Texas Motor Speedway, in partnership with AAA, will salute the upcoming Veterans Day by designating two military heroes for pre-race honorary positions in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at the world-renowned motorsports facility.
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Ed Pulido
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Ret. U.S. Army Major Ed Pulido will serve as the Grand Marshal and give the command for the drivers to start their engines while former U.S. Marine Mark Geist will be the Honorary Pace Car Driver and help lead the field to the green flag for the AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. CT, TV: NBC Sports Network, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM, 95.9 FM The Ranch locally).
The two military heroes are being recognized for their heroism and also to provide an early salute to Veterans Day, which will be recognized on Sunday, Nov. 11.
Pulido, who lost his left leg in 2004 from a roadside bomb during warfare, is a recipient of the Bronze Medal with Valor and Purple Heart for his heroism. He also is the senior vice president of the Folds of Honor Foundation, founding member of Warriors for Freedom Foundation, founder of Warrior Nation and an award-winning author for his autobiography, “Warrior for Freedom: Challenge, Triumph and Change.”
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Mark Geist
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Geist, a 12-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was a member of the Annex Security Team that fought the Battle of Benghazi, Libya, from Sept. 11 to Sept. 12, 2012. He was credited with helping save the lives of more than 25 Americans and needed 14 surgeries to recover from the injuries he sustained from the attack against two U.S. government facilities. He is the co-author of the best-selling book, “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi.”
TMS PR
