Chevrolet will have a Silverado truck that will be competing in the 4th annual Best in the Desert series this week in Laughlin, Nevada. A collaboration between Chevy and Hall Racing, it will run in the extreme racing series’ 1200 Stock class. As the production Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup resulted from the same collaboration, we hope lightning will strike twice with an eventual production Silverado ZR2. 

The racing Silverado is based on the LT Trail Boss powered by the 420 hp 6.2-liter V8. It feeds the rear end through a 10-speed automatic transmission. While most of the above remains stock for the series the chassis and suspension get a multitude of modifications.

To better absorb the bumps and ruts of the desert the suspension is modified with tweaked ZR2 spool valve shocks and jounce shocks. The ZR2 gets skid plates underneath and 35-inch off-road tires. A stock Trail Boss comes with 32-inch tires.

ZR2 Silverado Racing Parts

No release date has been set for these components to be released or if they’ll ever become available but do not despair. Keep in mind that when Chevy produced a racing version of the Colorado ZR2 a lot of the racing stuff became available through its parts and accessories catalog. So, even if Chevy decides not to do a production Silverado ZR2 there could be some cherry-picked cool stuff coming down the line through accessories at your local dealership.

Just to hammer home the importance of racing to Chevy’s trucks, or maybe to justify it, Chevy had its chief engineer for government programs, performance variants, parts, and motorsports speak up about its off-road exploits, “Off-road racing is just brutal on vehicles, and a single race puts more wear and tear on trucks than most vehicles will experience in years. That makes off-road racing a valuable test bed to evaluate new components. What we learn while racing informs everything from future performance parts and accessories to GM defense projects and production vehicle changes.”

Making the Case For Racing

See what we mean. So while the chief engineer is making a case for racing, he’s also more than just hinting that there will be more coming from its racing efforts in the near future. 

Chevy and Ford are all-in on trucks, with FCA headed in that direction. As time goes on there becomes less importance placed on Corvette and Camaro race projects because they aren’t trucks, and Chevy is becoming a truck- and SUV-only manufacturer. So why not shift your marketing dollars from car racing to truck racing? 

Racing Starts Now

Racing starts tonight with time trials and two races for off-road UTVs, and then five races each day this Saturday and Sunday. Also Saturday night will be the return of the Laughlin Leap racecourse with big-jump truck action for some fun entertainment after the day’s racing. 

Some class championships are on the line as this is the final race of the season. Besides contingency money some of the teams have pooled side-betting for additional money coming from the losing teams to winning teams, so there is some pride on the line. 

If you’re out by the Colorado River desert area this weekend swing by Laughlin, Nevada, and check it out.