Divided over changes

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 | 7:14 a.m.

As far as Dale Earnhardt Jr. is concerned, the reconfiguration of Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile tri-oval can't start soon enough.

Speedway officials announced in late January that banking in the corners would be increased from 12 to 20 degrees and the racing surface narrowed from 70 to about 50 feet in an attempt to improve the quality of racing.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Earnhardt, who has finished 35th, 42nd and 27th in the past three NASCAR Cup races in Las Vegas. "It's kind of like going into your living room and moving your furniture around; it's a little change of pace and I think it'll be an improvement."

But Earnhardt is in the minority among drivers questioned about the changes, which are scheduled to be completed in time for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in September.

Jeff Burton, a two-time winner of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, has been the most vocal critic since speedway officials announced the changes.

"It's a shame they're going to tear this place up," Burton said. "It's ridiculous."

Matt Kenseth, a two-time winner of the Cup race at LVMS and the runner-up Sunday to Jimmie Johnson, also defended the speedway against critics who have labeled the racing here as, more often than not, "boring."

"No matter what the racetrack is, if you have the fastest car out front and the second-place car is slower, the faster car is going to drive away from the slower car," Kenseth said. "It doesn't matter how the track is configured, it doesn't matter how much banking there is - it just doesn't matter.

"I think this racetrack has always been good. If you're fast here, it's always been fairly easy to pass. It's a lot better than a lot of them we go to to pass on."

Ironically, the finish of Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 - the last race on the track as it currently is configured - proved to be the closest finish in the nine-year history of the event. Johnson finished .045 seconds - about 6 feet - ahead of Kenseth as the two crossed the finish line side-by-side.

Burton was quick to point out that there has been good racing at LVMS for years - such as when he and brother Ward Burton raced side-by-side for several laps late in the 1999 race.

"You can go back to the second race where Ward and I raced ... hell, we ran side-by-side back then," Burton said. "If they change this track, it'll take three or four years to get back to the point where it is today."

Las Vegas native Kurt Busch said the changes would raise the average speed from about 170 mph to close to 190 mph and produce more side-by-side racing as seen in the closing lap of Sunday's race.

"Raising the banking up (to) 20 degrees, the place will be fast and you'll get that side-by-side action and hopefully you'll see finishes like you see down at Atlanta and Homestead," he said.

Kyle Busch, Kurt's younger brother, said he wasn't looking forward to the changes.

"It's going to be a shame," Busch said. "It's a really great racetrack the way it is now. I think it's plenty raceable."