The Silverado joins the Colorado ZR2 in off-road racing.

The Chevrolet Silverado is competing in the Best in the Desert racing series, debuting at the Laughlin Desert Classic in October 2019. GM says the Silverado race truck will be used for engineering development and validation.

“Off-road racing is just brutal on vehicles,” said Mark Dickens, chief engineer, Government Programs, Performance Variants, Parts and Motorsports, “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.”

The Silverado race truck started as a LT Trail Boss model, powered by the 420-hp, 6.2L V-8 mated to a 10-speed automatic. The truck will compete in Best in the Desert’s 1200 Stock class, which limits changes to suspension, underbody and installation of race-safety equipment.