NASCAR Playoffs at Richmond results: Brad Keselowski takes the checkered flag, clinches spot in Round of 12

This was the second of three races in the Round of 16

Brad Keselowski said Thursday that if he didn't go out and dominate and win at Richmond, he'd be disappointed. The No. 2 team did not go home disappointed on Saturday night. 

Keselowski earned his fourth win of the season, joining Kevin Harvick in the Round of 12. Denny Hamlin finished a lap down in 12th but advanced to the next round of the NASCAR playoffs on points. 

"It means a ton to me," Keselowski said in regards to his second career win at the track. "These are some of the best drivers in the world and they're not easy to beat." 

Keselowski noted that he knew he'd have a good car going into the race because it was the same one he won with at New Hampshire. After the race was over, he opted not to do a burnout in hopes of saving the Ford Mustang for the Championship 4 race at Phoenix in November. 

The story of the night belonged to Austin Dillon, who finished fourth. Dillon led a career high 55 laps and rode in the top five for most of the night after opening the playoffs with a second-place finish at Darlington. Dillon was the leader with 48 to go but was ultimately passed by Keselowski. The driver of the No. 3 missed pit road when coming down for his final stop, which cost him the time he would have needed to battle Keselowski for the top spot. 

"There's no time to smile now. We've got work to do," Dillon said after the race. "It's very hard to do what we're doing right now in the Cup Series." 

Dillon, who is considered a surprise playoff success story, said he knew that going into the playoffs he was going to have speed on the short tracks. In playoff media availability, Dillon targeted Richmond specifically as a track where he believed he could win. 

The No. 3 car has not yet advanced to the Round of 12, but sits sixth in the standings heading into the cutoff race at Bristol. Dillon finished sixth at Bristol back in May and hopes to duplicate that success next week.

Martin Truex Jr. finished the race second ahead of Logano. Truex was coming off a 22nd-place finish at Darlington after contact with Chase Elliott in a battle for the lead at the end of the playoff opener. Elliott, who finished 20th at Darlington, came in fifth on Saturday night. Both Truex and Elliott are in the top seven in points heading into Bristol. 

"I don't really worry about it too much," Truex said of not being locked into the Round of 12 yet. "There's no sense in making yourself crazy all week when it has no bearing on the outcome."

Ryan Blaney struggled most of the night after pitting twice during the opening stage's competition caution. Blaney finished 19th and is looking at a potential must-win situation for Bristol next week as he's in last place. 

"He's done this long enough and has been in this position before," Logano said of his teammate Blaney. "You dig deep down inside and you figure out what makes you tick, what makes you have a little bit more." 

Blaney was in a hole before the playoffs even started after an inspection failure cost him 10 points before the Darlington opener. The other three drivers below the cutline are William Byron, Cole Custer and Matt DiBenedetto. Clint Bowyer, who finished 10th, is the first driver above the cutoff. 

"We're still in this thing," Bowyer said. "Yeah it's nerve-wracking, or whatever, but it's also fun. It's fun to feel that way. It keeps you alive, that's what racing is all about, that's what competition is all about."

Here's a look at the playoff points entering Bristol. Note the drivers in bold have advanced to the playoffs and the drivers in italics are below the cutline.

1. Kevin Harvick, 2,143
2. Denny Hamlin, 2,122
3. Brad Keselowski 2,112
4. Joey Logano, 2,109
5. Martin Truex Jr., 2,096
6. Austin Dillon, 2,094
7. Chase Elliott, 2,086
8. Alex Bowman, 2,085
9. Kyle Busch, 2,076
10. Aric Almirola, 2,065
11. Kurt Busch, 2,065
12. Clint Bowyer, 2,061
13. William Byron, 2,058
14. Cole Custer, 2,053
15. Matt DiBenedetto, 2,036
16. Ryan Blaney, 2,034

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:37 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

15 to go. Brad Keselowski is the leader and looks like he has this thing in hand.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:34 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Austin Dillon's radio says he's the fastest car on the track with 23 laps to go. However he is P4, about 5 seconds back of the leader Brad Keselowski. Can he catch him in time?

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:31 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

So we've got 30 laps to go. Brad Keselowski has a lead of about 2.5 seconds over Martin Truex Jr. Lapped traffic can make anything interesting at a short track, but with a professional like Brad Keselowski out there, this is likely his race to lose at this point.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:27 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Brad Keselowski has a lead of close to 3 seconds. 41 to go... We'll see if a caution can make this one interesting.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:26 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Situation is fluid, but should a caution come out, Denny Hamlin is the first car a lap down currently P14.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:24 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Brad Keselowski back to the lead ahead of Austin Dillon. 48 to go.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:24 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

New leader: Austin Dillon with 49 to go. Brad Keselowski is right there though.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:23 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Kurt Busch, alternate pit strategy, is now the leader. With about a 2-second advantage over Austin Dillon, who is poised to resume the lead. Brad Keselowski about a second back of Dillon.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:20 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Brad Keselowski pits from the lead. 59 to go.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:19 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Austin Dillon came down pit road for his final stop and missed the entrance the first time. He lost a few seconds in doing so.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:16 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Brad Keselowski with a 3-second lead over Joey Logano with 69 to go.

[Sep 12, 2020 at 10:12 pm ET · Matthew Mayer]

Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth are 15th and 16th, both 2 laps down. They're running a different pit strategy than the most of the rest of the field.