Last year's Kobalt Tools 500 race weekend was full of drama and controversy. While a kid named 'Rowdy' swept the weekend and gave Toyota its first Cup Series victory, accusations and frustrations stole the show.

Leaving Las Vegas Carl Edwards was on a roll after scoring back-to-back victories. However, a penalty for a loose oil cover lid cost the driver of the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion the points lead, the team a hefty sum of money, resulted in a six week suspension for crew chief Bob Osborne and riled up the 'Cat in the Hat' Jack Roush.

Unhappy with being accused of foul play by Lee White, General Manager of Toyota Racing Development, Roush took to the podium to clear his name and provide an in-depth analysis as to why the part failure was incidental, even going as far as to suggest his crew, driver, engineers and even himself would be willing to submit to a polygraph test.

While drama unfolded in the media center, a new issues was surfacing in the garage and on the track. Throughout the weekend it became clear the biggest thing teams would have to overcome during Sunday's 500-mile event would be tire wear.

Teams struggled to wrap their heads around how to make their cars handle better on the Goodyear tires. After bringing a harder compound than the teams had test with, Goodyear began to be the focus of the garage and the media.

The proof was in the pudding.  Jeff Gordon captured the pole for the weekend's event after running a lap seven seconds slower than the pole-winning run in 2007. Once the green flag dropped, tires began to fall off just four or five laps into a run. Since most drivers were not willing to or simply unable to push the envelope, the racing suffered and drivers became frustrated.

Proving there is nothing that slows him down, Kyle Busch took his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota to the front of the field and let it all hang out. Sliding the car around the track, the young wheel-man dominated by leading a total of 173 of the 325 laps to give Toyota its first victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.

Making things even more special, the win marked the first time Busch went to victory lane with JGR and did so at one of the team's best tracks.

“It was really awesome to see all the 18 guys back in victory lane at Atlanta and enjoying the win,” Busch reflected. “I remember the years of watching Bobby Labonte dominate at Atlanta and plenty of other places. To see the smile on everyone’s face was great, especially (crew chief) Steve Addington and how excited he was about his first Cup win. And, of course, to get Toyota the win – well, it just all meant so much.”

While Busch, JGR and Toyota celebrated their milestone victory, runner-up Tony Stewart unleashed his fury on Goodyear and their choice of tire. Critical of the manufacturer throughout much the weekend, Stewart commented at one point, “After 10 years in the Cup Series, you learn to be highly disappointed with everything Goodyear does.”

Following the frustrating race, Stewart let his emotions fly as he lashed out on Goodyear claiming, “They got run out of Formula One, they got run out of CART, the IRL, run out of World of Outlaw sprint cars, run out of USAC because they couldn’t make a quality enough product. This weekend shows their true colors and what they are truly about.”

Even third-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed with the outspoken Stewart. “There is a big difference between complaining and stating the obvious,” Dale Jr. pointed out. “It is what it is, it’s not a complaint, it is what it is.” Unable to race each other for position, the sport's most popular driver explained the tires made for treacherous racing. “We couldn’t run side by side, we’d wreck,” Junior said  “We had to let each other go by.”

On a weekend in which Kyle Busch made history giving Toyota their first Cup Series victory and the driver of the No. 18 began his season-long winning streak, it was tires and the criticism they received throughout the garage that stole the show.