I recently had the opportunity to run the new layout at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway and had a blast. I enjoyed it much more than the old one. It is a bit harder on brakes. Here's a picture from one of my sessions. I was chasing down a group of vipers and since I could not catch them on the straights I was out braking them. Was even able to pass a few. As you can see from the photo my front brakes got a bit warm.
Yeah, the new layout is definitely awesome. I like the fact that the skidpad doesn't take you towards the concrete pit wall before you get on the straight anymore.