2027 Silverado 1500 ZR2 makes racing debut at Vegas to Reno and beats Chevrolet's record pace
Chevrolet's next-generation 2027 Silverado 1500 ZR2 completed its first desert race, the 505-mile Casey Folks Vegas to Reno, in 11 hours 43 minutes at an average 43.1 mph.
- 505 miles
- 11 hours, 43 minutes
- 43.1 mph
- 481 hp and 501 lb.-ft.
What Happened
On August 14, Chevrolet entered two trucks in the 2026 Casey Folks Vegas to Reno, described as America's longest off-road desert competition. The 2027 next-generation Silverado 1500 ZR2 made its race debut in the Stock Production Truck Full segment, while a Colorado ZR2 ran in the Stock Production Mini/Mid category. Both race trucks were run with nearly all stock parts, according to program manager Nicole McKinnon. The Silverado completed the 505-mile course in 11 hours and 43 minutes at an average pace of 43.1 mph, which is 1.1 mph faster than Chevrolet's own record pace even though the team did a full brake pad change at a pit stop about 300 miles in.
- 6.6L V8 with 481 hp and 501 lb.-ft. of torque; 35-inch mud-terrain tires; 2-inch lift; front and rear electronic locking differentials; off-road hood with enhanced power dome
- 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder; 17-inch wheels with mud-terrain tires; Multimatic DSSV dampers; 3-inch lift; front and rear locking differentials
“The new truck takes everything that was great about the 2026 ZR2 and elevates it even further. It's super familiar but better than ever. Also, I was really impressed with the new Baja drive mode.”
Both Chevrolet trucks raced on desert-race-proven Multimatic DSSV dampers. For the production 2027 Silverado ZR2, Chevrolet says the damper system has been enhanced and paired with jounce control dampers to help the truck stay composed over demanding terrain. Chevrolet has been working with Multimatic for more than a decade, and the jounce control dampers now featured on the Silverado ZR2 were first introduced on the Colorado ZR2 Bison, giving drivers more capacity to tackle bigger whoops and potholes with confidence.
“The updated DSSV dampers continue the tradition of no compromise in performance. Their unique architecture allows solid off-road capacity while on-road performance is held to the standard our customers expect.”
The Casey Folks Vegas to Reno normally starts under the neon lights of Las Vegas and ends in Reno, covering nearly 505 miles of dry lake beds, rocky canyons and desert valleys threading through the mountains of Nevada. This year marked the event's 30th anniversary and it ran Reno to Vegas in reverse for the first time, so competitors tackled a slower, rockier area off the starting line in Dayton, Nevada instead of the flatter landscape surrounding Las Vegas. Woo, who owns a Silverado, said he had been looking forward to driving the new truck, and added that its spacious, nimble cabin and standard features such as air conditioning help reduce the mental fatigue of racing.
Chevrolet uses the Legends Rally as a shakedown for the Silverado ZR2, putting the truck through its paces until the team was comfortable with its readiness for all 505 miles.
The 2027 Silverado 1500 ZR2 debuts in Stock Production Truck Full and a Colorado ZR2 runs in Stock Production Mini/Mid at the 2026 Casey Folks Vegas to Reno; Chevrolet live-streams the race on the Hall Racing YouTube channel.
The Silverado finishes the 505-mile course in 11 hours and 43 minutes at an average 43.1 mph, 1.1 mph faster than Chevrolet's record pace, despite a full brake pad change about 300 miles in.
Previously from General Motors
General Motors has confirmed it is holding onto combustion choices for its redesigned half-ton trucks, keeping two new V8s and a returning diesel inside a four-engine lineup for the 2027 Silverado and Sierra. The Silverado ZR2 that debuted at Vegas to Reno is part of that same 2027 pickup generation.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of General Motors's official releases.
Why this matters
Off-road racing is Chevrolet's public stress test of production hardware: both of its trucks ran with nearly all stock parts. That gives potential buyers of the 2027 Silverado 1500 ZR2 and the Colorado ZR2 a real-world read on how the engines, dampers, lifts and locking differentials hold up over 505 miles of desert, and it puts the ZR2 off-road sub-brand in front of the crowd at what Chevrolet calls America's longest off-road desert competition.
Terms in This Story
- DSSV dampers
- Multimatic's Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve shock absorbers, a damper design the source says delivers solid off-road capacity while keeping on-road performance at the standard customers expect.
- Jounce control dampers
- Secondary dampers that help control suspension compression over big bumps, keeping a truck composed on demanding terrain.
- Locking differentials
- Differentials that can lock so both wheels on an axle turn together, improving traction on loose or rocky ground.
- Stock Production class
- A race category for vehicles built from production trucks using nearly all standard parts, as Chevrolet says its entries were run.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.