Some motorsports events transcend their standing as a race, and instead, are a happening. In the off-road world, the BFGoodrich Tires Mint 400 fits that category.

For nearly a week each March, the area in and around Las Vegas plays host to what has become known as "The Great American Off-Road Race." During the week of the event, the festivities kick off with a parade of race vehicles down the famed Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday afternoon – where sophisticated suspension setups and massive tires provide a stark contrast to the bright neon and glitz emanating from the hotels and casinos.

The off-road racers then take over Fremont Street on Thursday for tech inspection, while vendors line several blocks of the historic birthplace of Sin City known for its mid-20th-century architecture.

Racing action kicks off at the start-finish line on Friday in Primm, Nevada, a desert landscape nearly 30 miles south of the city near the California border, with massive mountains serving as the backdrop on all sides. The main entrance to the event is flanked by quirky resorts and casinos that could only be found in this desolate part of the country.

On both Friday and Saturday, multiple classes traverse a grueling desert course full of hard sand and rocky terrain. Several classes take on the 100-mile desert course four times, hence the four-lap, 400-mile distance where the race gets its name.

The Mint 400 traces its roots to 1968, when the event began as a publicity event for The Mint Hotel & Casino known as the Mint 400 Del Webb Desert Rally.

The race was held each year until after the 1989 event, when ownership changes at the hotel led to a 20-year hiatus. The event resumed in 2008. Since 2011, the Martelli Brothers have served as the owners of the event and its prestige has continued to grow. 

In 2023, the race drew 491 entries and 1237 unique entrants, including many in Chevrolet vehicles and still more utilizing GM LS-based power under the hood of a variety of makes and models.

For the last several years, the Chevrolet Performance brand has maintained a significant presence in the Mint 400 and across the entire off-road discipline, notably through the Hall Racing team led by Chad Hall of Reno, Nevada. Hall is the son of the first Baja 1000 winner and legendary racer Rod Hall, and Chad counts a string of 10 consecutive Baja 1000 victories among his accomplishments.

During this year's event, Hall Racing campaigned three trucks painted in an identical red-and-black motif. On Friday in Limited class action, Chad Hall drove a 2023 Colorado ZR2 off-road race truck to the class win in the Stock Production Truck Mini/Mid class. Waqas Shafi served as co-driver and navigator. Meanwhile, the team's 2023 Silverado ZR2 off-road race truck won the Stock Production Truck Full class with Austin Hall (no relation) behind the wheel, Chris Woo acting as the co-driver and navigator, and Nick Holmer as an additional teammate.

During the Mint 400, the Chevrolet Performance display on the event midway prominently featured a variety of crate engines* and vehicle upgrades along with both the current Colorado ZR2 and Silverado ZR2 production models. (Not on display but also available for the truck market are the high-torque L8T crate engine* and HT383 and HT502 crate engine* options.)

Visitors explored the display as a backdrop of punk and metal music from the stage at the far end of the midway blended with squealing tires from a drifting exhibition.

Among the highlights of the display was a new off-road crate engine being developed by Phoenix-based Klein Engines and Jeff James, a GM aftermarket field manager from Sonora, California.

The engine is based on Chevrolet Performance's CT525* circle track offering and will utilize the same sealed concept as circle track crate engines* in an effort to help make off-road racing more economical and less labor-intensive for the customer. The engine, tentatively called the 525 XR, is slated to be available as a long block later this year.

Among the other components on display were Multimatic DSSV (Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve) dampers. They are featured on both the Hall Racing trucks and production ZR2 models, and are also available as a Chevrolet Performance accessory for Silverado 1500. Spool-valve technology regulates oil flow through precisely shaped ports and offers the ability to tailor a forced response curve. 

This provides the vehicle the balance of ride comfort and handling control that it needs. For instance, in off-road racing, large amounts of damping force can be dialed in so the truck can absorb massive impacts as it traverses jumps and rough terrain.

The technology came from Formula One racing and Multimatic is involved with a wide variety of motorsports. It brought its spool-valve technology to Chevrolet with the Camaro Z/28 and Camaro ZL1 1LE, and has now adapted it to the off-road space.

Be sure to keep watching The BLOCK for much more on the Mint 400, off-road racing and all motorsports disciplines.

 *Because of their effect on a vehicle's emissions performance, these engines are intended exclusively for use in competition vehicles. These engines are designed and intended for use in vehicles operated exclusively for competition: in racing or organized competition on courses separate from public roads, streets or highways. Installation or use of these engines on a vehicle operated on public roads, streets or highways is likely to violate U.S., Canadian, state and provincial laws and regulations related to motor vehicle emissions.