollex, the driver’s longtime girlfriend who herself was diagnosed with cancer since last summer, got a nice, big check for the foundation.

The cause got a big hand from the No. 11 Camping World Truck Series team, as driver Ben Kennedy and crew raised more than $10,000 for the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, leading crew chief Scott Zipadelli to wear a SpongeBob SquarePants onesie to Wednesday night’s event.

RELATED: Kennedy, crew chief make SpongeBob bet for charity

They also got a $10,000 match, bringing the total donation to more than $20,000.

As Zipadelli succinctly put it, “Cancer sucks, right?” And the whole night was built around beating it.

Pollex reminded the crowd that of all the federal money spent on cancer research, only 4 percent is earmarked for pediatric cancer treatment. With few resources many families often must travel far from home to get the best care.

About 600 people attended Wednesday night’s event in Mooresville, and more than $253,000 was raised — and the final total has yet to come in.

Mark Griffith, Director of Fund Development for the Carolinas HealthCare Foundation Children’s Fund said, “It’s about treating cancer — not just children’s cancer — closer to home.”

Griffith, Pollex and Truex announced a new commitment to fund a position at the Levine Children’s Hospital that will allow medical trials to be conducated there, a critical facet of research and treatment.

“We met five years ago or so and every time you come back we talk about a different need and every time you guys say, ‘OK, let’s do it,’ Griffith said of Pollex and Truex.

A highlight of this year’s campaign is the song “Hold Out a Hand” by Edwin McCain. The singer gave the rights to the song to Truex’s foundation, and all proceeds from iTunes downloads of the song go directly to the foundation.

Raffles, a silent auction and more were part of Thursday night’s gala. But it was the kids who stole the show.

MUST WATCH