The field at this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway will be led by the Ford F-150 Lighting which will become the first electric pickup truck to take on pace vehicle duties for the racing series.
That’s a specific record because at least one electric SUV and car have both led the field before, and Ford can be proud because both were its vehicles. The Mustang Mach-E was the pace vehicle at Talladega Superspeedway in April last year and the all-electric Focus became the first EV to ever pace a NASCAR event in 2012 at Richmond, Virginia.
As a member of Ford’s F-Series of trucks, the brand’s most successful model line, the F-150 Lightning is arguably very important for the brand. Its electric motors make 563 hp (420 kW/571 PS) and 773 lb-ft (1,048 Nm) of torque, which allows it to get off the line and up to 60 mph (96 km/h) in the mid-four-second range.
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“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, 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.”
The race will be a historic one for other reasons, too. Martinsville Speedway is celebrating its 75th anniversary and will be hosting all three of NASCAR’s top touring series between April 7 and 9. Ford will be looking for its drivers, among them Ryan Blaney, to win the Cup Series race in Ford’s brand new NASCAR Next Gen Mustang.
“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 Blaney. “I hope it ends up being the only thing in front of me once the race starts.”
