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Busch emotional in collecting top rookie award

By WTOP Staff

JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — After his whirlwind month, Kurt Busch earned a one-day trip to Virginia International Raceway for a day of road course testing with Stewart-Haas Racing.

His first day off finally came Wednesday, when Busch finally got to reflect on becoming the fourth driver to run both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Although he came up short in his bid to complete all 1,100 miles, he earned widespread praise for his strong showing in his first career IndyCar race.

An engine failure cut short his run in the NASCAR race, but Busch was sixth in the Indy 500 and earned the rookie of the year honors at the post-race awards banquet. Busch fought back tears as he accepted his award and thanked team owner Michael Andretti for the opportunity.

“This whole dream of mine started two years ago when my career was at a crossroads,” said Busch, who lost his ride with Roger Penske after the 2011 season. “Michael Andretti, I met up with him, and I’ll tell you, it was a unique chance to talk to him about running a NASCAR team and it was like, ‘Hey, if you’ve got an open-wheel ride, I’d like to try out that Indy 500.’ And he said, ‘Kid, you can come race for me anytime.'”

Although there were fans who felt 19-year-old Sage Karam, who drove from 31st to ninth, was a worthy choice of at least co-rookie honors, Busch believed he was a true newcomer despite his vast racing experience. He said he was “blown away” by adapting to the aerodynamics of an Indy car and the nuances of open-wheel racing. His speech on Monday night made it clear he was truly humbled by his entire experience.

“I’ve been to 15 Daytona 500s, I’ve been to that many Brickyard 400s, but honestly, the Indianapolis 500 will blow you away,” he said.

But will he do it again?

“The million-dollar question is, ‘Will I be back?’ I’d love to be back,” he said. “I had so much fun. The key to all this was the blindfold, and they took it off right at the end of the race and I ended up sixth.”

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RARE RED-FLAG: When Townsend Bell crashed with 10 laps to go in the Indianapolis 500, race control took the unprecedented step of stopping the race to clean up debris.

The move came two days after top team owner Chip Ganassi called on IndyCar to adopt NASCAR’s policy of using green-white-checkered flag finishes to ensure fans see a race to the end, instead of events ending under caution.

IndyCar did not go that route, instead choosing to red-flag the race for a delay that lasted a little more than 10 minutes. The restart led to a six-lap sprint to the finish and Ryan Hunter-Reay beat Helio Castroneves by 0.06 seconds, the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history.

“In previous 500s, we would have just run out under caution, so kudos to race control for giving the fans the finish they wanted to see,” reigning IndyCar champion Scott Dixon said.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who spent the past seven seasons in NASCAR, said he was “shocked” by the red flag. But, the 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner believed it was the right call.

“I think it was great for the show because it was a hell of a finish there,” he said. “The last five cars were right against each other, we were right there. I mean I think the fans would have missed a hell of a race if we don’t get that. And I think that brought a lot of attention to IndyCar and made it really good. Now the question is, we’ve got to make sure that now if they do it that, is it always going to happen?”

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DOVER GRAND MARSHALS: Dover International Speedway has named country music star Luke Bryan co-grand marshal of Sunday’s race along with Joey Principe, a 17-year-old Delaware native with Asperger’s syndrome. The race is sponsored by FedEx and is called the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. Principe is about to complete his junior year at Delcastle Technical High School in Newport, Delaware. He has a 15-year-old sister, Samantha, who has autism.

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ENGINE PENALTIES: Honda was docked 50 engine manufacturer championship points for unapproved engine changes on five cars at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The engines were changed on the cars for Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson, James Hinchcliffe and Carlos Munoz. IndyCar also issued 10-point penalties to four teams and drivers for unapproved engine changes. They were: Jacques Villeneuve and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Oriol Servia and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Martin Plowman and A.J. Foyt Racing, and Alex Tagliani and Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Later, Chevrolet and Honda were penalized 10 engine manufacturer points for engine changes under mileage in the Ed Carpenter Racing entry driven by Carpenter and the Andretti Autosport car driven by Marco Andretti.

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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