Brad Keselowski scored a 13th-place finish Saturday night at Richmond Raceway to remain in the thick of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The driver of the Western Star Ford is ninth in the standings, 85 points behind leader Kyle Larson but 13 points above the 12th-place cutline.

Keselowski started seventh and scored a seventh-place finish in Stage 1. He fought a lack of rear drive during the 80-lap segment but overcame those challenges to rack up seven valuable stage points at the conclusion of the segment. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins made the call to pit during the stage caution for four tires and numerous adjustments (including right-rear wedge). Keselowski restarted fifth when the race went green on lap 88.

In Stage 2, Keselowski had his hands full with the balance of the No. 2 Mustang. He ran inside the top-five during the early laps of the segment but, try as he might, couldn’t stay there, struggling to get his car to turn in the corners. Keselowski pitted twice for tires and adjustments but couldn’t make headway to the front. He was credited with a 12th-place finish when the stage ended on lap 235. During the stage caution, Keselowski pitted for four tires and good work by the 2 Crew moved him up to 10th-place for the restart on lap 244.

Unfortunately, Keselowski’s Mustang remained a handful throughout the third and final stage. The balance of the car was loose on entry and not turning well in the center of the corners. Keselowski made multiple stops during the final segment of the race but the adjustments by Bullins and the team did not produce any significant gains, leaving him with a 13th-place finish.

“It’s not the day we wanted with our Western Star Ford,” said Keselowski. “However, I am really proud of my pit crew.  They kept us in the game all night.”