DEARBORN, Mich. — The Ford Motor Company F-150 Lightning, a fully-electric truck, will be on track at Martinsville Speedway to make its debut as a pace vehicle for the NASCAR Cup Series on April 9.
The F-150 Lightning received nearly 200,000 reservations since being unveiled last May and is part of a growing EV portfolio for Ford.
“Ford is fully invested in electrification and the response to Lightning has been so overwhelming that it was an easy decision to bring it to a NASCAR event,” said Jeannee Kirkaldy, motorsports marketing manager of Ford Performance. “One thing we definitely know is that our fans love trucks and we’re confident that feeling will only grow when they see Lightning out on the track leading the field to green.”
”We can’t wait to show our Ford fans how capable the F-150 Lightning is. With 563 horsepower, 775 lb.-ft. of near instantaneous torque and a 0-60 mph time in the mid-four second range, I think it will turn some heads out on the track,” said Darren Palmer, vice president of Ford’s electric vehicle programs.
This marks the second straight year an all-electric Ford vehicle will pace a NASCAR race, after the Mustang Mach-E led the field at Talladega Superspeedway in April. Ford became the first OEM to use an electric vehicle to pace a NASCAR race back in April 2012 when the all-electric Ford Focus paced the field in Richmond, Va.
“I haven’t driven the Lightning yet, but if it’s anything like the Mustang Mach-E, it’s going to be a blast,” said NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney. “I hope it ends up being the only thing in front of me once the race starts.”
Martinsville Speedway, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, will be hosting all three top NASCAR touring series, beginning with the Camping World Truck Series on Thursday. The NASCAR Xfinity Series takes to the track on Friday with the NASCAR Cup Series scheduled for Saturday.