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Talladega: Toyota teams race notes, quotes

Kyle Busch earned his sixth win of the season in Saturday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway. Busch led three times for a total of eight (of 95) laps in today's race and came to the checkered flag ...

Kyle Busch earned his sixth win of the season in Saturday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Alabama's Talladega Superspeedway.

Busch led three times for a total of eight (of 95) laps in today's race and came to the checkered flag just two-thousandths second ahead of fellow Tundra driver Aric Almirola.

The victory marked the second for Busch at Talladega (October 2009), fourth for a Tundra at the Alabama oval and 13th win this season for Tundra.

Timothy Peters (seventh) and Craig Goess Jr. (10th) also posted top-10 results for Toyota at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

Tundra drivers David Starr (11th), Mike Skinner (15th), Todd Bodine (18th), Chris Fontaine (19th), Max Papis (27th) and Justin Lofton (33rd) were also in the field.

Bodine continues to lead the unofficial NCWTS driver standings following Martinsville, holding a 216-point advantage over Almirola. Peters (seventh), Skinner (eighth) and Starr (ninth) are also in the top-10 in points after 22 of 25 races.

With the win, Kyle Busch Motorsports now leads Germain Racing in the unofficial NCWTS owner standings by 42 points with three races remaining in 2010.

***

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Traxxas Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 1st

What did you think of the move you made to win the race? "That was cool. I didn't want to do it. Man, Aric (Almirola) deserved to win the race and deserved it from last year. I had Johnny (Sauter) pushing on me and I was getting loose through the tri-oval - just trying to stay with the 51 (Almirola). I turned it back to the bottom to try to straighten it back out and I was still loose alongside of him. I thought the 13 (Sauter) was going to my bottom so I wanted to block him. It was just crazy there at the end. I can't thank Traxxas, Toyota Tundra - these guys do an awesome job here at Kyle Busch Motorsports. M&M's, Flexco, NOS Energy Drink, Gillette and my good friend Jim Hunter who passed away this morning. Thoughts go to him and his family and everybody. Real proud of all these guys and this is a cool one."

Did you want to stay behind Aric Almirola at the end of the race? "That's exactly what I thought - I was like, I just want to push him (Aric Almirola). I got under his back bumper off of four and we came to the tri-oval and I started getting loose. I thought I had Johnny (Sauter) pushing me so I kind of steered up a little bit to try to save it. I couldn't go too high because Johnny was going to go to my bottom so I had to bring it back down. I got underneath Aric and at that point you just have to stay in the throttle and keep digging. I don't even know where the yellow line was. For as loose as my stuff was through there, I was trying to save it and get away from those guys and not spin out. All in all, great job by these guys. Everybody with Camping World and all the great folks - the fans in the stands is cool too."

***

ERIC PHILLIPS, crew chief, No. 18 Traxxas Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

How was today's race from your perspective today? "It was pretty uneventful for us other than a few pit stop issues. Made a decision on some shock settings today. Couldn't get the tires off when we first came in the pits. Just told the guys to take their time and make sure they did the pit stop right and they did. Was able to get the truck back up front at the end."

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota Tundra, Billy Ballew Motorsports
Finishing Position: 2nd

Do you feel like you should have been the winner of today's race?

"I was at his (Kyle Busch) mercy. He could have went to my outside, he could have went to my inside. I tried to do everything I could to try to protect as long as I could. I think NASCAR maybe should look at that. It looked like he went below the yellow line right there before the start-finish line. It was really close, but I hate to lose one like that. These guys work awfully hard on our speedway stuff. To lose one like that is bad. He's below the yellow line."

Were you planning to work with Kyle Busch in the closing laps?

"We had talked about it and we knew we wanted to stay together. We had good trucks and we saw that in practice yesterday. I knew I had a good truck yesterday. I pushed Johnny (Sauter) to the lead and I felt like it was time to go. It's disappointing if they give that win to him (Kyle Busch). I feel like I let these guys down, but I don't know what else I could have done."

***

TIMOTHY PETERS, No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
Finishing Position: 7th

CRAIG GOESS JR., No. 46 Greenville Toyota Tundra, Team Gill Racing
Finishing Position: 10th

DAVID STARR, No. 81 Zachry Toyota Tundra, Green Light Racing
Finishing Position: 11th

***

MIKE SKINNER, No. 5 Exide Toyota Tundra, Randy Moss Motorsports
Finishing Position: 15th

How was your truck in today's race? "Our Exide Tundra was really good today. We started in the back and it didn't take any time at all to get to the front. We just sat there and rode - 10th, 12th, 15th - whatever it was. We used patience and tried to sum up who we were going to work with at the end of the race. Our Tundra would push good and it wouldn't pull good. You always make plans that you're going to work together and you're going to do this and that. We all thought we were going to work together. Talladega and Daytona - as soon as the green flag comes out, all that pretty much goes out the window."

***

TODD BODINE, No. 30 Valvoline Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing
Finishing Position: 18th

What happened that took you out of the race? "That's a shame that things like that happen. I think the 95 (Grant Enfinger) just gave me the shove from hell and thought he was going to bump me somewhere. Turned me sideways and caused a big wreck. My guys being the great crew they are were trying to put the truck back together to pick up a few spots."

***

CHRIS FONTAINE, No. 84 Glenden Enterprises Toyota Tundra, Glenden Enterprises
Finishing Position: 19th

MAX PAPIS, No. 9 GEICO Toyota Tundra, Germain Racing
Finishing Position: 27th

***

JUSTIN LOFTON, No. 7 visitPIT.com Toyota Tundra, Red Horse Racing
Finishing Position: 33rd

How disappointed are you to be out of the race so early? "It's real unfortunate for everyone over on the visitPIT.com Toyota Tundra. We had a really good truck. I was just sitting there playing around. I would jump up out of the pack and fall back - then move back up. Real proud of all the guys and all the hard work that they put into it. Real unfortunate that it had to end this way."

-source: toyota motorsports

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