Chewy Barrientos of Kilowatt Customs has modified a Tesla Cybertruck for the Mint 400, America's most challenging desert race south of Las Vegas. The vehicle, built in collaboration with AJ from The Original Baja Shop, aims to introduce Teslas to off-road racing. Organizers allow EV competitors to pause for charging after each lap.
The Mint 400, held in the rural desert hills and mountains south of Las Vegas, features open high-speed sections, rocky terrain with sharp stones, and dust that reduces visibility to zero. Last year in the Unlimited classes, only 26 of 65 competitors finished, a 40% completion rate. Arizona-based Chewy Barrientos, founder of Kilowatt Customs, is entering a modified Tesla Cybertruck in the EV Open Production class, marking the first time the vehicle competes in this event.
Barrientos' involvement stems from a prior project where he repaired a Baja-themed Tesla Model 3 for AJ of The Original Baja Shop in Riverside, California, resulting in the Baja E show car that drew attention at the Sand Sport Super Show and SEMA. In January, they decided to build a race-ready Cybertruck. 'He’s like, ‘Why don’t we take the Cybertruck and enter it into the Mint 400?'' Barrientos recounted. 'Full transparency, I’m kind of new to the scene. So when he said the Mint 400, I didn’t even know what it was.' Their goal is to innovate: 'Let’s do something new. Let’s do something that hasn’t been done. Let’s make Teslas appeal to others, introduce a new market to this industry because, as of right now, there are no Tesla drivers doing off-road races, at least not to this level.'
Modifications include a full roll cage installed by AJ, retaining the stock air suspension with billet aluminum upgrades to A-arms, joints, and bushings, plus a 2.5-inch lift kit, beadlock wheels, steel bumpers, and skidplates from sponsor Unplugged Performance. The interior features bucket seats, nets, and harnesses, while keeping the infotainment screen and steering yoke. 'We’re actually running the stock Tesla air suspension, but we just did a lot of upgrades to the suspension components like the A-arms and some of the joints, some of the bushings,' Barrientos said.
Range is a concern: the Cybertruck estimates 280 miles at full charge after testing, but the team anticipates about 140 miles in race conditions for the two 95-mile laps. EV rules permit stopping the clock after the first lap to Supercharge, following precedent set by Rivian's R1T in 2024. A chase Cybertruck driven by Jerry Perez tows a 50-kW generator as a backup. Spare parts include air shocks, knuckles, tie rods, and tires. Testing covered 20-30 miles of off-roading at Glamis dunes, improving handling by 70-80%. The vehicle retains full self-driving capability.
The race was livestreamed on the Butter_EV YouTube channel, with the only other class competitor being a factory-backed Silverado EV. User comments on the article reported live stream updates of the Cybertruck entering limp mode once or twice and breaking a 2.5-inch bolt on the ball joint, leading to attempts to reach the Gonzo pit for repairs.
