Earlier this week, Red Bull Racing Team officials announced that sophomore driver AJ Allmendinger would not be back with the team for the 2009 season. Sunday at the Kansas Speedway, Allmendinger showed he has what it takes to compete in NASCAR's top-division.

With it uncertain whether or not he will finish out the year in the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota - the team will make an announcement on the situation this week - Allmendinger recorded his best career finish. The former open-wheel driver was able to fight back from a pit road penalty to come home in the 9th-spot in his first try at the mile-and-a-half track.

"It was a tough race out there," Allmendinger explained. "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."

The newest free-agent on the market, Allmendinger is committed to NASCAR and wants nothing more than to find a secure ride for the 2009 season. The California-native has worked all season long to get the No. 84 Toyota Camry in the top-35.

"You get a little of a chip on your shoulder when you're kind of told, 'You might not want to be back here next year.' So a little bit of a chip on your shoulder," Allmendinger said following the race. "Got to go out there and prove something to some team owners, and hopefully they'll see what kind of character I have. I'm not going to lay down, I'm not going to give up and I'm going to keep fighting. I've clawed and scratched in NASCAR to lay down."

With Sunday's career-best finish, not to mention a drive and determination that never quits, Allmendinger continues to add to his ever-growing racing resume.