Kansas: Toyota teams race quotes, notes

AJ Allmendinger earned his career-best Cup finish with a ninth-place result in his first stock car race at Kansas Speedway.

Camry drivers Denny Hamlin (11th), Brian Vickers (15th) and David Reutimann (19th) also finished in the top-20 Sunday.

Other Camry drivers in the field included Kyle Busch (28th), Dave Blaney (31st), Michael Waltrip (35th), Joey Logano (39th) and Tony Stewart (40th).

In the NSCS 'Chase for the Sprint Cup,' Hamlin sits 10th in the unofficial point standings followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Stewart (11th) and Busch (12th).

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AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 84 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team
Finishing Position: 9th

Was it a tough race this afternoon? "With 24 laps to go, my arms felt like jello. Hats off to my Red Bull guys -- it's easier to drive when you have a good car."

Are you satisfied with a top-10 finish today? "It was a tough race out there. Everybody was slipping and sliding. These things are a handful to hold on to. We just had a good car. We had kind of a mistake on pit road where the tire got away, it was really nobody's fault, and that made it tough to kind of get back to the front. We had a great car. The racing is so tough out there. Everybody is fighting so hard. You still have to be aggressive, but you have to leave it one notch below over the top -- and it's a tough race. I'm definitely going to sleep well tonight."

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DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 11th

Was your team chasing a good set-up all day? "We didn't have it. We struggled for the balance all day. We went from loose to tight and back and forth. Our balance wasn't exactly where we needed it."

Is this a good finish considering your struggles with the Cup car all weekend? "Yeah, we were able to make way. It's nothing like we're going to need if we're going to compete for the championship."

Did you think you had an engine issue with 30 laps to go? "It just changed tons on us. I'm not sure exactly what it was. Maybe something went out of balance or something. The engine just changed a ton, but it didn't look like it lost any power."

Do you feel the Joe Gibbs Racing cars are 'snake bit'? "I've had it all year and those other guys in our group have had luck, and I've had bad luck all year. I'm used to it. We have a situation where we are all trying new stuff and trying to get better. Right now, we keep our stuff together."

What's your realistic goal at this point in the season? "For me, it's a top -five in points -- that's about all we can do."

Is the big shake-up still ahead at Talladega? "That could be an equalizer, but one bad race for those other guys aren't going to really hurt the m that much if they finish in the top-three every week."

*** BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team
Finishing Position: 15th

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 19th

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KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 28th

What did you feel happen to your race car? "It was just like probably what it sounded like -- just sputtering and not running clean."

Was there a piece of paper found in the cowl that was affecting the car? "I don't know that they did. I don't think they did."

How are you feeling now? "I think it's pretty self-explanatory to everybody out there."

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STEVE ADDINGTON, Crew Chief, No. 18 M&M's Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

What happened with the race car today? "We were 25 laps into it and he (Kyle Busch) thought the motor was doing what it did last week and coming apart. That wasn't it. It was a fuel issue. We came in, checked all the lines and everything, and couldn't find anything. But, we've got a fuel pressure issue."

How will you determine what happened? "We'll go back (to the shop) and just dissect the whole car to see what the problem was and see if we can find anything."

Has this happened before? "This is the first time. There's a first time for everything the last three weeks."

Do you feel good about returning to Talladega where you won earlier this year? "If we can keep it running we should be in good shape -- we'll see how it goes."

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DAVE BLANEY, No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota Camry, Bill Davis Racing
Finishing Position: 31st

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 35th

JOEY LOGANO, No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry, Hall of Fame Racing
Finishing Position: 39th

TONY STEWART, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 40th

-credit: toyota motorsports