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."

So does Jimmie Johnson, who has five top-five runs -- and one sixth place -- in the past seven races at AMS.

"The high speeds and the old surface make it a lot of fun for our cars. I really love the challenge," Johnson said.

The challenge for Clint Bowyer is to get to Victory Lane.

"That should be a good place for us to race for our first win. Hopefully, this week luck will be on our side," Bowyer said. "I'm excited to get back to Atlanta and I feel like it's going to be a good track for us. I really enjoy Atlanta and the type of race it puts on."

But alas, Atlanta doesn't suit every driver's needs.

"Atlanta is such a challenging track, I don't think many guys are comfortable getting into that racetrack," Johnson said.

Case in point: Teammate Kyle Busch, who finished 12th at AMS in three consecutive races but has an average finish of 21.2.

"It's a track that's so hard for me to get a hold of and it's been tough to figure out," Busch said. We usually run well at the beginning of the race and then lose the handling through the middle and end up 12th. It's been a little frustrating at times."

Kevin Harvick scored top-fives in his first two Atlanta starts, including a victory. But in 10 races since, his best finish is 19th.

"You have to have the complete package to contend for the win there. Horsepower is always important," Harvick said. "It's a lot of fun to race on but very fast.

"I struggle with finding the right feel for me to be comfortable. It's just something that I need to get better at and really focus on getting my car right."

Fast speeds. Aged surface. Multiple grooves. Yes, Atlanta has it all.

"It's one of the more intimidating tracks and one of the better tracks to race on," Johnson said. "Personally, that's one of the best tracks we run on."