HAMPTON, Ga. -- Richard Petty hasn't had much to smile about as of late but Sunday he left Atlanta Motor Speedway with satisfaction as big as the iconic hat he wears on his head.

On pit road after the race, the King was happy to brag a little about his organization. Three of the four Richard Petty Motorsports drivers finished in the top six and flagship driver Kasey Kahne led the most laps during the Kobalt Tools 500 won by Kurt Busch.

“

We had a really fast car and it was great most of the day. I thought we had a third- or fourth-place car at that time and that is where we finished, so it all worked out fine.

”

-- KASEY KAHNE

"That is pretty good for us because the last couple races our luck hadn't been that good but everything came together for us and [we] ran good [Sunday]," Petty said. "I know Kasey [Kahne] is a little disappointed, he had a super good car, but circumstances got him. The other two got to be tickled to death."

Paul Menard, the driver acquired in the Yates Racing merger during the offseason, finished fifth and A.J. Allmendinger finished sixth. Both drivers were overjoyed when greeted by Petty after the race.

"We haven't seen him a whole lot this year because his wife [Lynda] has been sick and he hasn't been around much," Menard said. "We think about her a lot. But he was around a lot this weekend, and just to hear what he has to say -- his input, his stories, and just the demeanor that he brings, he's a real cool dude and it's cool to have him around."

Petty's wife was recently diagnosed with brain cancer.

"The King is why I'm here, and I feel honored to be able to drive the 43 car," Allmendinger, picked to drive the storied No. 43 this season, said. "It's got such a tradition and there is a prestige that goes with it.

"There are still a lot of things we need to work on as a team. There are things I need to work on inside the race car, there are times when I need to remain more calm. But to have him come here and show his support, especially with what's going on with his home life, it means a lot. We can all go to sleep being proud of our whole team."

It's a step in the right direction for the organization in light of its ongoing battle to find success again. Richard Petty Motorsports has weathered multiple mergers, folded staff and melded stables from different teams and most recently left Dodge for Ford.

"It's an awesome run considering everything we've gone through just in the last month or two, moving shops and combining everyone ... I'm really proud of all the drivers," president and general manager Max Jones said. "And it's not like we fell into it, Kasey ran up front all day."

Kahne's No. 9 Ford finished fourth but led the race eight times for a total of 144 laps.

"We had a really fast car and it was great most of the day," Kahne said. "The track changed quite a bit the last 50 laps and we just didn't keep up quite like we needed to win the race. I thought we had a third- or fourth-place car at that time and that is where we finished, so it all worked out fine. ... It is nice to see the success and it is definitely something that we can build on."

Meanwhile back at home, Petty has said his wife's doctors are confident she will beat the cancer. She is being treated at Duke University Medical Center for central nervous system lymphoma.

"She had her birthday [Saturday] and she was in pretty good shape," Petty said. "The big thing is that I feel pretty good when I get home so that makes her feel better."