Chevy's 481-HP Silverado ZR2 Survived a 505-Mile Desert Race Before Going On Sale
A near-stock 2027 truck ran the 505-mile Vegas to Reno at the team's fastest-ever pace — the first real-world outing for GM's new 481-hp 6.6L V8.
Chevrolet's next-generation Silverado 1500 ZR2 won't reach dealers until late this year, but it already has a full desert race behind it. On August 14, a near-stock 2027 ZR2 completed the 505-mile Casey Folks Vegas to Reno, America's longest point-to-point off-road race, in 11 hours and 43 minutes — the first public workout for the truck's new 6.6-liter V8.
The 43.1-mph average pace was 1.1 mph quicker than the team's previous best at the event, according to Chevrolet, even though the crew performed a full brake pad change at a pit stop around mile 300. Veteran drivers Chad Hall and Chris Woo shared the truck in the Stock Production Truck Full class, running what Chevrolet says were nearly all factory parts.
The 30th-anniversary race also ran in reverse for the first time, starting in Dayton, Nevada, instead of Las Vegas. The swap put a slower, rockier stretch right off the start line in place of the flatter desert around Vegas.
Early proof for the 481-hp V8
The finish doubles as an early durability case for GM's new 6.6-liter small block, whose official output the automaker confirmed just this week: 481 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque. The engine replaces the current ZR2's 6.2-liter V8 and its 420 hp and 460 lb-ft — a 61-hp gain — and GM bills it as the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 in the light-duty truck segment.
That framing is a direct shot at rivals that lean on forced induction. The Ford F-150 Raptor's twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 makes 450 hp and 510 lb-ft, while the Ram 1500 RHO's turbocharged inline-six produces 540 hp and 521 lb-ft. Only the supercharged, 720-hp Raptor R clearly out-muscles the new Chevy — at a six-figure price.
The race truck carried the production ZR2's core hardware: 35-inch mud-terrain tires, a 2-inch lift, front and rear electronic locking differentials, and updated Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers paired with the jounce control dampers first introduced on the Colorado ZR2 Bison. The 2027 model also adds a new Baja drive mode.
"It's super familiar but better than ever. Also, I was really impressed with the new Baja drive mode," Woo said after the race.
Chevrolet entered a second truck, a Colorado ZR2 with the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, in the midsize stock production class, continuing a Hall Racing program that has campaigned near-stock GM trucks in Nevada desert events for years.
The 2027 Silverado 1500 goes on sale late this year, with the ZR2 positioned as the off-road flagship of a seven-trim lineup. EPA fuel economy figures for the new V8s haven't been published yet.
