Las Vegas "Screwed Up" According to Stewart

"I thought they screwed up a really nice race track," Stewart said Wednesday. "They had a track that every year was getting better and better, and the racing was getting better and better." Apparently, Tony Stewart doesn't like the changes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The two-time NASCAR champion thinks they were unnecessary and will make for a boring race this weekend.

During reconstruction of the 1 1/2 -mile oval since the Nextel Cup race there last March, the banking was increased from 12 to 20 degrees. The pit lane was moved closer to the front stretch grandstands, making for a smoother transition from corner to straightaway.

Las Vegas officials contend the reconfiguration will create more side-by-side and competitive racing.

There's no question that the Las Vegas track is now faster. Elliott Sadler turned a lap of 188.772 mph during testing five weeks ago, significantly higher than Greg Biffle's pole speed of 172.403 mph last March.

With the new surface and harder tires, however, Stewart expects the field to separate when all 43 cars are on the track.

"We could go down and it could be the best race NASCAR has ever had in their existence, and I could be 100 percent wrong," Stewart said. "But from what I saw in the test, it's not going to be a very fun race."