Last six Sprint Cup champs run well under Atlanta sun

Consider Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway a "redemption race" for the last six Sprint Cup Series champions.

That's because those drivers -- Tony Stewart (2002, '05), Matt Kenseth (2003), Kurt Busch (2004) and Jimmie Johnson (2006-'07) -- would just as soon forget last week's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

All four failed to crack the top 15 and all dropped in the series standings:

But none should worry all that much. Atlanta has treated all well in the past, and there's no reason why it shouldn't again come Sunday.

Here are some numbers:

Of the four, only Kenseth has yet to visit Victory Lane -- though his Atlanta resume is still an impressive one. He has three consecutive top-five finishes at AMS and top-fives in four of the last five Atlanta races.

All four drivers have had a driver rating more than 100.0, and Stewart and Johnson each flirted with a perfect driver rating of 150.0.

Below are some other statistics that would suggest strong runs this weekend from the aforementioned champions:

• Tony Stewart ranks third in overall Atlanta average running position at 10.2 and holds a track-best (since 2005) in driver rating:

• Matt Kenseth ranks first in green flag pass differential at Atlanta with 78 (373 passes to 295 times passed).

• Since 2005, Kurt Busch holds the track-best mark in quality passes:

• Jimmie Johnson ranks second in overall fastest laps run at Atlanta since 2005 and holds the track-best average running position since 2005: