NASCAR wants focus back on track as Cup Series hits Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. -- NASCAR has to hope it can finally get "back to basics" this week and put the talk of penalties, points deductions and cheating behind.

Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway just might turn the trick.

The lightning-quick, 1.5-mile track is the fastest stop of the Sprint Cup Series schedule, with speeds in excess of 200 mph the norm as cars scream down the backstretch.

Jimmie Johnson says he isn't ready to panic over his slow start. (AP)

AMS is a place drivers seem to enjoy, along with the challenge of negotiating the track's treacherous layout, which has been in play since it was reconfigured in 1997.

"It's the pavement that makes this place so much fun," said Jeff Gordon, who looks to rebound from his near-disastrous wreck in Las Vegas a week ago. "I guess it's like a fine wine. The pavement ... gets better when it has aged.

"The pavement here really wears the tires out, and we can run low, middle, high and everywhere in between, in the wide corners. It really gives us the opportunity to find a line that works best for the car."

Gordon's Vegas accident partner Matt Kenseth concurs.

"You're not only racing your competitors, but you're also racing the track," said Kenseth. "The pavement has kind of worn out, and it's real high-banked. You start off fast and the track gets slick, so you're always looking for a different groove and for more grip."

This year the new NASCAR Sprint Cup car can be added to the Atlanta equation with the COT making its AMS debut Sunday. That will add another wrinkle to Sunday's race.

"With the new cars, the racing will be challenging," said Kenseth. "The cars are tougher to drive, and they move around a lot more than the old cars. When the track gets slick, you've got to have a good-handling car, so that you can change your points and get into the corners."

Atlanta has always been known for its sweeping turns, which were a staple of the "old" track's layout and have been incorporated into the new design.

The wide corners allow for multiple grooves and side-by-side racing and differentiates Atlanta from some of its 1.5-mile "sister" tracks like Las Vegas and Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"Well, you move around a lot more," said Tony Stewart, a two-time Atlanta Cup winner. "The surface gets more and more abrasive each time we come here. The neat thing is that the times fall off, so guys move around on the racetrack more.