Rush Limbaugh to take Leno's 'Green Car Challenge'

America, are you ready for Rush Limbaugh in an electric car?

The conservative talk show host has agreed to take Jay Leno's "Green Car Challenge."

In the segment airing next Thursday on NBC's "Jay Leno Show," Limbaugh will race an electric Ford Focus around a custom-built track beside Leno's studio, the show's representative confirmed.

The "Green Car Challenge" segment makes its debut on the primetime show tomorrow night. Celebrities who participate drive two times around the twisty track, which takes a little less than a minute to complete.

By the time Rush gets behind the wheel of the zero-emission vehicle, Bob Costas, Al Michaels and Drew Barrymore will have set times to beat.

Limbaugh is not a fan of hybrid and electric cars. Last March he criticized such vehicles -- including Ford's.

"Nobody's buying 'em. Nobody wants them. The manufacturers are making them in droves to satisfy Obama. ... People are going to buy [hybrids] because Obama's going to see to it the price [of gas] gets back up to four bucks, since that is the tipping point … Ford and Toyota are manufacturing all kinds of new hybrids to keep politicians happy. Politics. You want to know what killed the auto industry? Politics.”

Leno has been interested in getting more newsmakers on his new program than on "The Tonight Show." On his second night he welcomed Michael Moore into the studio.

The advertiser-friendly "Green Car Challenges" allows NBC to work product sponsorship into the program, though some critics have wondered whether the segment will also be entertaining.