Phoenix II: Toyota teams qualifying quotes

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position: 5th

How does the sun affect you when you're on the race track here? "It's very tough here getting into turn one, especially during this time of the day. That's something we're going to have to fight during the race on Sunday. It's just an added element, you have to know where you're at on the race track. It definitely makes it tough to hit your marks at this race track."

Are you happy with your qualifying run? "It'll hold up, but it'll be somewhere between 10th to 12th, I think by the time everything is said and done. That's going to be an improvement. Usually we qualify a little bit further than that and we have to work our way to the front. We picked up from practice and something to be proud of. We look for our FedEx Camry to be up front on race day."

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KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Pedigree Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position: 7th

How was your qualifying run? "The Pedigree Camry drove pretty well. I felt like the balance was fine, but wish it ended up a little bit better. The sun popped out right before our lap so not sure if that made a difference or not. I overdrove it off (turn) four just a little bit too. We've got a good race car for Sunday and we will keep working on it tomorrow. Proud of the effort these guys put in today."

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MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position: 11th

How is your car so far this weekend? "I'm happy with my car. I was happy with the lap as a whole. I could have gone a lot faster, I think it just pushed off turn four and I got on the gas. I did everything I was supposed to do as a driver. The car was mostly there, but then off (turn) four I lost my nose a little bit. It hurt us a little but I'm proud of my team to bring such a competitive car set-up and ready to go like that. It feels good."

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DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Starting Position: 15th

How was your qualifying run? "It wasn't very good. I just missed it a little bit I guess. The track is going to get cooler and it's going to get faster and we're going to be way, way back. It's not what we need here. We're going to be starting way back. Not going to have a good pit selection, not going to have a good starting position and we're just going to be starting pretty deep. It was significantly better in practice than our qualifying run. I don't know why we couldn't get any better. I don't know. It was just not a very good job."

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BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team
Starting Position: 19th

How has the track changed since practice? "The track is picking up the tires. It's pretty typical here for your second lap to be better. I don't think that's anything new. The track is going to pick up speed as the sun goes down and going out early is really not going to help us. I think with the conditions, we laid down a good lap. It's unfortunate that we're not still on the top."

Does the way the sun sets here make it difficult to find your marks on the track? "It really is, it always has been. The pavement is so wore out, it kind of blends in. That desert sun setting, it's not as bad right now, but as the sun starts to set, it's going to get worse and worse for these guys if there's dirt on the windshield. It gets really difficult to see where you're at in (turn) one. As soon as you go into the shade, everything becomes clear but it's hard to adjust."

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MARCOS AMBROSE, No. 47 Little Debbie Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing
Starting Position: 21st

ROBBY GORDON, No. 7 Jim Beam Toyota Camry, Robby Gordon Motorsports
Starting Position: 22nd

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MAX PAPIS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing
Starting Position: 23rd

What do you think of qualifying quickest among the ‘go or go homers'? "I'm ecstatic. This is one of the most difficult race tracks I've ever been to in these kind of cars. We started running a 30-flat and ended up qualifying a 26.98, so that's a huge improvement. I'm really proud of all my guys. I followed my instinct and was slipping and sliding in qualifying but in the end it paid off. That's the name of the game, follow your instinct."

Have you raced at Phoenix before? "I've never raced here before. I tested here quite a lot with a different kind of car but I never got a chance to race. I'm really excited about Sunday."

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JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Starting Position: 27th

DAVE BLANEY, No. 66 Prism Motorsports Toyota Camry, Prism Motorsports
Starting Position: 32nd

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports
Starting Position: 34th

SCOTT SPEED, No. 82 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team
Starting Position: 37th

MICHAEL McDOWELL, No. 36 WAVE Energy Drink Toyota Camry, Tommy Baldwin Racing
Starting Position: 38th

-credit: toyota motorsports