Pace F-150 Lightning Makes Electric History

Opening Rounds

Ford is set to change the future with its F-150 Lightning. Leading the pack, the Blue Oval's soon-to-be-released EV made history as the first all-electric truck to pace a NASCAR event. On April 9, 2022, the Lighting made the opening rounds for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

Qualified Changes

Otherwise known as the 'Paperclip,' the Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. Originally slated to run the traditional 500 laps, the race was docked to 400 laps with a new start time of 7:30 pm. Race officials qualified the changes, citing potential delays that might push the event late into the night.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Party Power

Ford's all-wheel-drive EV truck had no problem keeping to the 35 mph opening pace. With its 230-mile Standard-Range Battery, the Lighting could have easily completed the 210-mile race distance without recharging. It would have even cleared 500 laps with the optional 320-mile Extended-Range Battery, with some leftover juice for the post-race party, using the Lighting's Intelligent Backup Power.

Market Date

Range aside, the Lightning's near-instantaneous torque and 563 horsepower made it the perfect candidate to pace the race. Part of Ford's $50 billion investment in electric vehicles, the impressive all-electric truck was revealed in May 2021 and is expected to hit the market in Spring 2022. To date, over a quarter-million would-be owners have put their names down for a Lighting.

Easy Response

The F-150 Lightning is part of a growing EV portfolio for Ford that includes the Mustang Mach-E and the E-Transit. Motorsports Marketing manager at Ford Performance, Jeannee Kirkaldy elaborated on the truck's race debut. “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.”

Green Turn

Kirkaldy continued, “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.” Darren Palmer, Vice President of Ford's EV program, hammered out the numbers. “With a 0-60 mph time in the mid-4-second range, I think it will turn some heads out on the track.”

Field Focus

This marks the second straight year an all-electric Ford vehicle has paced a NASCAR race, after the Mustang Mach-E led the field at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2021. Notably, Ford was the first manufacturer to use an EV to pace a NASCAR race when an all-electric Ford Focus paced the field in April 2012, at the Richmond Raceway in Virginia.

Race Blast

As America’s best-selling truck, the F-Series recently reached a milestone of 40 million units in January 2022. In Ford's press release, NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney commented, “I haven’t driven the Lightning yet, but if it’s anything like the Mustang Mach-E, it’s going to be a blast. I hope it ends up being the only thing in front of me once the race starts.”

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