LANCASTER, S.C. – A pair of races in the Palmetto State kicks off the third installment of the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series this weekend.
The series makes its first stop at the Lancaster Motor Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 20, for the Palmetto State 50. Drivers will battle for $10,000 in a 50-lap showdown to see who gets a leg up on their competition.
The tour moves Northwest on Sunday, Nov. 21, for a trip to Cherokee Speedway and the Blue Gray 100, paying $10,000-to-win. It’s the fifth time the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series has stopped at Cherokee Speedway and the first of two stops on the schedule this season.
Here are the things to know heading into the first weekend of the season for the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series:
– This winter’s version of the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series starts with a new venue as the tour visits Lancaster Motor Speedway for the first time.
It’s the sixth track the tour has visited in its short history.
While the series makes its first stop at Lancaster, it’s not the first Palmetto State 50. It’s the third time the race has been held at the half-mile facility. Zack Mitchell won last year’s event, while Chris Ferguson took the checkered flag in 2018.
– When there’s a high-paying race at Cherokee Speedway, you know Chris Madden isn’t far behind.
The two-time Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series champion has won the Blue Gray 100 six times and won the last tour event at Cherokee in February.
Madden has six wins in his 2021 campaign — including a $52,000 win at Senoia Raceway last weekend.
– Brandon Overton only made two starts with the Series last winter, and he made the most of them by finding victory lane. One of those starts was the 2020 edition of the Blue Gray 100.
While Overton’s found success all over the country, Cherokee has been his wheelhouse in 2021. Since Labor Day weekend, the Evans, Ga., driver won a combined $50,000 in two races at Cherokee Speedway.
– Two drivers to watch this weekend at both events are Trent Ivey and Daulton Wilson.
Both drivers finished top-10 in series points a year ago and have made a statement against some of the best drivers in the country.
From Union, S.C., Ivey brought home a top-five during the Rock Gault Memorial at Cherokee in September. Wilson, from Fayetteville, N.C., had a top-five in the Mike Duvall Memorial in October. Wilson also won a race at Cherokee earlier this month.