Jimmie Johnson has praised the Atlanta Motor Speedway as one of the best circuits for challenging drivers as the Chase for the Nextel Cup draws close to its conclusion.

Johnson jumped to third in the standings with just four races remaining with victory in the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway last weekend and now sits just 41 points behind points leader Matt Kenseth heading into the Bass Pro Shops 500.

Johnson has a solid record at Atlanta in the past, with six top-ten finishes in ten starts, and he admits that the venue is one of the most challenging on the calendar, which should lead to an interesting weekend of racing.

"The asphalt they have used is older technology," he said. "It is real abrasive and chews the tyres up. Handling is a premium. The pace slows down so you can run side by side and you can look for other lanes to race in. That really makes for good racing.

“I think the new tracks, and Charlotte is a good example of it, almost do too good of a job. The asphalt is so smooth and tightly compacted we have to run an extremely hard tyre, the tyre never gives up and we run qualifying laps all night long. We run side by side and it is hard to pass. Atlanta is a great track. Some day they are going to have to resurface it and we will be faced with issues of a new surface there.

“But right now it has aged perfectly, it is probably is one of the best places to challenge drivers."