"I would have liked to finish 2nd" — Kyle Larson on heartbreak at Homestead

William Byron took the checkered flag in the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday for his second NASCAR Cup Series win.

The No. 24 driver passed Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, who was in the lead briefly in the final stage before he was involved in a tight tussle for second with Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr.

We did it!!! Today was amazing, we did our homework. Rudy and the guys brought an awesome car. Executed like we needed to. Thanks for all those that believe in me to give me this chance. What a night. First win for Rudy! Very blessed. pic.twitter.com/1ZIIOx2EaZ

— William Byron (@WilliamByron) March 1, 2021

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Behind @WilliamByron, this battle for second is heating up! pic.twitter.com/7iE5iH947n

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 1, 2021

Kyle Larson started the race 17th and was looking good to clinch the second spot behind Byron, but a late dash from Reddick meant that Larson lost his spot as Reddick finished second.

Kyle Larson lost another spot in that tight battled and ended the race behind Truex in fourth.

Assessing his race, Kyle Larson said he was struggling with his tires on the long run.

“It got pretty intense there at the end," Kyle Larson said. "I was just trying to take care of my tires and was just struggling on the long runs. We were loose for a majority of the race and in that last run, we actually got kind of tight. But I felt like being tight was better for my long runs than loose, just because I could be a little more confident. I would have liked to finish second, but those guys were better than me in the end and I just couldn’t hold them off."

Homestead is among the best tracks for Kyle Larson, and the No. 5 driver who is looking for his first win with the Hendrick team, felt he gave away his second spot. He had praise, however, for teammate William Byron's winning effort.

"I hate that I gave up those spots. But it was a good day for the NationsGuard Chevy team. Congrats to William Byron. It’s really cool for William to get a win this early in the year. Hats off to their team and hopefully we can get it done soon,” said Kyle Larson.

Byron also won Stage 2 in a shootout before carrying his form into Stage 3 to win with a difference of 2.777 seconds. He led a total of 102 laps.

Kyle Larson finished Stage 1 in sixth place and Stage 2 in fifth place.

Where is Kyle Larson in NASCAR points standings?

Denny Hamlin finished 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Denny Hamlin currently leads the points standings. He was to start the Dixie Vodka 400 from the pole position but dropped to the rear of the field at the start for making unapproved adjustments to his car before the race. He finished 11th.

Kevin Harvick is second in the NASCAR points standings. He is only the second driver this season to have three top-10s in as many races. The other driver is Michael McDowell.

Joey Logano is third, followed by McDowell in fourth. Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott rounds out the top five. Kyle Larson sits eighth in points.

The NASCAR season now moves to another 1.5 mile track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Pennzoil 400 on March 8 at 3.30 p.m. EST.