• by Tanya Gazdik , September 26, 2022

Thanks to aproclamation of the governor, the state of Kentucky will be renamed to KenTRUCKy for the day. 

To mark the debut of the all-new Ford Super Duty truck, Governor Andy Beshear made the moniker official through a statewide proclamation on Sept. 26.

Also to honor Ford’s all-new vehicle launch of the 2023 Super Duty, which will be produced in Louisville, Kentucky, KFC will change its Twitter name to “KenTRUCKy Fried Chicken.” 

As two iconic brands with deep roots in Kentucky, Ford and KFC’s histories and connection to the state made them a natural fit for this collaboration, according to the automaker.

Louisville is home to two Ford assembly plants, The Kentucky Truck Plant and Louisville Assembly Plant, making Ford one of the largest employers in Kentucky.

The next-generation Super Duty -- built at Ford’s Kentucky Truck plant -- debuts at 7:15 p.m. EDT at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.  Ford CEO Jim Farley and Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis will take part in the reveal, which will be livestreamed on Ford’s YouTube channel.

This year marks 45 years of the F-Series as the best-selling pickup in America and the 25th anniversary of Super Duty.

Gov. Beshear's KenTRUCKy Day proclamation notes that Ford employs more than 12,000 people in Kentucky and supports approximately 120,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. 

There are 8,500 people who work at Ford Motor Company’s Kentucky Truck Plant where F-Series Super Duty Trucks are produced.

The company has a 109-year history in Kentucky and a state GDP contribution of $11.8 billion. 

Ford and its partners have announced plans to add 5,000 more jobs and invest $5.8 billion to build BlueOval SK Battery Park to assemble batteries to power the next generation of Ford and Lincoln vehicles.