MOURNING A STAR EARNHARDT'S DEATH LEAVES FANS AT A LOSS.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

VALENCIA - On the day after racing legend Dale Earnhardt lost his life in the Daytona 500, Bryant Hollers stood amid his makeshift shrine of Earnhardt memorabilia and talked about his hero.

Hollers has spent more than 20 years following the career of the man many say was the heart and soul of NASCAR racing - a man who bumped and pushed his way to the front of the pack so many times that he seemed indestructible.

When Earnhardt died Sunday, Hollers said, a part of NASCAR racing and a part of every Earnhardt fan died as well.

``It feels like somebody cut my heart out,'' he said, his head still aching after a sleepless night. ``When you've rooted for somebody for this many years, it's an identity loss more or less. Everybody who knows me knows I'm an Earnhardt fan. Now I don't know who to root for.''

The 35-year-old said he became an Earnhardt fan in 1980, the year the driver won his first Winston Cup Championship and became the first to win the season championship and the Rookie of the Year Award back-to-back.

Like many fans, Hollers was as enamored of Earnhardt's spirit as he was of the racer's skill.

``He was aggressive, and he had more heart for it than anybody,'' Hollers said. ``He put his car in positions no one else had the guts to do. He could split two cars and come out the other side like a banana. There won't be another one like him ever who will bring that kind of excitement to the track.''

Hollers has been collecting Earnhardt memorabilia for 15 years and has a garage filled with posters, flags, photographs, clocks, model cars and a neon No. 3 sign surrounded by the Chevrolet logo.

After learning of his hero's death Sunday night, Hollers said he immediately went out Monday morning and purchased all of the Earnhardt memorabilia he could find.

Many items have tripled in value overnight, and some have increased as much as 10 times, he said.

It was Earnhardt himself who helped create this cult of personality by launching the companies that distribute NASCAR collectibles, Hollers said.

``He was a very, very smart businessman, and he made this industry what it is today,'' he said. ``He's like the Elvis Presley of NASCAR.''

Hollers said he rushed to remodel his Earnhardt shrine in time for his annual Daytona 500 party Sunday. But as the tragedy unfolded Sunday night, the celebration ended in tears.

``We thought, he's tough, he's Earnhardt, he'll be all right,'' said Hollers' wife, Debbie. ``Everybody thought he'd be here forever.''

For Earnhardt's grieving fans, the only consolation they have is knowing their hero died doing what he loved, Hollers said.

``He couldn't have planned his death better if he tried,'' Hollers said. ``It happened at Daytona, it happened in a race car, and he was doing what he loved to do. It's a sad day for all of racing, but Dale would have wanted it all to continue.

``Even after his best friend, Neil Bonnett, died in a practice session, Dale said `We have a job to do. We're going to race next weekend.'''

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(color) Saugus resident and racing fan Bryant Hollers displays Dale Earnhardt memorabilia he's acquired over the years.Bryant Hollers has acquired scores of Dale Earnhardt memorabilia over the years.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News