NASCAR 2022 at Martinsville: Ford's electric truck to set the pace for Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400

NASCAR's second short race of the 2022 season is set to take place at the historic 0.526 mile oval track in Martinsville, Virginia on Saturday, April 9th.

NASCAR has taken it to the next level technologically. They began the season with the inauguration of the 7th gen car, commonly known as the Next-Gen car. As we approach the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400, they have announced that Ford will be introducing a new fully electric truck to set the pace at the event.

Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site went on their Facebook page and announced that:

"A fully-electric truck that is helping change the future of Ford Motor Company will be on track at Martinsville Speedway as the 2022 F-150 Lightning makes its debut as a pace vehicle for the Cup Series on April 9."

According to Ford Motor Company, the newly launched 2022 F-150 Lightning will be a game-changer when it comes to the future of the company. The F-150 Lightning was first unveiled in May 2021 and since then the truck has received a massive total of up to 200,000 reservations.

TESLARATI updated on Twitter that the F-150 Lightning will lead in the upcoming Cup series at Martinsville.

Speaking about the new truck, Ford Performance Motor sports Marketing Manager Jeannee Kirkaldy said:

“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.”

The truck is set to make its official debut this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, where it will set the pace for the Cup series’ Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 on April 9th.

Despite the launch of the F-150 Lightning, this is not the first time on record that a fully electric truck will lead the race.

Ford made NASCAR history after becoming the first Original Equipment Manufacturer

In April 2021, at Talladega Speedway, Ford introduced the Mustang Mach-E, which led the event. Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 will be the second consecutive race a fully electric truck will be setting the pace.

In 2012, Ford made history after it became the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to pace NASCAR with a fully electric truck known as the Ford Focus in Richmond, Virginia.

F-150 Lightning will now join the list of Ford’s rising EV portfolio, joining the likes of the Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit.

The racing weekend at Martinsville Speedway will feature in all three series.

The Truck Series will hit the track on Thursday at 8 p.m. EST. The Xfinity Series will then follow on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 will conclude the weekend on Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m. EST.