Jeers replaced by cheers as NASCAR hits Atlanta track

What difference can one week make? About a decade's worth.

The criticisms drivers had about the resurfaced Las Vegas Motor Speedway have been replaced with praise for Atlanta, another SMI track that last underwent a major reconfiguration in 1997.

"I love Atlanta," Jeff Gordon said. "I love the worn out surface and everything about the track -- it's one of my favorite tracks we go to. Everything I love about this sport is what is going to happen in Atlanta."

"Racing here is how I'd like it to be every weekend. We'll be using the regular fuel cell in the regular car and we'll have long green-flag runs. The tire wears out but doesn't seem to blowout, and there are multiple grooves we can run."

Atlanta's transformation from fledgling enterprise into one of the most popular stops on the tour began when Bruton Smith purchased the track in 1990. Now AMS is widely considered to have the best racing on the circuit.

"There's never any disappointment at Atlanta," Elliott Sadler said. "Some of the best, closest races we had have come at that speedway. We always look forward to going there. It's a fun racetrack."

Many drivers echoed those sentiments as they look forward to Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX).

"We're excited Atlanta is the next stop on our schedule," said Kasey Kahne, the defending winner of this race. "It's one of my favorite tracks. It has multiple grooves, so you can run high, low or in the middle. I like to move around on the track during the race, searching for a different and faster line. The track is wide and fast."

Kahne comes into the race 36th in points after back-to-back DNFs.

"It's the perfect place for our team to get back on track and challenge for our first win of the season," Kahne said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has three consecutive top-five finishes at Atlanta. He has seven top-fives and nine top-10s in 15 career starts there.

"We always look forward to Atlanta," Earnhardt said. "It's bad-fast, fun to drive, and we seem to find ourselves near the front most of the time." (Continued)