HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- The Winston Cup debut of Kyle Busch was delayed until next season when his car failed to meet NASCAR specifications and was confiscated.

The car for the 18-year-old driver, the younger brother of Winston Cup star Kurt Busch, was to have been used during qualifying for Sunday's season-ending Ford 400.

John Darby, NASCAR's Winston Cup director, said the Hendrick Motorsports No. 60 Chevrolet did not pass its initial inspection Thursday and could not be quickly repaired at the track.

Ken Howes, the competition director for the Hendrick team, said the decision to enter a car for Busch wasn't made until last week.

"It was simply a mistake as we hurried to prepare,'' Howes said. "This was certainly not an attempt to circumvent the rules.''

The Hendrick team also has entered cars for Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte and Brian Vickers.