9-second quarter miles, 6’s in the eighth, a 1,564-rwhp dyno sheet, and ice-cold A/C…
You’re looking at the quickest 4×4, factory interior LML Duramax out there. Michael Carrasco and his 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD have spent the better part of a decade pushing the limits of GM’s ’11-‘16 platform—both the fifth generation 6.6L diesel V-8 and the truck itself. This Bow Tie was one of the first LML’s, if not the very first LML, to break into the 10’s back in 2017. After that, Michael kept chipping away at his quarter-mile feat, going 10.50s, followed by a 10.27 in 2020, setting a new eighth-mile record (6.42 at 112 mph) in August 2024, and then running an insane 9.81 a month later.
You could say Michael has record-holding and record-setting figured out. And each time he raises the LML bar (sometimes by breaking his own record), he doesn’t sit back and rest on his laurels. Rather, he goes right to work, looking for any edge that will get him across the stripe quicker. Then he holds off on hitting the track until someone challenges or bests his record. “At that point, I usually load up that same night and head to a track that’s open,” he told us. Talk about a cutthroat competitor… When it comes to competition, Michael is as fierce as they come. What follows is the 9-second recipe that’s taken him straight to the top.
Underneath a pair of sizeable Forced Inductions turbos sits an LML Duramax assembled by All In Truck Performance—home of the stock long block L5P Duramax horsepower record (1,579-rwhp). A billet, stock stroke crankshaft from SoCal Diesel is secured by a girdle and ARP main studs and swings a set of Carrillo HD rods. Fly-cut, .020-inch overbore (4.075-inch), forged-aluminum Carrillo pistons complete the robust rotating assembly, while a SoCal alternative firing order camshaft (#9100) actuates the valvetrain. The factory LML block, which was machined to accept fire-rings to optimize combustion sealing, is topped with a set of Stage 2 SoCal heads The CNC ported heads are anchored by way of ARP head studs.A massive, 106mm Garrett from Forced Inductions is the first charger to pressurize incoming air. The T-6 turbo packs a 112mm turbine wheel, a 1.40 A/R exhaust housing and, due to both its size and the retention of the truck’s A/C system, all but forced Michael to run a fender exit style exhaust. The high-pressure unit, an S480 (80/93/1.10) that was also sourced from Forced Inductions, sits in the valley. Wehrli Custom Fabrication piping and a WC Fab coolant tank help make the compound arrangement fit and function, while a Mishimoto intercooler stands up to more than 100-psi of boost being forced through it.It’s all business in the bed of Michael’s Silverado. A pair of 250-gph FASS systems pull fuel from a 6-gallon fuel cell, rushing it up to the 14mm CP3 mounted in the factory location. The race series, Exergy Performance stroker pump maintains ample rail pressure for a set of 200-percent over injectors (also from Exergy) to use. The common-rail system, and indeed the rest of the engine, is fine-tuned by All In Truck Performance, whose mastery of EFI Live software has helped Michael achieve all of his goals. At the track, custom-tailored (and well-vetted) calibration changes are performed using an AutoCal.Of course, N2O plays a role in Michael’s 9-second recipe, and it all starts with the 15-pound Nitrous Express bottle mounted in the bed. Plumbed to the engine and hidden from general view under the hood, things culminate with an NX Lightning 375 solenoid—and Michael says the big single hit of nitrous is basically a 500hp shot. The nitrous system is manually activated via button on the lower dash, and Michael brings the giggle gas into the equation as soon as the converter locks.While the quick-release door bar and the Procar by SCAT race seat might be considered dead giveaways you’re looking at a race vehicle, all the factory GM conveniences remain. A full factory dash and sound system, A/C, heat, and even the spacious center console have all been retained. Pretty cool for a truck packing a roll cage certified for 8.50 in the quarter-mile… All told, Michael’s ¾-ton Silverado tips the scales at 7,155 pounds on race day. Remember, these trucks came with burlier IFS components than ’01-’10 models did, not to mention a fully boxed frame. So, while some lightening of the truck has obviously occurred, it’s still far from a stripped down, all-out race vehicle.Throughout all of his record-setting, Michael has stayed the course with the Allison 1000. And thanks to a solid build from All In Truck Performance, the six-speed automatic never skips a beat. Inside, it boasts billet input, intermediate, and outputs shafts, a billet P2 planetary and C2 hub, and Alto clutches. A billet front cover, triple disc, J model, extreme clutch converter from Goerend Transmission ensures efficient and reliable power transfer is always on the table—and a BT DieselWorks lockup controller commands when it gets coupled to the engine. Michael tells us lockup occurs between the 2-3 shift, right before all the nitrous is unleashed.If you’re going to cut 1.5-second 60-foots in a 7,100+ pound truck, perfect traction isn’t a suggestion. To ensure each drag radial takes a bite out of the track, Michael installed a locker in the AAM 1150 and a Detroit Truetrac limited slip from Eaton up front. The factory IFS system is reinforced thanks to PPE forged-steel tie-rods, and they’re the HD variety with larger bodies, and bigger inner and outer ball joints. The 6-ply nylon limiting straps you see here came from Trail Gear and they keep the front suspension from unloading during those boosted, four-wheel drive launches.This is where horsepower gets converted to speed. These P325/45R18 Hoosier drag radials are why the truck cuts its 1.5 to low 1.6-second 60-foots, and they were on board for Michael’s record-setting, 9-second pass. They’re mated to a set of 18×10-inch Moto Metal M0970 wheels. To keep the AAM 1150 from trying to rotate, the leaf springs from twisting, and the rear tires digging, Michael relies on a set of CalTracs traction bars from Calvert Racing. Simple and highly effective, we’ve always approved of the low-profile look these bolt-on bars provide.Brought up around race cars thanks to his father, Michael has always had a desire for speed, as well as a knack for achieving it. Combine that with a highly competitive nature, sprinkle in a background in construction and oilfield work—not to mention the initial dopamine rush he felt after uploading that first big tune—and you begin to understand why Michael went the diesel route. His racing adventures have taken him from the street to the drag strip, and from his local track at Hobbs Airfield Speedway all the way to Indianapolis for UCC.From 2017 through 2020, Michael and his LML were very active. “It seems like all we were doing for a few years was setting records,” he said. But in September of 2024, a new high mark was attained: this 9.81-second pass at 141 mph. Not only did Michael reset his own quarter-mile record, but he also reestablished the quickest eighth-mile pass for an LML Duramax. With the truck’s trap speed and race weight plugged into Wallace Racing’s popular online horsepower calculator, nearly 1,500 hp was making it to the wheels on this pass—proving Michael’s dyno numbers are anything but inflated.No dyno racing here. The 1,564-rwhp Michael’s LML laid down at UCC 2025 is about as close as it gets to backing up his near-7,200-pound Chevy’s record-setting trips through the 1320 (and the ‘660). Making the ultimate statement, Michael made it on what has become the yardstick dyno of the diesel industry, the Northwest Dyno Series SF-849 SuperFlow. It’s the same model load-cell chassis dyno his friends at All In Truck Performance used to build his record-setting race files. And while not a horsepower record, Michael’s 1,564hp pull sits comfortably in the runner-up spot among all LML’s.Due to space constraints with the 106mm atmosphere turbo in the mix (along with the retention of the truck’s A/C system), a fender exit exhaust was the only feasible solution for Michael’s big boost Silverado. “The people I’m racing don’t always like it [when I’m in the left lane],” he told us, but once the 500hp hit of nitrous enters the chat you won’t find a cleaner-burning 1,500hp Duramax. Fuel-only and dialed all the way back to tune number 1 in his arsenal, Michael can run repeat 6.70s in the eighth-mile—which is why you can find him entered in the 6.70 Index class at select NHRDA and ODSS events. Imagine having a full interior, late-model Duramax that makes 1,000 hp on its weakest tune…
