Letters.(Brief Article)

Dale & Daytona

We were at Daytona Sunday. Every time Dale Earnhardt went by in the lead, my son and I held up our hands making the No. 3. Almost everyone around us was, too. In this day and age, it is probably passe to have heroes, but Dale has been mine for as long as I can remember. I'll tell you as serious as can be that God rested his hands on top of Dale's when he held that steering wheel. My first Daytona 500 was his 1998 win. I can still vividly see all the crews lining up to high-five Dale as he drove down pit row to the victory circle. This year, we left the race a little early to avoid the crowds. We weren't there when God let go of Dale's hands. I'm glad we were gone. Reportedly, Dale's last words were ``Tell the boys to stay low.'' Dale, we're all running real low right now.

Bill Elder, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.

This year's Daytona 500 was the best I've seen in a long time and I think Fox acquitted itself with its coverage. The biggest surprise was finding out what a genuinely funny man Darrell Waltrip is. However, the sadness I feel from the loss of Dale Earnhardt has been overshadowed by anger over the ignorant and provincial coverage of his death by those in the New York media. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Thomas M. Perkins, New Fairfield, Conn.

Pocket Pentastar

I remember when Chrysler and Shelby created the first front-drive performance revolution in the '80s: Shelby Chargers, GLHSs, CSXs, Lancers, Turbo Zs, and even LeBaron GTCs. They all came factory-equipped with turbos and attitude. I own two of these original pocket rockets. I can hardly wait for the second coming of affordable front-drive performance cars (AW, ``Pocket Mon-sters,'' Feb. 19). The import scene of modifying cars is great, but when the automakers themselves get involved, the muscle car era comes to mind. This could be the thing to get people (not just the kids) buying small cars again. Not all of us ``old-timers'' are ready for a Buick.