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Ganassi finds speed, stages rally on Carb Day

By WTOP Staff

DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Scott Dixon insists that Ganassi Racing wasn’t trying to bamboozle anybody.

After struggling last week and failing to put a car in the fast nine for qualifying, the team led by defending Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan staged a rally on Carb Day. Kanaan was left atop the leaderboard Friday with a lap of 227.838 mph, while Dixon was next-fastest at 227.773 mph.

“We definitely didn’t do it on purpose,” said Dixon, who will start in the middle of the fourth row Sunday. “We would like to roll out straightaway and be quick. I think we are normally.”

Kanaan will start on the inside of the sixth row as he attempts to become the first back-to-back winner since Helio Castroneves in 2003. Teammate Charlie Kimball will start in the ninth row.

“We feel good about it,” Kanaan said. “We worked pretty hard together to make up for our Saturday qualifying. We have great people back in the engineering office at Target Chip Ganassi Racing, and it really showed a little bit after qualifying and today.”

The turnaround by the Ganassi stable brought back memories of 2012, when the team struggled throughout the month of May. But by the time Carb Day rolled around, Dario Franchitti had posted the fastest lap of the day, and Dixon was close behind in second.

That was how they would finish on Sunday. Franchitti went on to win his third Indy 500, and Takuma Sato’s last-lap spin into the Turn 1 wall allowed Dixon to finish second.

Townsend Bell, three-time winner Helio Castroneves and rookie Mikhail Aleshin joined Kanaan and Dixon among the five fastest laps Friday. Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti were next on the speed chart, while Juan Pablo Montoya was ninth-quickest.

Kurt Busch stepped into Andretti’s backup car and climbed to 15th on the chart. Busch wrecked his primary car in practice on Monday, forcing his team to convert a car that Andretti had planned to use at Detroit from a road-course setup to an oval setup.

“Just had to get back on my horse,” said Busch, who will attempt to run the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte on Sunday. “As the NASCAR guys always say, ‘Got to thank my crew,’ but honestly, this is a thank-the-crew moment from Andretti Autosport.”

On a busy Carb Day at Indianapolis, here are five more things that happened:

ANOTHER DOUBLE: As Busch becomes the fourth driver to attempt double duty, there’s been speculation more NASCAR drivers may someday try the grueling feat. Busch’s younger brother, Kyle, has said he’ll make an attempt if he ever wins a Sprint Cup championship. “I don’t know why more NASCAR guys don’t do it,” said former IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, who admits he’d love to try it. “You only live once. It’s two of the biggest races in the world, so why not do it?”

BLOCKING RULES: An unofficial poll of drivers indicated very few want to be the leader in the closing laps of Sunday’s race. But Dixon and Kanaan believe murky rules mean the leader could potentially block attempts at a pass for the win without risking a penalty from race control. “We haven’t gotten clarification on that. You can defend now,” Dixon said. If blocking occurs, Kanaan hopes it is fair. “I don’t think it’s fair enough sometimes to be the leader that he’ll be exposed and he’s going to lose the race because he was in the lead. It does not make any sense,” Kanaan said. “There is a certain amount of defending that should be allowed.”

INDY IN (SLOPE)STYLE: Olympic snowboarder Nick Goepper, who took home the bronze medal at the Sochi Games, stopped by the speedway to check out the festivities. Goepper grew up near Cincinnati in Lawrenceburg, just on the Indiana side of the state line, and plans to watch Sunday’s race from the infield pagoda. “I remember the movie ‘Rush’ that came out, the whole racing atmosphere. These guys are incredible drivers,” Goepper said. “They have so much composure. It’s amazing.”

GETTING COMFORTABLE: Paul Tracy still wants to be in a race car, but his time appears to have passed. Now, the popular Tracy has landed a part-time gig with NBC Sports Network. The original deal called for Tracy to work in the booth for six races, but it was expanded to include NBC’s limited coverage of preparations for the Indianapolis 500, as well as two additional events later this season. Tracy said he struggled initially, but “I’ll get it figured out.”

PIT CHALLENGE: Scott Dixon and his Ganassi team won the annual pit crew competition, beating Sage Karam in the finals. The No. 9 crew serviced Dixon’s car in a record 11.7 seconds to give the organization yet another win in the Carb Day staple. “They have been amazing all year,” Dixon said of his crew. Karam competed in an entry that is jointly fielded by Ganassi Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Kingdom Racing, leaving Ganassi to joke, “It was going to be hard for me to lose it this year.”

___

AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.

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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