I got back in town last night and installed the D2PE roms... working great!
Comments on install...
1) I forgot how painful it is to pull 41 roms and insert 41 new ones
2) I had a little problem with the D2PE security board. When I unscrewed the D2BoTE security board, I found out those screws were held in place with nuts. The nuts just fell down onto the board underneath the security board. Pain in the ass to get them out --- no accessibility. I didn't want to turn D2 on with some metal nuts sitting on the video or cpu board, so I needed to unscrew the cage, tilt/shake it, until they came out. Even bigger pain to try and secure the new security board using them, so I didn't. It's currently held in place with the (pretty large) PCB connector. Will probably need to take the whole board stack out if I ever decide to address this. Anyone ever have this problem?
3) Booted first time... I didn't botch any of the roms

4) Not surprisingly, it went back to default and lost my high scores. Makes sense.
5) Also didn't pass self test the first time... this worried me for 2 or 3 seconds. Then I realized it was complaining it couldn't find another D2 to communicate with. I went into setup, made it a standalone configuration (and also set it for free play).
Comments on gameplay
1) I like it! Definitely an improvement in all ways (with one minor exception)
2) My only gripe: they should have kept the original beginner track AND included the new NASCAR track. ROM size issue, I suppose.
3) I _do_ like the new NASCAR track. I find the realistic track/backgrounds really makes the race seem more competitive, fast and tense.
4) My favorite feature is the new challenge track. It has great variety and is a blast to play.
5) Is it me or does the hornet car handle like crap? It has been a LONG time since I played the original Daytona... perhaps it handles the same. I found myself crashing into all the walls. But I only tried it a couple of times.
6) Sound effects are definitely modified... engine sounds seem much more realistic
7) The cars seem to have more realistic movement. While I cannot do a side by side comparison, I believe you can see and feel the suspension much more with D2PE over D2BoTE.
8) The additional chatter from the pit is nice and mostly helpful. I was expecting a bit more variation, however.
In summary, overal the D2PE just feels better and is more enjoyable. Definitely a good upgrade. That's my opinion after about 15 or 20 games.
... Altan