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Austin Dillon: NASCAR will issue ‘very harsh’ penalties for repeat offense

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 - Qualifying

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 Lucas Oil Chevrolet, looks on during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 10, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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Following his meeting with Cole Custer and NASCAR officials Friday at Auto Club Speedway, Dillon told ESPN any further stepping out of line by him would lead to “very harsh” penalties.

“NASCAR did a really good job of sharing with me that if I make a mistake like that again that the penalties would be very harsh,” Dillon said. “I love to race, and I don’t want to be on the sideline, ever.”

NASCAR told NBC Sports it does not comment on what drivers are told in hauler meetings.

Neither Dillon nor Custer were penalized for their episode last weekend at Phoenix Raceway that saw Dillon intentionally squeeze Custer into the wall at slow speed under caution in the Xfinity Series race.

Dillon retaliated against Custer after the rookie Stewart-Haas Racing driver got loose in Turn 1 on Lap 190 and ran up into Dillon, sending him into the outside wall and causing significant damage to his No. 2 car for Richard Childress Racing. After slowly leaving the scene of the accident, Dillon drove up the track as Custer came around him.

NASCAR parked Dillon for the final nine laps of the race and spoke to him and his crew chief following the event.

During a Friday press conference, Custer said his meeting with NASCAR and Dillon “went really good.

“We both have things that we wish we would have done different in the moment, but it is what it is and we’ll just try to move on from it.”

Custer had apologized on Twitter after the race and said Friday he did not feel any anxiety about the meeting with Dillon.

“I think we both felt like we got along pretty well and we weren’t on bad terms that much, so we talked a little bit about it and just said how we messed up,” Custer said. “If it’s a pretty bad situation, sometimes you’ll just sit there and say nothing, but it just depends.”

Custer said the meeting ended with the drivers shaking hands.

NASCAR has not issued any punishments the last two weeks after driver altercations. There were no penalties after Kyle Busch threw a punch at Joey Logano after the Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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