The honorary pace car driver for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 has no shortage of experience in both highly competitive and high-pressure situations.
Brian Stann, President and CEO of Hire Heroes USA, is a decorated Marine Corps veteran and a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion and top UFC Middleweight. He will lead the field to the green flag at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, November 15, 2015.
Stann’s appearance at PIR is the result of a partnership between PIR and Niner Sports & Entertainment.
Stann played middle linebacker for the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2003. He served two deployments with 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest award for valor, for his actions near the Al-Romana Bridge during Operation MATADOR in May 2005.
Stann’s mixed martial arts fighting career began in 2003 in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), where he earned black belt certification as an Instructor Trainer. He began fighting professionally in 2006, while on active duty in the Marine Corps. In 2008, he defeated Doug Marshall to become the WEC Light Heavyweight champion, and he debuted in the UFC in 2009. Stann retired from UFC fighting in 2013. Today, he is a nationally-recognized fight analyst and speaker, while also leading Hire Heroes USA, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers U.S. military members, veterans and their spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce. Recognized as a best-in-class veteran service organization by the USO, Call of Duty Endowment, and the George W. Bush Institute, Hire Heroes USA has confirmed more than 60 clients hired each week in 2015, a conversion rate of 45% from helped to hired.
The Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 is the final race in the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. After the race, the field of championship contenders will be trimmed from eight hopefuls to the final four drivers that will race for the championship the next week. The race was officially announced as a sellout earlier this week, but general admission seating on the Hillside is still available online atPhoenixRaceway.com or by phone at 1-866-408-RACE (7223).
