CHICAGO -- Kurt Busch said Thursday he will not race in IndyCar's season finale at Fontana.

Busch said the deadline has passed that he and Andretti Autosport needed to notify Chevrolet they'd need an engine for the Oct. 19 race in California. Busch wanted to run the race as a possible warm-up for next year's Indianapolis 500.

He's not given up on trying to run Indy next season for Andretti.

"I was just hoping to have more of my homework done, more experience and more of an education, which would have meant to race Fontana this year and to be better prepared for Indianapolis next year," Busch said.

Busch made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship this year driving for Furniture Row Racing, the first time a single-car team has made the Chase in its 10-year history. He's joining Stewart-Haas Racing next season.

Busch needs to find a sponsorship package to fund his Indy 500 effort in order to move forward with Andretti.