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Pagenaud stretches fuel to win on Indy road course

By WTOP Staff

JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Motor Speedway officially opened for the month of May with a chaotic road course race that started with a wreck, saw James Hinchliffe and the mayor of the city injured by flying debris, and, finally, Simon Pagenaud celebrate a fuel-mileage victory.

Pagenaud won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis on Saturday, the first IndyCar Series race on IMS’ road course, by stretching his fuel the final 29 laps.

The Frenchman was one of several drivers to gamble on gas, and he took the lead when Oriol Servia had to stop with four laps remaining. Pagenaud managed to make it to the finish for his third series victory despite having to keep an eye on his mirrors.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was second and Helio Castroneves third on his 39th birthday.

“Man I didn’t know what we were asking for, but we made fuel,” Pagenaud said in Victory Lane. “The fuel saving was amazing. It was nerve-wracking. I was worried about RHR coming back, and I didn’t know what Helio was doing here. I don’t like racing off throttle.”

Sebastien Bourdais and Charlie Kimball rounded out the top five.

Hinchcliffe was taken from the track on a stretcher and transported to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion after he was hit in the head with debris. A replay appeared to show debris from a car in front of him flew into his cockpit following a restart.

IndyCar said he’ll have to be re-evaluated before he’s cleared again to drive. Preparations begin Sunday for the Indianapolis 500, with qualifying scheduled to begin next Saturday for the May 25 race.

IndyCar policy in the past has been to hold a driver with a concussion out of the car a minimum of seven days.

Andretti Autosport said EJ Viso will be the standby driver for Hinchcliffe.

“I’m a little stiff and sore and I’d love to be back in the car tomorrow, but I suppose I should probably let the doctors make that decision,” Hinchcliffe said in a statement.

Hunter-Reay said he drove by Hinchcliffe’s car and couldn’t figure out what happened.

“I was actually next to him on track and all of a sudden debris went everywhere and he slowed up,” Hunter-Reay said about his teammate. “It was something that happened in front of him and he was hit.”

The race began with a violent wreck when pole-sitter Sebastian Saavedra stalled on the standing start. He was hit by multiple cars, and debris struck Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard as he waved the green flag.

Saavedra’s car simply didn’t go when the lights went out and, after Hunter-Reay frantically darted around him, Saavedra was clipped by Carlos Munoz and then hit hard from behind by Mikhail Aleshin.

“We just followed protocol at the start,” Saavedra said. “As soon as I released the clutch, it went from 11,000 rpm to zero. This should not have happened, unfortunately.”

The initial hit from Munoz didn’t seem too bad, but Aleshin’s direct hit sprayed debris all over the track, sending spectators and track workers standing along the wall scrambling for cover. Saavedra was seen in his cockpit with his arms in the air anticipating a potential collision as cars tried to weave their way around his stalled KV Racing car. He was visibly upset after the accident as he talked to his team on his pit stand. He had won the first pole of his career — in part because Hunter-Reay had his two fastest laps disallowed for causing a caution in Friday’s qualifying — and was looking for a strong finish at the famed race track.

“Man, we had an opportunity to be at the front of the pack in this amazing place. We wanted to bring it home in the same place,” he said. “To not even get a chance because of a freaking electrical thing …”

It had many drivers complaining about the standing starts, which have been problematic since IndyCar began using them at some tracks last season. The incident damaged several cars one day before teams begin practice for the May 25 Indianapolis 500.

“I think IndyCar has had like two good standing starts since we started them last year,” said driver/owner Ed Carpenter, who saw Mike Conway have to take his car to the garage for repairs after the accident. “Haven’t been a fan, still not a fan.”

Drivers also grumbled about the way race control was restarting the races, with the leader having to use a late restart zone. Graham Rahal said he was victimized when he was run into from behind by Juan Pablo Montoya.

“These restarts are pretty stupid. You can’t see back there because the rear wings are so big, and the officials, we need to work with them to try to change this because there’s going to be a lot of accidents,” Rahal said. “I said the restart before, I said to my dad, ‘Somebody’s going to get hurt out here because you can’t see.’

“They need to let the leader go earlier. Right now, the way it is, they’re trying to be like NASACAR and this isn’t NASCAR. We can’t just bump-draft each other.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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