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Kanaan trying to add to legacy of No. 10 car

By WTOP Staff

MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tony Kanaan walked into a whole new world when he showed up at Indianapolis two weeks ago.

As the defending Indianapolis 500 champion, the longtime fan favorite was celebrated all over town and welcomed everywhere he went.

As the driver of the No. 10 car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, however, Kanaan feels some pressure. The fun-loving 37-year-old Brazilian wants to add to the legacy his friends created in the same car.

“My biggest motivation this year is I am driving a car that won this race a few times,” he said. “Three of my best friends have driven this car, (Alex) Zanardi, Dan (Wheldon) and Dario (Franchitti), and Chip gave me an opportunity this late in my career that I don’t think it comes around that often. I don’t think I need more motivation then that.”

Kanaan never dreamed he would be in this position when he left KV Racing Technology to sign with Ganassi’s powerhouse team last October.

Instead, he expected to be part of a four-car team that included 2008 Indy winner Scott Dixon of New Zealand, young American Charlie Kimball and a reunion with his old teammate, Franchitti. But two days after Kanaan’s deal was announced, Franchitti sustained a severe concussion in a crash at Houston. Doctors advised the three-time Indy winner from Scotland to retire.

A month after that, Franchitti asked Kanaan to replace him in the cockpit of Ganassi’s No. 10 car.

Kanaan certainly has a resume to suggest he can live up to the challenge. He has 16 career IndyCar wins, 112 top-five finishes, won the 2004 series title and became the first driver in series history to finish every lap of every race.

But living up to the legacy of the No. 10 car is entirely different.

“Those are massive shoes to fill,” new teammate Ryan Briscoe said. “I’m sure he wishes he could have jumped into the car and gone out and won the first four races. But there’s so much to learn and the team had Scott on board for so long and Dario on board for so many years, I feel like the cars were tailored to them a little differently.”

It led to a slow start.

Kanaan has finished sixth, 18th, ninth and 10th in 2014, has only had one front-row start, second in the season opener at St. Petersburg, and had even more trouble last weekend at his favorite track, Indianapolis.

The four Ganassi cars struggled so badly on the first day of qualifying last weekend, that none made it into the pole shootout. On Sunday, Kanaan found enough speed to post a four-lap qualifying average of 229.922 mph. He’ll start 16th, the inside of Row 6, in Sundays’ 33-car starting grid.

Kanaan and Dixon found some more speed Friday, finishing with the top times in the final practice before the race. But Kanaan was asking his new teammate, who will start 11th on Sunday, about the slow ramp up.

“I kept talking about it, ‘Is this normal over here?'” he wondered. “(I) used to start in the front, lead, have dominant cars … for me it was different because also my expectations were much higher than 16th, especially with this car. But after all was said and done, there was nothing I could do about that. Nobody remembered where I qualified last year, they remembered where I finished.”

For Kanaan, Indy will forever be a place where he celebrated his greatest victory in 2014 after 12 consecutive years of frustrating problems and vexing near misses. He has become a semi-regular at Pacers games, has had his image engraved on the Borg-Warner Trophy, has been a prominent fixture in television and radio ads, and is one of the most popular drivers in Gasoline Alley.

“I think I fooled myself the last couple of years saying that I was OK with the fact that I might not win this race in my career, and it changed everything when I crossed that finish line,” he said. “It’s just a wonderful feeling. It fulfilled my career dream. I landed in a very good job because of it. Trying to take advantage of it again.”

At times, he’s basked in this victory lap. At other times, he feels he is trying to live up to the expectations that come with being a defending Indy champ in a revered car with a well-funded team.

Franchitti’s long shadow still looms large, too. The 41-year-old Scot won four IndyCar championships including three straight from 2009-11, and still works with the team in a consulting capacity. On Sunday, Franchitti will lead the drivers down the front straightaway as the celebrity pace-car driver, then turn his attention to watching Kanaan in the No. 10.

“To drive that car is a lot of pressure,” Kanaan said.

___

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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