RICHMOND, Va. - A powerful "disconnect" often exists between the opinions of drivers and the perception of fans.

For instance, in Bristol, Tenn., officials of the track reconfigured the layout to make it easier to pass. It is easier to pass there now. By and large, the fans don't like it. By and large, the drivers do.

With the notable exception of Juan Pablo Montoya (see separate story), drivers and fans alike are in agreement over Richmond International Raceway, site of Saturday night's Heath Calhoun 400.

The image shapers of this track refer to "racing perfection." Drivers call it "ideal."

"This is always a big race for me," said Jeff Burton, who grew up in South Boston, Va.. "I like coming here. It's a hometown race. Having a chance to compete in Virginia means a lot to me, and I think it's one of the best race tracks, if not the best race track, that we go to all year long. It's fun for me."

When drivers praise Richmond, they do so out of love for short tracks ingrained when they came up through the ranks. It's hardly unique to Virginians like Burton, Denny Hamlin and Elliott Sadler.

Greg Biffle, who grew up about as far as possible from Richmond (Vancouver, Wash.) for someone not named Montoya, said he watched a Nationwide Series race from the grandstands a few years back.

"This is one of the best race tracks," he said. "I had the most fun watching a race from the grandstands here. It's a fun track to race on, and I like it, but it presents its challenges, too. It's a tough track to race on."

A driver's perspective, through a windshield, has little in common with a fan's view from grandstands or on television.

"The other short tracks we run, Bristol and Martinsville, they're cool in their own right, but there's a lot of congestion at those two tracks," said Tony Stewart. "But at Richmond, it just seems like that extra quarter mile, and that three-quarter-mile shape, and how wide the groove gets here, allows for good racing.

"A lot of times, on a short track, you don't have the flexibility. You're more narrowed down with what groove you're going to be in."

The flexibility of RIR can be seen in the cars, where drivers love the room, and in the grandstands, where fans like the closeness.