Ford Motor Company has been pushing their latest F-150 Lightning in all directions, but that’s not to say it has had a negative reception. Ford has received nearly 200,000 reservations since it was unveiled and the truck continues to spearhead Ford’s EV portfolio. Now Ford is taking a brave approach by trying to reach into the hearts of NASCAR fans, as the new F-150 Lightning will debut as the pace vehicle for the NASCAR Cup Series.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Ford F-150 Lightning will become the pace vehicle for the April 9th race at Martinsville Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series. This is not the first time a Ford EV has led the field of roaring V8s either. In April 2021 a Mustang Mach-E led the pack at Talladega Superspeedway. In 2012 Ford brought out an all-electric Ford Focus to become the first manufacturer to have an electric vehicle pace car.

“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.”

This new F-150 Lightning is no slouch on the performance aspect either. The electric truck produces 563 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque. While most fans want to hear the deep throaty rumble of an American V8, it’s hard to argue with a truck running 4-second 0-60 mph times from the factory. That being said, I think the Ford marketing team missed an opportunity to pay homage to the official truck of the 1994 Indianapolis 500, which was a first generation Lightning in white with graphics on each door and tailgate.

The Camping World Truck Series will be taking to the track on Thursday and followed up by the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Friday. The NASCAR Cup Series race will occur on Saturday at 7:30 PM. If you wish to see, not hear, the new Lightning leading a bunch of left turn only cars, then now is your chance.