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One thing will be missing from the Martinsville Speedway this weekend: pace car noise. The new Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck will pace the 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 on Sunday April 9.

Last year a Mustang Mach-E paced the field at Talladega Superspeedway. It was not the first EV to pace a NASCAR race. In 2012 a Focus Electric paced the Capital City 400 in Richmond Virginia.

The F-150 Lightning Pace Truck packs a punch

The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Pace Truck will lead the pack at MArtinsville.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Pace Truck | Ford

The F-150 Lightning isn’t the first truck, or even the first electric vehicle, to pace a NASCAR race. But for many this will be their first glimpse of the Lightning in action. The trucks are due to be delivered later this spring and are one of the most anticipated new trucks to hit the market. Nearly 200,000 people have reserved an F-150 Lightning, Ford says.

The F-150 Lightning should have no trouble keeping up with the NASCAR stock cars. The Lightning has 563 hp and a 0-60 time of about 4.5 seconds, according to Ford.

How fast is a NASCAR pace car?

The 2020 Toyota Supra NASCA Pace Car.
2020 Supra Pace Car | Toyota

NASCAR has a complete list of pace car and pit lane speeds for every track at its official website.

Pace cars come out when something is amiss during a NASCAR race. Wrecks, bad weather, and debris on the track can necessitate a pace car. Drivers line up in order behind the pace car before rolling restarts.

Different tracks have different pace car speeds. NASCAR mandates the speed and short half-mile tracks like Knoxville are much slower for the pace car than superspeedways like Daytona International Speedway. At Knoxville, a pace car will slow the field to an even 30 mph. At Daytona, the pace car is expected to cruise at 70 mph. At this weekend’s race at Martinsville, the F-150 Lightning will be expected to keep the field at just 35 mph.

A Chevy Silverado was the first NASCAR Pace Truck

In 2019 Chevy was the first to lead a NASCAR race with a Silverado Pace Truck.
2019 Chevrolet Daytona 500 Pace Truck | Chevrolet

The open seat IndyCar series has featured pace trucks for decades. But in 2018, Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove the first NASCAR Pace Truck when Chevy brought a 2019 Silverado to the Daytona 500. That truck was basically a stock Chevy Silverado, but it with lights and the big 6.2 liter V8.

At Daytona Earnhardt Jr. had to keep the field at 70 mph, but at the super speedway he had to contend with the g-forces of the 30-degree banking that is designed to keep the race cars on track at 200 mph. Dale Jr. won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and in 2014, as well as two summer races at the superspeedway.

A Mach-E paced Talladega in 2021

Ford's 2021 Mustang Mach E was the official pace car at Talladega in 2021.
Mustang Mach-E Pace Car | Ford

Ford earned a lot of friendly press in 2021 when it took a Mustang Mach-E to Talladega to pace the Geico 500. During the race, there were seven cautions that lasted 34 laps where the Mach-E came out.

Related: The Hottest Pace Car You’ll Want in Your Driveway

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.